What are the main producing areas of dried lily bulbs, and how should you choose them?
Dried lily bulbs have high medicinal value, with effects such as detoxification, regulating the spleen and strengthening the stomach, eliminating dampness and reducing stagnation, calming the heart and soothing the nerves, and promoting blood circulation. So, what are the main producing areas of dried lily bulbs? What is the difference between dried lily bulbs and fresh lily bulbs? How much is dried lily bulb per jin? How do you choose dried lily bulbs?
1. What are the main producing areas of dried lily bulbs?
According to records in Liliaceae materials, China is the homeland of lilies, with a total of 42 lily species nationwide. They are distributed across China's main producing areas: mainly produced in Hunan, Sichuan, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places.
Specific main growing locations: Yixing in Jiangsu, Longhui in Hunan, Lanzhou in Gansu, and Aziying in Kunming, Yunnan.
2. What is the difference between dried lily bulbs and fresh lily bulbs?
1. Fresh lily bulbs are a natural ingredient that has not undergone any post-processing. They are soft, white in color, glossy, without obvious spots, with plump and thick scales, and free of rotten spots, damaged spots, insect spots, and yellow rust spots. They smell faint and taste slightly bitter.
2. Fresh lily bulbs are suitable for cooking various dishes, such as “stir-fried beef with lily bulbs” and “stir-fried celery with lily bulbs”. They have a mild taste and a refreshing texture, making them truly excellent stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
3. Dried lily bulbs are made by post-processing fresh lily bulbs: bulbs → material selection → cleaning → peeling and color protection → hot water blanching to deactivate enzymes → cold water rinsing → draining surface water → loading onto trays and carts → hot air circulation drying → sorting and grading → packaging → sealing → warehousing → finished product.
4. Because dried lily bulbs have undergone post-processing, they are easy to store and use, and their natural bitter taste has been removed, making them suitable for making soup, sweet soup, and tea. Therefore, fresh lily bulbs and dried lily bulbs differ only in how they are eaten, and their nutritional value is about the same.
3. How much is dried lily bulb per jin?
Supermarkets generally sell it for 140-240 per jin, depending on the quality of the lily bulbs. But when purchased from farmers, generally top-grade sulfur-free ones are only 30-80 per jin, and top-grade sulfur-treated ones are about 35-70, depending on the market. When the market is good, third-grade sulfur-treated goods are all above 30; when the market is bad, top-grade sulfur-free ones are only about 30-40.
4. How do you choose dried lily bulbs?
When buying lily bulbs in a supermarket, pay attention to two points: first, the fresh lily bulbs in the bag should be glossy, without dark brown spots, large in size, thick in scales, fine in texture, and good in appearance; second, after opening, there should be no strange odor.
For choosing dried lily bulbs, there are two misunderstandings among ordinary people: thinking that the whiter the better and the larger the better. In fact, this is wrong. The color of dried lily bulbs should be white, or slightly pale yellow or light brownish yellow.
In addition, dried lily bulbs should be hard and brittle, and the broken cross-section should be horny-like and relatively smooth. Dried lily bulbs that are too white in color may have been bleached with sulfur, and using them medicinally may have side effects.
As far as medicinal use is concerned, small scales are better than large ones. She explained that dried lily bulbs bleached with sulfur are prone to absorbing moisture, and when boiled they will have a sour taste, so be careful when buying them.