China News Service, Jiangmen, November 28th, title: Taishan, Guangdong's hometown of overseas Chinese, dried cabbage in autumn and winter into a "love hand gift"
Author Li Xiaochun Guo Jun
"Auntie, this bag of dried cabbage was dried by my dad last week. My mom asked me to bring it for you to take the soup to Shenzhen for a taste of freshness. There will be some later. When the next batch is dried, it will be sold. Pack it and send it to you by courier.” This is a scene performed by a pair of nephews and aunts at Taishan Station on the Jiangzhan Railway in Guangdong on the 11th and 28th.
In Taishan, Guangdong, the dried cabbage that the locals dry in autumn and winter contains a strong nostalgia, which is a loving gift for relatives and friends.
It is understood that since the middle and late September of the lunar calendar, the increasingly mature Taishan late-growing rice has been harvested one after another. The drying yards of the natural villages of various towns and towns have shown bumper harvests from time to time, and the golden rice has completed the last process before entering the warehouse under the scorching sun. .
At the same time, in some natural villages in Dajiang, Shuibu, Sijiu, Chonglou and other towns, simple drying racks built with long bamboo poles appeared in front of and behind the houses. The boiled and dipped cabbage was covered by the villagers. Bamboo poles, under the influence of the north wind and sunlight, gradually become dried cabbage well known by local women and children.
The color of the cabbage after drying for a day has changed significantly. Photo by Li Xiaochun
Along the way to the Changkeng Village Committee of Shuibu Town, some villagers were busy harvesting cabbage in the vegetable fields.
In order to facilitate the boiling, dipping and drying of cabbage, some villagers set up special stoves near the drying yard. When the cabbage is processed intensively, the smell of chlorophyll after being blanched in the air around the drying yard will often waft.
From the point of view of the villagers processing cabbage, they cooperated very tacitly. The processes of cutting vegetables, loading vegetables, potting, blanching, dipping, hanging rods, etc. are orderly, and they have a good grasp of the heat, time and soaking during boiling. The need for utensils and detailed handling during washing are all emphasized.
"We have always had the tradition of growing cabbage for sun-dried vegetables. Although the dried vegetables from the water-mouthed cabbage have a good taste, they do not sell well. In contrast, the dried vegetables from the black-leaf cabbage have better appearance. Good. I planted three acres of black-leaf cabbage this year. Due to the epidemic, everyone planted less than last year. If the cabbage grows well, every 10 kg of cabbage can produce nearly 1 kg of dried vegetables. Recent vegetables The dry purchase price is about 46 yuan (RMB, the same below) per kilogram, which is slightly lower than the same period last year." Uncle Liu, a farmer from Changkeng Clam Keng Village, said that black-leaf cabbage has a short growth cycle, wide adaptability and strong resistance to stress. , Easy to plant and manage, high yield.
The cabbage planted for drying vegetables is generally sown from the seventh month of the lunar calendar each year, and can be transplanted after three or four true leaves have grown. Each crop can be transplanted to harvest for more than 20 days. From September to December in the lunar calendar The best season for local drying of vegetables.
The boiled cabbage needs to be taken out of the basin to cool and soak in time. Photo by Li Xiaochun
From the day when cabbage is boiled, dipped, and hung, it takes about 4 days to complete the transformation of cabbage stem from milky white to tooth-colored.
When the cabbage stalks are all tooth-colored, and the moisture in the vegetable is near the end of the volatilization, when touching the leaves with your hands, you need to gently remove them from the bamboo poles in time and place them on a dustpan or a clean place to continue drying.
Some farmers will tie up the dried cabbage with a string according to the preservation habits and requirements of the purchaser, and seal it in a bag after it is completely dried.
In addition to being donated to relatives and friends, the dried cabbage dried in the season will also appear in the market of Taishan towns, major vegetable markets, large supermarkets, and souvenir shops in Taishan.
Its unremarkable appearance, with its long-standing reputation in most parts of Guangdong, attracts many customers from Taishan and surrounding cities in the Pearl River Delta to buy them, mostly for soup or porridge.
"These are the dried cabbage that has just been purchased from farmers in Shuibu, Sijiu and other towns recently. We simply pack them, four taels per bag, and the price is 18 yuan. As a souvenir specialty, it is more generous and decent to give to friends. You can also use it for your own use. In the past two weeks, there have been more visitors from Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Foshan and other places. Seeing that fresh local cabbage is on the shelves, they are all vying to buy it. Some customers bought ten by themselves. Many bags." said the person in charge of a specialty store in Taicheng.
In recent years, dried cabbage in Taishan has gradually evolved from "farmers" to "diners’ demand." Its mellow and delicious taste and soft and sweet taste have given wanderers away from home a "beautiful soup" on the tip of their tongues to soothe homesickness." Taste porridge".
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