Kh'merican Backyard Gardening. Vegetables and Herbs

The Khmer use Crab Claw or ក្រសាំងទាប (Peperomia pellucida) is a tender leafy greens that my great grandparents like to serve it in an herbs and veggies platter for table condiment accompanied by Khmer  Chutney and Sauce of sorts. In cold tossed salads, or a quick blanched in stir fries.  A native to Cambodia. It can be found growing wild. A perennial in a tropical and subtropical subtropical climate of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and above. It thrive in a hot humid and moist environment with filtered sun. Medicinal Use: It has been studied, the plants are analgesic, anticancer, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, cholagogue, diuretic and refrigerant.  They are used in the treatment of bronchitis, asthma, gout, arthritis, headache, rheumatic pain, impotence, abdominal pain, kidney problems etc. An ethyl acetate extract of the air-dried plants showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial...

Iresine herbstii -Aureo reticulata distinctively knotched leaves variegated green/yellow leaves. Iresine herbstii -Brilliantissima or Blazin Rose has burgundy leaves with pink veins.  Iresine herbstii -Purple lady. Bought a package of medicinal herb assortment from an Asian market. And I'm told that it is assembled for chicken soup to serve mom with new birth.  Individual herbs has its role in healings, control swelling and bleeding,  ovary inflammation,  and  aiding with milk production. This is 1/9 medicinal herb in the package.  I've tasted a handful and it is bitter. Iresine Herbstii -Blazin-rose Iresine Herbstii 'Aureoreticulata' (A notch leaf variety).  Iresine Herbstii -Purple lady

'ក្តាត' in Khmer, Bạc Hà in Vietnamese. I leave it unnamed because what information I found online is confusing and unreliable. There's much confusions and I don't believe that this variety belongs to Colocasia, and it certainly not an Alocasia. But for now, I'll havetosettlewith (Colocasia gigantea)  also known as Tahitian taro,  Giant Elephant Ear.  We Khmers call it ក្តាត "K'dat".   ក្តាត "K'dat" is cultivated for its edible petiole rather than corms, because this variety of elephant ear does not produce desirable corms. In the West, it is most sought after plant in the Khmer and Vietnamese communities for making traditional dishes. A Khmer dish calls សម្លរម្ជូរក្តាត "Sum-Law Ma-Ju K'dat" (Sour Soup K'dat). It has no distinctive flavor or scents and for that, it lends itself to a wide range of  dishes. And can be used in conjunction with other vegetables without aromatic or tastes clash. This is a rare find variety ...