When Do Longans Ripen and Hit the Market? An Introduction to Their Market Season
Longan is also called longan, and it is very similar to lychee. After the lychee season is over, longan is about to hit the market. So in which month does longan go on sale? Let us take a look together below.
1. In which month does longan hit the market?
Longan generally ripens in summer in July, and reaches the market in large quantities in late July. A small portion of longan comes to market relatively early, ripening and going on sale in March, and some longan does not reach the market until October. The market time of longan must be determined according to the variety and the production area,
The earliest-ripening longan in China is Hainan longan, which begins to ripen in March and does not finish until July. Guangzhou longan ripens and reaches the market in mid-July, and Guangxi longan ripens and reaches the market from late July to early August.
2. Common longan varieties
1. Shixia longan: Shixia longan is also known as Shiye, Cuirou, Shiyuan and so on, and is a variety of longan. It is divided into three strains: Huangke Shixia, Qingke Shixia and Gongfenke Shixia. This variety is the main planted variety in Guangdong and Guangxi. It originated in Pingzhou, Nanhai, Guangdong, and is one of the fine varieties with a long cultivation history and the best quality for fresh eating. In the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong, this variety ripens in early to mid-August, and is an early-maturing variety.
2. Fujian longan: Fuyan longan is a variety of longan. The fruit of this variety is flat-round, the fruit grains are uniform in size, the peel is brownish-yellow, the tortoise-shell-like cracks are not obvious, the flesh is milky white and semi-transparent, the texture is delicate, the juice is plentiful and the flesh is thick, the taste is fresh and sweet, and the seed can be used as medicine. This variety is the most important variety in the main production areas of Jinjiang, Nan'an, Quanzhou and other places in Fujian Province. The fruit ripens from late August to early September, and it is a mid-maturing variety.
3. Caopuzhong longan: The fruit of Caopuzhong is spherical or slightly flat-round, medium-sized, with a longitudinal diameter of 2.25-2.45 cm and a transverse diameter of 2.30-2.65 cm, and a fruit weight of 6.77-8.0 g. The peel is reddish-brown or yellow-gray-brown, with tortoise-like patterns. The flesh is white wax-colored to light yellow wax-white, semi-transparent, relatively easy to separate from the seed, with a flesh thickness of 0.33 cm, a crisp and tender texture, a medium amount of juice, a sweet taste, and top-grade quality. The edible rate is 63.76%, and the soluble solids content is 18.91-19.8%. The seed is black-brown, nearly round, with a longitudinal diameter of 1.49 cm and a transverse diameter of 1.44 cm, and a relatively small hilum. The fruit ripens from late August to late September, and it is a mid-to-late-maturing variety.
4. Chuliang longan: Chuliang longan has large fruit and excellent quality, and a good fresh-eating flavor. In recent years, in the fruit markets of large and medium-sized cities along the coast of Guangdong, it is the only variety that can compete with longan imported from Thailand and whose quality is superior to Thai longan. At the same time, Chuliang longan is also a fine variety excellent for both fresh eating and processing. After processing, the longan flesh is yellow and clear, semi-transparent, thick, and the pieces of dried flesh do not stick to each other. It is dry and easy to store, and can be made into grade-one to premium-grade longan flesh.
The flesh of longan is very sweet. It can be eaten fresh or eaten after processing. In daily life, you can appropriately eat more longan.