When Is Lychee in Season? A Detailed Guide to Storage and Fresh-Keeping Methods

Lychee is a common summer fruit, with a sweet-and-sour taste and plenty of delicious juice. Recently, early-maturing lychees have already hit the market. So, when is lychee in season? How should it be stored to keep it fresh? Let's take a look together!

1. When is lychee in season?

Different varieties of lychee come onto the market at slightly different times. For example, the relatively early-maturing variety Sanyuehong usually starts hitting the market in March; Baitangying generally comes onto the market at the end of May; Feizixiao comes onto the market in early June; and both Heiye lychee and Baila come onto the market around early to mid-June. Generally speaking, most lychees come onto the market in June and July, so we can analyze this according to the different varieties.

2. How should lychee be stored to keep it fresh?

1. Storage at room temperature

Storing lychee at room temperature does not actually keep it fresh for long, and it can be said to be a relatively short-term preservation method. Generally, the lychees can be placed in a fresh-keeping bag for storage, so that they can remain fresh for a short time. If you want to further extend their storage time at room temperature, then you need to combine this with preservatives, such as benomyl and iprodione, which are all very commonly used preservatives, but the storage time is still only about seven days.

2. Low-temperature storage

Low-temperature preservation is the most commonly used and also the most effective fresh-keeping method in our daily lives. The simplest low-temperature preservation method is to put the lychees in the refrigerator for cold storage, but without treatment, low-temperature refrigeration does not keep them for long either, so later more effective low-temperature preservation methods emerged. The first method is to vacuum-pack the lychees and then store them at low temperature, which can keep them for up to about forty days. The second method is to sort the lychees, subject them to preservative treatment, then pack them in plastic bags and store them at low temperature, which generally keeps them for about one month.

3. Storage during transport

The storage method during transport is a problem that many growers and traders care about a great deal, because it directly relates to their own economic returns. For short-distance transport, cardboard box packaging can be used for transport, while for longer transport distances, we usually use foam boxes with ice added for storage. However, throughout the entire process, they must be handled gently, and the transport time should generally not exceed three days, otherwise it will affect the quality of the lychees afterward. So we also need to set aside about three days for selling time, otherwise we will lose money.

4. Storage with chemical treatment

The storage method using chemical treatment has the longest preservation time, but it also has drawbacks: it affects the quality of the lychees, and some may even be harmful to the human body, so this storage method is not recommended.

The above is the little knowledge compiled for you by the Tuliu.com editor on when lychee is in season and how to store lychee to keep it fresh. We hope it can help you!