Joseph Mbura is a math teacher at W. B. Saul High School for Agricultural Sciences in Roxborough, Philadelphia, and he and his family tend to a couple plots of Kenyan vegetables across the street from the school. They grow both American (Phaseolus vulgaris) and African (Vigna unguiculata) species of beans for their tender, young, succulent leaves - but not their fruits or seeds. They steam the leaves, adding tomatoes, onions, and spices. I was most excited to learn about the crop shown here: Chinsaga. It is related to the ornamental Cleome that I would grow in my childhood garden, but this one is shorter and bushier and grown for its edible leaves. It is a bitter green, sometime compared to mustard, and is full of nutrients and vitamins, and high in protein. It is used as an anti-inflammatory herb, and is often eaten by pregnant and breast-feeding women. Originating in Africa, it is a rapidly spreading plant that has become established throughout Asian and American tropics. Thank you to Joseph and Naomi for sharing their food stories and favorite plants with us! #chinsaga #cleomegynandra #saget #africancabbage #spiderwisp #mozambé #shonacabbage #kenyanfood #kenyanplants #seedkeeping (at Saul W B Agricultural School) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNmKp_gewR/?igshid=1a07y7iz48nvl
