Water Spinach

*Ipomoea aquatica*

How to know it

Hollow stemmed trailing plant with arrow shaped leaves, growing in or beside water. Kangkung in Indonesian and Malay, morning glory on English menus.

What it does

A very common cooked vegetable across Southeast Asia. It grows extraordinarily fast in warm water and can be harvested repeatedly from the same plant, which makes it one of the most productive things a school can grow.

Safety

Safe cooked. Because it grows in water, it should be grown in clean water rather than a stagnant ditch, and always cooked rather than eaten raw.

Two things to do with children

Grow it in a tub of water. Cut a stem, put it in water, and it roots. It is close to impossible to fail at.

Harvest, cook and eat it in one session. From cutting to plate in the same morning is a rare thing to be able to offer.