When Do Lotus Seeds Mature? A Detailed Guide to the Harvest Season and Picking Time

Lotus seeds generally mature in autumn, but lotus seeds in the Yangtze River basin begin to mature from late May to early June. If you want to wait until the lotus seeds are fully ripe before picking, you need to wait another 30-40 days. So how should the harvested lotus seeds be handled?

How should the harvested lotus seeds be handled?

After the lotus seeds are harvested, if you want to preserve their fresh quality, they must be processed immediately.

1. By hand, shell the lotus seeds one by one from the seed pod, and remove the plump-less ones and empty shells.

2. Use a machine to cut open the skin of the lotus seeds to facilitate the next step of processing.

3. Use a tool to remove the core of the lotus seeds, and collect the cored lotus seeds and the lotus seed cores separately.

Of course, if the weather is good, you can start sun-drying right away. If the weather is bad, you can leave them for a few days first, but it is best not to open the seed pod. You can also peel off the outer part and keep only the layer of green lotus seed coat on the outside of the seeds.

In the past, harvested lotus seeds were all naturally air-dried, but now they are basically dried with a dehydrator. Although the cost of dehydrator-dried lotus seeds increases, their quality is higher.