What are the three fresh delicacies in Xiaoman? What should we eat to maintain health during Xiaoman?

Grain Full is the second solar term in summer. At this time, cereal crops begin to become full, and there are also a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and fruits to choose from. There is a saying in rural areas that "three fresh foods are seen in Grain Full". So what do these "three fresh foods" refer to?

What are the three fresh delicacies in Xiaoman?

There is an old saying in the countryside that "see three fresh vegetables during Grain Full", which usually refers to the three fresh vegetables and fruits that begin to appear on the market during this solar term, namely cucumbers, garlic sprouts and cherries. Some places are different, and some places define the three fresh vegetables as a symbol of "harvest", referring to the seasonal vegetables of Grain Full: rapeseed, garlic and barley.

No matter what it refers to, the vegetables and fruits that mature in this season are very good in terms of nutritional value and taste because they are at the right time.

For example, cucumber can clear away heat, quench thirst, promote water and reduce swelling, clear away heat and detoxify, and has a special fragrance. Cherry is known as the diamond king of fruits. It is rich in vitamin C and is recognized as the "king of natural VC" and "fruit of life" in the world.

What to eat during the Xiaoman solar term

From the perspective of health preservation, diseases are most likely to occur after the Grain Full solar term. During the Grain Full solar term, everything grows fastest, the physiological activities of the human body are at their most vigorous, and the nutrients consumed are the most, so it is necessary to supplement nutrition in time.

During the Grain Full solar term, you can eat some foods that can clear away heat and dampness, nourish yin, warm the stomach, and warm up the body. Soups such as shepherd's purse, ginger, fish head soup, peppered chicken and pork tripe soup, mung bean sprouts and clam soup, bitter melon, kapok and beef soup, American ginseng, red dates and raw fish soup, and chicken feet soup; and foods such as winter melon, coix seed, lentil, red bean, yam, Euryale ferox, Poria, lotus seeds, watermelon, kelp, and mung bean can clear away heat and cool down, and help the spleen to transport and transform. However, foods with a strong cold nature, such as watermelon, kelp, and mung bean, are not recommended to be eaten on an empty stomach in the morning, as they are easy to catch cold, hurt the spleen and stomach, damage yang energy, and cause stomach cold and abdominal pain.

What are the customs and habits of Xiaoman solar term?

Worship the Silkworm God

The Grain Full period is also the time when silkworms make cocoons. In our farming culture, we often say "men farm and women weave", and the material women use for weaving is silk in the south and cotton in the north. Therefore, sericulture is very popular in the south, and silk has been regarded as a natural gift by people since ancient times. Being able to wear clothes made of silk is also a symbol of status.

According to legend, Grain Full is the birthday of the Silkworm God. In order to obtain the forgiveness of the Silkworm God and pray for a good harvest of silkworms in the future, people will go to the Silkworm God Temple and the Silkworm God Temple to pay tribute to and worship the Silkworm God. People call this festival the Silkworm Prayer Festival.

Xiaoman three-wheeled vehicle

The three carts are the silk cart, the field cart, and the oil cart. The Grain Full season is when spring silkworms make cocoons to produce silk, rice fields use treadmills, and the south harvests rapeseed to press oil. So in order to pray for a good harvest, many places will gather these three carts together on this day to perform a worship ceremony.

Return to her parents' home

There is a saying in the countryside: "When the wheat turns yellow, the daughter visits her mother." During the Grain Full season, wheat in the north gradually matures and turns yellow. The daughter and son-in-law will buy gifts and go back to her parents' home to visit them and ask about the preparations for the wheat harvest. This custom usually only exists in the north.

Summer Busy Party

Grain Full is a busy farming season in both the north and south, and various agricultural tools are indispensable. Therefore, in order to facilitate the busy farming season, some places have the custom of holding summer busy seasons, which usually last for 3 to 5 days. In addition to farmers going to the market to buy various agricultural production tools, including some livestock, grain, etc., there will also be opera performances, with various gongs and drums playing together, which is very shocking.