Trang: During the months of December to March, villagers in Pak Jam, Huai Yot District, Trang Province, are actively engaged in collecting young shoots of the pseudo-neem tree, also known as the elephant neem tree, which is popular as a side dish or vegetable in the southern dialect.
According to Thai News Agency, the pseudosapling is a common sight in Trang Province, particularly in Pak Cham Subdistrict, Huai Yot District. These trees grow in areas surrounding houses and rubber plantations, as they are hardwoods with multiple uses. Mrs. Palom Chanthrit, affectionately known as Aunt Lom, along with her son, collect these shoots from the area. Generously, the tree owners allow them to gather the shoots for free, as young pseudosaplings are only available for picking once a year, from December to February.
Once collected, Aunt Lom trims and ties the shoots into bunches, boiling them for two minutes before soaking them in water to lessen their bitterness. They are then marinated in a mixture of salt, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and shrimp paste, and packed in bags to be sold with young tamarind chili paste. These sets are sold at local markets and to villagers for 20 baht each.
Mrs. Pralom reports that the venture of selling boiled pseudoshoots is quite profitable, earning her approximately 5,000 baht daily. This is largely because she does not have to purchase the pistachio shoots. She collects them throughout the year and sells them to vendors at Trang Municipality Market and Huai Yot Market. This year, however, she has chosen to focus her sales efforts at the market near her home, opting to boil and sell the shoots directly in front of her residence.