Monks plant millions of watercress plants for villagers to harvest and eat for free.

Trang, Monks at Wat Khuan Inthanin Ngam in Trang Province planted watercress in a 35-rai palm plantation. It has grown into millions of trees and is open to the villagers to harvest and eat for free, and to plant and sell, reducing expenses and generating income, helping the villagers. At Wat Khuan Inthanin Ngam, Tung Krabue Subdistrict, Yan Ta Khao District, Trang Province, Phra Khru Palat Rungchai Subharo, the abbot of Wat Khuan Inthanin Ngam, took reporters to see the water mimosa or morning glory trees that the temple has helped plant in the furrows of an oil palm plantation covering an area of ??35 rai, totaling 2,000 trees (the mimosa trees are 15 years old). The morning glory trees are now growing, branching out, and spreading out into millions of trees, resulting in a large number of morning glory shoots ready to be harvested each day. The temple therefore opens an opportunity for villagers or low-income earners to come and harvest and eat it for free all year round because morning glory is a leafy vegetable. The more you pick it, the more new shoots it will sprout, and there are so many that you can't harvest it all. On average, it is no less than 15 kilograms per day. It is also a learning center for growing morning glory in oil palm plantations, which does not require fertilizer or watering because it gets fertilizer and moisture from the shade of the palm trees. It is called planting once, harvesting and selling for decades. It is also a hardy plant that is drought-resistant. Its leaves can be used in cooking and have a sweet, creamy taste similar to sweet vegetables. The abbot invites villagers to grow morning glory in oil palm plantations to reduce expenses and increase income. Anyone interested in grafting branches to plant can do so, or grafting branches to sell, which costs no less than 10 baht per branch. For Pak Miang, it is considered the queen of southern local vegetables because it has high vitamin A, antioxidants, strengthens bones and teeth, slows down aging, prevents cancer, has calciu m and many vitamins that are beneficial to health. The market price is 50-60 baht per kilogram. The most popular menus are Pak Miang stir-fried with eggs, Pak Miang boiled in coconut milk with fresh shrimp, Pak Miang boiled in coconut milk with red ant eggs, and can be used as a side dish. Any farmers who are interested can visit Wat Khuan Inthanin Ngam, Yan Ta Khao District, Trang Province to study the work. Source: Thai News Agency