After Tet, the prices of various types of green vegetables are expected to increase. Therefore, many people are attracted to the following types of vegetables because they are usually cheaper and still visually appealing. However, even though they are cheap, you should still be cautious when buying these types.
Leafy vegetables with long stems
Leafy vegetables such as water spinach, pumpkin leaves, chayote, and morning glory… If the stems are too long, you should be cautious because they are often fertilized with more protein or growth enhancers. During times of high vegetable prices, these types of vegetables are more likely to be fertilized with excessive protein and growth enhancers to grow quickly without enough time for safe isolation. If you buy them and don’t use them right away, the stems will grow an additional 5 – 10 cm the next day. When you see this phenomenon, you should avoid eating them.

Overly watery vegetables
When you see vegetables that appear overly watery, you should break the lower part of the stem. If you see water dripping from the stem, it means the vegetables have been fertilized with excessive nitrogen, not ensuring the isolation period, and the nitrate content in the vegetables is still very high. With these types of vegetables, if you leave them for more than 12 hours, they will easily turn brown.
Unusual young water spinach stems
If you see water spinach with larger stems than normal, crisp texture, dark green leaves, and a shiny and smooth upper surface of the leaves, you should not buy them. The reason is that the vegetables may have been fertilized with excessive protein and foliage fertilizers. If you boil them and the water turns green and not clear, it indicates that they have been fertilized with excessive fertilizer to stimulate rapid stem growth.
Mustard greens
If the mustard greens have no roots, long white stems that look weak and thin, and easily withered and crushed, you should not buy them because they will quickly wither and when stir-fried, they won’t be crispy.
Various bean sprouts
Various types of bean sprouts such as mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts… If the sprouts are slimy, you should not buy them because they are often fertilized with excessive nutrients and plant protection chemicals.

Unusual-shaped root vegetables
Root vegetables such as parsley, carrots, beets, tomatoes… that have irregular shapes and cracks may be due to excessive fertilizer causing overstimulation during their growth process, leading to cracking and deformation.
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