While most of the United States is focused on legalizing marijuana, the state of Georgia has decided to decriminalize WATER SPINACH!
As a gardener, I am excited. And while cultivation will not be allowed in Georgia yet, at least the plant can be legally imported for consumption starting later this year.
I read about this in the Farmers & Consumers Market Bulletin recently. Water spinach is a fast growing plant and has been banned in Georgia for many years since it could be invasive in waterways. As the state population has grown in diversity, many of the Asian communities in Georgia have sought water spinach for cooking. And as a result, a black market industry has sprung up.
Water spinach can grow four inches in a day and the stem can reach 70 feet long. That can make it tough on a gardener, in fact check out this great post from @afterglow https://peakd.com/hive-140635/@afterglow/weeding-season-continuation-and-removing-some-water-spinach
Starting in fall of 2022, the state of Georgia will allow the sale of water spinach like most other vegetables. To start with, the plants will be produced in Florida and imported for sale in Georgia. But in the future, Georgia may permit the cultivation of Water Spinach.
While many laws are in place to prevent invasive species, I think a balance should be made to bring more diversity to gardeners in the state. Many of the crops we plant now are not native to Georgia. I am glad to see the state moving in the right direction!
Photos are made by GrowingMyOwnFood of the Farmers & Market Bulletin newspaper and the article is written with information from the article. There is no copy and paste and all sources are cited,i.e, Farmers & Market Bulletin Vol 104, No 6.
Never heard of it before... But it looks fascinating!
I think it is very common in south Asia and Africa. I look forward to trying some soon.
Thank you for the mention. Indeed, water spinach is a fast-growing and very resilient vegetable. Its fast-growing trait makes it invasive and quite hard to uproot when left alone for a period of time.
I was glad to see your post and all the hard work you put into clearing the spinach. I understand why the government here may be cautious about how it is grown. However, I think people should have access to the foods that they enjoy also.
I agree that people have access to foods that they enjoy.
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