readers have asked me what the plant on my logo is. I will address it today. It is Launaea taraxacifolia known as efo yanrin in Yoruba and I already discussed it while on the vegetables of our land series. It is always confused with Dandelion. Taraxacum officinale is Dandelion. However, both vegetables are in the same family. I make sure that I explain how you can prepare everything I discuss for consumption but I still get several text messages from people who want me to explain to them again.
A friend shared the story of how a woman treated her fibroid with me recently. She told me that the woman gave her a specific date to come to be checked after the completion of the herbs given to her. My friend returned to the woman. She was checked and she told me the woman jumped for joy and said “owo ti ba!” meaning “the herbs have hit the fibroid.
This week, it is the turn of potato peels. Traditionally, potato peel is used for producing low-value animal feeds and fertiliser. By various procedures such as fermentation, extraction and other treatments, it can ensue into products such as bio-fuels, dietary fibre, biofertiliser, biogas, biosorbent, antioxidants and food additives. It has antibacterial, apoptotic , chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory properties.
Potato peels as burn dressing have been a natural home remedy for a long time. It is interesting to know that science backs this up. The peels can be made into flour which can be used for thickening sauces and lightening baked goods. It can be used to brew alcohol. Potato peels are already thinly sliced and thus the perfect candidates for home made crisps, crackers and fries. You can replace breadcrumbs in recipes with the potato peel preparation.
“The potato skins prevent loss of nutrients in potatoes,” says Vivian Nambooze, a nutritionist at Nutri Dietetic Centre Uganda. In reiteration, Jamiru Mpiima, a nutritionist at Family Nutritionist Uganda, says that leaving potato skins on a potato prevents leaching of nutrients found within the food. “Especially if the potatoes are going to be boiled as the nutrients lie just beneath the potato,” he adds. Mpiima warns that not all varieties of Irish potatoes are nutritious.