Why do we eat lychees during the Great Heat? Which province is the main lychee producing area and when is it ripe?

Lychees are rich in nutrients, including glucose, sucrose, protein, fat, vitamins A, B, C, etc., as well as folic acid, arginine, tryptophan and other nutrients, which are beneficial to human health. Because lychees are acidic, their appearance tends to turn black after being picked, but this does not affect their eating quality, but they are not as fresh as when they were just picked. When buying lychees, fresh ones should be selected, which is conducive to long-term storage. If conditions permit, lychees can be immersed in water together with plastic bags. In this way, even if they are soaked for a week, they still taste the same as fresh ones. Generally, the lychee ripening season is in late March and late July every year.

Contents of this article

1. Why do we eat lychees during the Great Heat?

2. Will lychees go bad if left at room temperature for a day?

3. Do I need to put the lychees I bought in the refrigerator?

4. Which province is the main lychee producing area and its ripening season?

Why do we eat lychees during the Great Heat?

Eating lychees during the Great Heat is a custom in Putian, Fujian. Every household in Putian eats lychees during the Great Heat, which is called "going through the Great Heat". Lychees are ripe around the Great Heat solar term, and relatives and friends often give each other lychees as gifts. Lychees are rich in glucose and multiple vitamins, and have high nutritional value. Eating them in moderation is good for the body.

The Great Heat is the last solar term in summer and is the solar term with the most sunshine and the hottest weather in the year. The climate characteristics of the Great Heat are high temperature, frequent thunderstorms and typhoons.

Lychees are rich in nutrients, containing glucose, sucrose, protein, fat, vitamins A, B, C, etc., as well as folic acid, arginine, tryptophan and other nutrients, which are beneficial to human health.

Will lychees go bad if left at room temperature for a day?

If the room temperature is high in the summer, the lychees may go bad overnight. You can smell them to see if they have gone bad. If they have, you can't eat them. To keep lychees for a few more days without discoloring or going bad, you can first cut off the long stalks of the lychees, then put the lychees in a plastic bag, tie the bag tightly, and place it in a cool place.

If conditions permit, you can soak the lychees in water together with the plastic bag. This way, even if you soak them for a week, they will still taste like fresh ones.

The storage time of fresh lychees depends on the storage method. If lychees are left exposed on the ground for about 3 days after being picked from the tree, they will change color and taste. By the time lychees are picked and in people's hands, 2-3 days have passed.

Since lychees are acidic, they tend to turn black after being picked, but this does not affect their eating quality, just that they are not as fresh as when they were just picked. When buying lychees, you should choose fresh ones, which are conducive to long-term storage.

Do I need to put the lychees in the refrigerator?

The shelf life of lychees at room temperature will not exceed one week. If they are refrigerated or kept at low temperatures, the shelf life can be extended to about one month. If you like to eat frozen lychees, you can freeze them directly in the refrigerator after buying them, which is also good for preserving them. In ancient times, there was a saying that "the color of lychees changes in one day, and the taste changes in three days", so fresh lychees are best eaten as soon as possible.

First, select the lychees, separate the bad ones without branches and leaves, cut off the long branches of the remaining fresh lychees, leaving only a small stem. Divide the lychees into 20-30 portions, wrap them with newspaper, put them in a plastic bag, and put them in the refrigerator's fresh-keeping layer.

If there is no refrigerator, you can first select and sort the lychees, put them in a plastic bag, tie the bag tightly, and then put it in a cool place. You can also soak the plastic bag containing the lychees in water, which can also keep them for about three to five days.

If you have too many lychees at home to eat, you can can them. This way you can preserve them for a long time and eat them whenever you want. The method of making canned lychees is generally to remove the shells and cores, and then soak them in light sugar water.

In which province are lychees mainly produced and in which season are they ripened?

The main production areas of lychees are Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other provinces. The lychee ripening season is generally in late March and late July each year, but the ripening time of different varieties will vary to a certain extent. The main types include black leaf, Huaizhi, Feizixiao and so on.

Lychees are native to southwestern, southern and southeastern China. The peel of lychees is usually bright red or purple with scaly bumps, and the flesh is translucent white.

The time when litchi flowers and bears fruit is related to the planting method. It usually takes more than six years for litchi trees planted by seedlings to bear fruit. Litchi trees propagated by grafting can bloom after two or three years of planting, but need to be maintained for six years before they bear fruit.