Bamboo Shoots

A nutritious, filling, and highly-fibrous vegetarian staple is Labóng (young bamboo shoots), generously flourishing now in the farm at this time of the year. They are literally what they are called (and shown on the right): suckers growing out of the edges of the grove, harvested right when it juts out of the soil.

Bamboo is actually a kind of grass, a very stiff and tall variety but grass nevertheless. It spreads just like grass, through an underground network of rhizomes. 

You'd want to take off the outer part to get to the soft, edible core. You can slice them thinly or julienne; the smaller, the easier it is to eat, enjoy, and digest. In our house, we cook this with gata (coconut milk) and occasionally add small shrimps for flavor.

Remember that just like ubod which comes from the pith of the coconut tree, labong is the fibrous component of bamboo which eventually becomes the strong, sturdy bamboo that we use to construct and make furniture with. It's a great detoxifier especially for our digestive system, apparently containing phyto-chemicals and potent anti-oxidants. It kinda makes sense because in its compact form, all the necessary nutrition the mature bamboo will need is practically present already in its young form.