When Ginkgo (Bai Guo) Ripens and How to Peel It

The seeds of the ginkgo tree are commonly known as baiguo (white fruit), which is why the ginkgo tree is also called the white fruit tree. It lives a very long time and is the elder statesman among trees; in some places you can see old ginkgo trees that are several hundred or even over a thousand years old. So when does ginkgo ripen? And how do you peel it?

1. When does ginkgo (baiguo) ripen?

1. Ginkgo generally ripens around October, but our country is vast, so the exact ripening time may differ from place to place. It may be earlier in the south and later in the north, but the difference will not be too great.

2. From natural planting to bearing fruit, ginkgo takes more than twenty years, and only after forty years can it bear fruit in large quantities. Generally, it buds and unfolds its leaves from late March to early April, flowers from early to mid-April, its seeds ripen from late September to early October, and it sheds its leaves from late October to November.

3. Ginkgo fruit should be picked after it is fully ripe. You can judge whether it is ripe by the color of the fruit skin: if the skin changes from green to orange, yellow, or yellowish-brown, becomes soft and covered with a white powder, an abscission layer forms at the base of the fruit stalk, and the middle seed coat is completely lignified, then it is ready to be picked.

4. Once the ginkgo fruit is ripe, if the tree is not tall, you can pick it directly by hand or shake the branches and pick up the fruit after it falls to the ground; if the tree is tall, you can use a hook on a pole to shake the fruit down or a hooked sickle to cut it down, then pick it up by hand; if the fruit does not fall after you shake the branches, it means it is not yet fully ripe, and you can come back to pick it in a few days.

2. Can ginkgo (baiguo) be eaten?

1. Ginkgo generally refers to the fruit of the ginkgo tree, that is, baiguo, and it can be eaten. It contains various nutrients and trace elements, and after eating it, it can inhibit bacteria and sterilize, relieve illness and cough, resist waterlogging and suppress insects, stop abnormal vaginal discharge, lower serum cholesterol, and also reduce freckles, moisturize the skin, and beautify the complexion.

2. Although ginkgo fruit can be eaten, its green embryo contains hydrocyanic acid, which is toxic. Eating it raw or eating too much of it stir-fried may cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, fever, restlessness, vomiting, abdominal pain, and convulsions.

3. Ginkgo fruit is generally peeled and cored before eating. To avoid poisoning, eating it cooked and eating only a small amount are the fundamental methods. Therefore, it is recommended not to eat ginkgo fruit raw; it must be fully heated before eating. Even when eaten cooked, it must not be eaten in excess: adults should not eat more than 15 kernels per day, children no more than 5, and infants had best not eat it at all.

3. How do you peel ginkgo (baiguo)?

As mentioned above, baiguo needs to be peeled, so how do you peel it?

1. You can place the freshly picked baiguo in a cool, damp place and pile it 30 cm high, or put it in a large vat or plastic bag, then place it somewhere out of the sunlight, and the skin will rot on its own; after it has fully rotted, put on rubber boots and repeatedly tread and rub the fruit pile until the flesh separates from the skin; then put it into a sieve or bamboo basket and rinse it in flowing river water or a water tank.

2. You can soak the freshly picked baiguo in water and leave it in a cool place for one week, and the skin will rot on its own; then put on rubber gloves and rinse it in flowing river water or a water tank. If the skin is not completely removed, you can rinse it a second time.

3. You can place the freshly picked baiguo in a container and put the container in a microwave, turn it on high and wait about ten minutes; when you hear a crackling sound, it means the skins have all burst open.

4. You can place the freshly picked baiguo in a pot and boil it in water, and the skin will fall off on its own. You can also use a hammer or other blunt object to crush the outer skin, or bite a notch in the narrow end with your teeth, and half of the outer skin will come off.

Ginkgo (baiguo) generally ripens around October, and after it is ripe and picked, it can be peeled using the several methods above.