When do Xinjiang jujubes generally ripen?

Xinjiang jujubes ripen from mid-July to September, so fresh jujubes hit the market in large quantities in mid-September, while dried jujubes are not ripe and on the market until late October.

When selecting Xinjiang jujubes, pay attention to the following points:

1. The fruit is plump and the wrinkles are relatively shallow. When you squeeze a Xinjiang red jujube by hand, you will feel that the flesh is very thick and firm, and you will not immediately feel the pit. If the flesh is shriveled, the wrinkles are deep, and when squeezed the flesh is as thin as a layer of skin, then it is definitely not a Xinjiang red jujube.

2. Large in size and thin in skin. Different varieties of Xinjiang jujubes differ in size. Hotan jujubes are the largest (3-8 cm) and the large ones can be similar to an egg, but not all very large jujubes are Xinjiang jujubes. Some jujubes, through grafting, can grow as large as an apple, but their taste is ordinary. Xinjiang jujubes have thin skin, and no matter how you eat them, they do not leave your mouth full of pulp residue like jujubes from the interior.

3. The jujube skin is dark red and glossy. The skin of genuine Xinjiang red jujubes is dark red and very glossy. If the jujubes you buy are yellowish, grayish, or whitish in color, they are very likely not genuine Xinjiang jujubes.

4. Sweet in taste. Genuine Xinjiang jujubes taste very sweet. If they are sour, or have little taste, they are certainly not Xinjiang jujubes.

5. There are three kinds of Xinjiang jujubes: Hotan jujubes are large, thick-fleshed, and very sweet; Ruoqiang jujubes are small and the most dense, but their taste is more delicately sweet and pure; Hami jujubes have a good blood-enriching effect.

At present, the main varieties of Xinjiang jujubes are Jun jujube, Hui jujube, and Huang jujube. Their fruit shape is plump, their color is bright, and their taste is sweet. Whether eaten fresh or dried for stewing soup or cooking porridge, they are all good choices.