When Do Hubei Chestnuts Ripen? Recommended Picking Locations

Chestnuts have long enjoyed the reputation of “king of dried fruits,” and abroad they are also known as “ginseng fruit.” The chestnut ripening season has arrived once again. So, when do Hubei chestnuts ripen? Where in Hubei can you pick chestnuts? What should you keep in mind when picking chestnuts?

1. When Do Hubei Chestnuts Ripen?

As soon as September begins, Hubei's specialty early-ripening chestnuts hit the market one after another! This year the chestnuts came to market early, with plump kernels. Luotian chestnuts are glossy and bright, selling for 13 yuan per jin shelled and 8 yuan per jin unshelled, 2-3 yuan cheaper than last year.

2. Where in Hubei Can You Pick Chestnuts?

1. Luotian Chestnuts

“Silkworms spin silk, bees make honey, trees yield oil, mountains produce chestnuts” - this is the pride of the people of Luotian in the Dabie Mountains of eastern Hubei, and the area is also known as “China's Home of Chestnuts” for its abundant chestnut production. In past years, Luotian has held multiple chestnut-picking cultural festivals.

Luotian is located at the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains, with the main peak of the range within its borders. The area is densely forested, and its unique geographical environment and climate conditions are extremely well suited to chestnut growth. For many years, its chestnut output and planting area have ranked first in the country.

Professor Loughton of Auburn University in the United States once visited Luotian for research and called it “the world's gene bank of chestnuts.” Luotian chestnuts combine the crisp fragrance of southern chestnuts with the sweet stickiness of northern chestnuts. The main varieties include Zao Li, Hongguang Li, Yangmao Li, Jinkui Li, and You Li.

Address: Luotian County, Huanggang City (Bodaofeng Scenic Area, Puwei Mountain Villa, Gunshiao Village)

2. Letianxi Chestnuts

If you want a chestnut-knocking competition, Letianxi is a good choice. Because Hubei has many mountainous areas suitable for chestnut growth, Hubei has more than one “home of chestnuts” - Letianxi Town, at the “gateway” to the Three Gorges Dam area, also holds this title.

Letianxi Town has 21,000 mu of chestnuts, making it Yichang's largest chestnut township, with a spectacular “sea of chestnut trees stretching ten thousand mu.”

Address: Luxiping Village, Letianxi Town, Yiling District, Yichang City

3. Dawu Chestnuts

Chestnuts are one of the main specialties of Dawu County, produced mainly in the mountain townships of Xuanhua, Fengdian, Sanli, and Fangfan, with an annual output of over 5 million kg. Among them, the chestnut hub of Xuanhuadian produces over 3 million kg annually, and Zhangdun Village, the county's “number one chestnut village,” produces over 300,000 kg per year.

In September in Dawu, the chestnuts are ripe! Selling well at home and abroad, there are many varieties such as “Xuanhua Hong,” “Yaozi Li,” and “Jiangshan No. 2.” Dawu chestnuts are large, crisp-fleshed, and sweet, making them popular whether eaten raw or cooked.

Address: Dawu County, Xiaogan City (Xuanhua, Fengdian, Sanli, Fangfan, and other areas)

4. Yantianhe Chestnuts

Macheng City in Hubei Province has the country's number one chestnut town - Yantianhe Town. In golden September, walking into Yantianhe, everywhere you look are chestnut groves, stretching one after another to the horizon. If you stop and listen, the crackling sound of bamboo poles striking the trees is endless, and you can even catch a faint, fresh scent of chestnuts.

The history of chestnut cultivation in Yantianhe Town can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty, and during the Ming Dynasty, Yantianhe chestnuts were selected as imperial tribute. “Plant chestnuts across the hills and fields; leave not a single plot of chestnut-suitable land empty.” Here, chestnut trees grow in groves in front of and behind the houses, with varieties such as Liuyue Bao, Qian Ci, and Guihua Xiang.

Address: Yantianhe Town, Macheng City, Huanggang

5. Mulan Yunwu Mountain Chestnuts

Enjoy the coolness of early autumn, and the fragrance of chestnuts on Wuhan's Yunwu Mountain.

The Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area is located in Paotongdian in the northwest of Huangpi District. It enjoys the reputation of “Xiling resort, famous region of northern Chu, western Huangpi border stronghold, ancestral mountain of Han lands,” but today's Yunwu Mountain is exactly what food lovers have their eyes on.

Yunwu has thousands of wild chestnut trees, and the chestnuts produced are refreshingly sweet and delicious. A “chestnut-picking tour” event was once held here. The soil of the Mulan Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area is on the acidic side, and the chestnuts grown here are especially large and sweet. The chestnuts hang on the trees for as long as three months, and the “first crop” of chestnuts can be picked in late August each year.

Address: Lijiaji Subdistrict, northwest of Huangpi District, Wuhan City

6. Shennongjia Wild Chestnuts

The annual Shennongjia wild chestnut season has arrived again. Shennongjia's chestnut harvest season is in September every year. Shennongjia has a beautiful environment, a cool climate, and large temperature differences between day and night.

Shennongjia chestnuts are different from those elsewhere - being wild is their biggest “trump card.” Shennongjia wild chestnuts are the small nuts of wild chestnut trees, with delicate, sweet flesh. Many places selling roasted chestnuts write “Shennong wild chestnuts,” but chestnut lovers cannot tell whether they are truly wild, nor whether they really come from Shennongjia, so why not go to Shennongjia yourself and give them a try?

Address: Shennongjia Forestry District

7. Zigui Chestnuts

Zigui not only has navel oranges but also delicious chestnuts. Zigui chestnuts are a specialty of Zigui County, Yichang City, Hubei Province. Zigui chestnuts are plump and sweet, loved by many roasted-nut vendors and residents alike.

Five townships - Meijiahe Township, Lianghekou Town, Shuitianba Township, Shazhenxi Town, and Maoping Town - each have chestnut areas of over 10,000 mu. The main varieties are Qian Ci Da Li and Hongmao Zao.

Address: Zigui County, Yichang City (Meijiahe Township, Shazhenxi Town, Maoping Town, etc.)

8. Jingshan Chestnuts

Jingshan chestnuts are produced in Caojiadang, Xichuan, Shuangjian, Guihua, and other villages in Sanyang Town, Jingshan City, Jingmen City. They have a cultivation history of more than 2,000 years and are a traditional specialty product of Jingshan County.

Thanks to Sanyang Town's unique geographical environment, compared with chestnuts from other areas nationwide, Sanyang Town chestnuts have a longer growth period, ripen earlier, and are of better quality.

Address: Sanyang Town, Jingshan City

9. Dongbao Lixi Chestnuts

Lixi is located in Dongbao District, Jingmen City, Hubei Province. According to historical records, by the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a market town had already taken shape here. Because a grove of chestnut trees grew nearby and a small stream wound around it, it was named Lixi.

Wild chestnuts are found throughout Xianju, Lixi, and Mahe in the north of Jingmen City. Besides chestnuts, this season also offers delicious wild persimmons, wild bayuegua, and more.

Address: Lixi Town, Dongbao District, Jingmen City, Hubei Province

10. Wufeng Liziping Village Chestnuts

Liziping Village is located in the southeast of Caihua Township, Wufeng County, Yichang. Most people know only that tea is produced here, and do not know that the place name Liziping comes from its abundant chestnut production.

High mountains and mist produce good tea, and in such favorable conditions, chestnuts grow even better. Liziping chestnuts are plump and sweet, making them one of the foods that diners should not miss.

Address: Liziping Village, Caihua Township, Wufeng County, Yichang City

3. What Should You Keep in Mind When Picking Chestnuts?

1. Bring scissors or a pair of fire tongs, and also wear gloves. This is mainly for chestnut burrs that have not yet split open; for fully ripe, split-open chestnuts, you only need to step on them and rub them a couple of times to get them out.

2. Do not wear open-toed sandals or slippers. As the weather gradually turns cooler, try to wear boots - they not only protect you but also help you rub open the chestnut burrs more quickly.

3. It is best to wear a straw hat to prevent falling chestnut burrs from the trees from causing injury.