‘Ttangkkeut Haenam-gun Honghwa Namul’ Spring Well-being Ingredient in Spotlight

Housewives' Love Call for Family Health... "Sweet and Nutty Flavor is Superb"

Honghwa greens, established as a spring specialty product of Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do. Photo by Ttangkkeut Minjimam

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Safflower greens, known as a spring specialty of Ttangkkeut in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, are gaining nationwide popularity.

Safflower greens refer to the young shoots of the safflower plant. They can be eaten as a salad or lightly blanched and seasoned like spinach. Due to their history as a herbal medicine, they have a slightly bitter taste but are prized for their sweet and nutty flavor.

Because of their excellent efficacy, once used as herbal medicine, safflower greens are now spotlighted as a well-being ingredient on dining tables. They are rich in calcium and zinc, which help dissolve blood stasis and have outstanding effects on bone health, including osteoporosis.

Safflower greens, widely produced in areas such as Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, are especially sold under the brand name ‘Ttangkkeut Minjimam’ in Bukil-myeon, Haenam, offering organic products.

Chaemi-sook, CEO of Ttangkkeut Minjimam, said, “Recently, organically and pesticide-free cultivated safflower greens have gained popularity among housewives who care about their family’s health. The healthily grown safflower greens are currently displayed and sold in small packages (250g) at the ‘Haenam Local Food’ store.”

She added, “Thanks to the popularity among urban housewives, you can also find ‘Ttangkkeut Minjimam Safflower Shoots’ at ‘Dure Co-op stores’ nationwide. Besides salads, shabu-shabu, and seasoned greens, they can be consumed in various ways such as pickles, enzymes, powder, and dried greens. I believe safflower shoots are the best for stimulating lost appetites.”

The locally grown organic safflower is sown from late October using Haenam native thorn safflower seeds, harvested for greens from March of the following year, blooms safflower flowers in June, and harvests safflower seeds in July.

Meanwhile, after the young shoot harvesting ends, the plant is cultivated as safflower. Safflower is an annual medicinal crop of the Asteraceae family, rich in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in its seeds, making it highly nutritious.

Although the flowers and fruits are used medicinally, their value has recently increased as health teas, being utilized as safflower flower tea and safflower fruit tea.

Haenam=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun kh0424@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.