Best Harvest Time for Sichuan Pepper and How to Store Fresh and Dried Sichuan Pepper, Plus Harvesting Precautions
Harvesting Sichuan pepper too early will affect its quality, lowering both the quality and the income of pepper growers, while harvesting it too late will cause the pepper to become overripe, weakening its numbing aroma and affecting its quality. So, when is the best time to harvest fresh Sichuan pepper? How should fresh and dried Sichuan pepper be stored?
Sichuan pepper is grown across a very wide range of regions, including Northeast China, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area, the Southwest, and Tibet, and it can be used both as a spice and as medicine. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, it has effects such as dispersing cold in the lungs, removing dampness in the spleen, and supplementing fire in the kidneys. The peel of the Sichuan pepper fruit is a raw material for flavorings and spices, the seeds are an excellent woody oil crop, the oil cake can be used as fertilizer or feed, and the leaves can substitute for the fruit as a seasoning, be eaten, or be made into pepper tea. In everyday life, Sichuan pepper is most commonly seen as a seasoning, and in recent years, with growing demand, large-scale cultivation and specialized production have developed rapidly.
When is Sichuan pepper harvested?
The fruit of Sichuan pepper generally ripens around the period from the Beginning of Autumn to the End of Heat, and the harvest period generally runs from early August to early September. Harvesting too early means insufficient ripeness, a weak numbing aroma, and dull color. Harvesting too late means overripeness, a weakened numbing aroma, and aged color that may even turn purplish red, so it must be harvested at the right time. When Sichuan pepper is ripe, the peel is purplish red or pale red, the suture line of the peel protrudes, a small amount has split open, and the seeds are black and glossy. A rich numbing aroma can be smelled; this is the most suitable time for harvest, and the fruit is generally picked by hand or cut with scissors.
Harvesting fruit clusters on strong branches: in the first leaf axil below the large pepper cluster there is a plump bud, and this bud is the fruiting bud for the next year, so it must be properly protected. When picking the pepper cluster, be sure not to remove this axillary bud along with it, so as not to affect next year's yield. Harvesting fruit clusters on weak branches: the first bud below the fruit cluster on a weak branch develops poorly; the second or third bud develops more robustly, so when harvesting, the second or third bud should be retained, otherwise next year's yield will be affected. Harvesting is best done on a clear morning after the dew has disappeared; the harvesting time should not be too long, and the amount stored should not be too much. It is best not to harvest in the afternoon, because Sichuan pepper harvested in the afternoon will not open its mouth when dried, and after overnight it will turn black in color and develop mold spots inside the shell, affecting quality.
Precautions for harvesting Sichuan pepper
1. Determine the harvest period
The harvest period of Sichuan pepper varies by variety, and even for the same variety it is not consistent due to differences in site conditions. Generally, the suitable harvest period is determined by the external morphological signs of the pepper, that is, when the peel of the Sichuan pepper shows purplish red or pale red, the suture line of the peel protrudes, a small amount of the peel has split open, and the seeds are black, glossy, and give off a rich numbing aroma, it can be harvested.
Some varieties, such as Xiaojiaozi, tend to have their peel burst open after the fruit ripens and their seeds scatter, so they should be harvested within 1 week after the fruit ripens to avoid losses. Some varieties, such as Dahongpao, do not split open after the fruit ripens, so the harvest time can be appropriately delayed.
2. Harvest weather and order
Sichuan pepper should be harvested in clear weather, avoiding rainy days, so as to prevent difficulty in drying and effects on color and flavor that lead to a decline in quality. The harvest order should start with warm, sunny, low-altitude plots, then move to shady, more sunny-facing, high-altitude plots; generally it should also go from outside to inside and from lower to upper, making sure not to miss any.
3. Protect the fruiting buds
Pay attention to handling the fruit cluster buds: in the first leaf axil below the large pepper cluster there is a plump bud, and this bud is the fruiting bud for the next year, so it should be protected and not removed. On weak branches, however, the first bud below the fruit cluster develops poorly, and only the second or third bud develops robustly, so when harvesting, the first bud can be removed while the second and third buds are retained, serving as a form of minor pruning.
4. Harvesting Sichuan pepper
Sichuan pepper is mainly harvested by hand. When harvesting, hold the branch with one hand and pick the fruit cluster with the other. Because the base of the fruit cluster has prickles on the branch, fingers are easily pricked during harvesting, so the method of harvesting while pruning can be used. When harvesting, pay attention to:
1. Choose a clear morning after the dew has dried to harvest
Do not harvest in rain or when there is dew, otherwise the pepper will have a dull color, poor quality, or even turn black and moldy. After harvesting, it must be spread out to dry promptly and must not be piled up for too long.
2. Handle gently to avoid damaging the peel
Because after the peel is damaged, the oil from the peel will spread to other peels, causing the dried Sichuan pepper peel to turn black, affecting the surface smoothness and color of the pepper and reducing its commercial value.
3. Storage of fresh Sichuan pepper after harvesting
If it rains after harvest, or if it cannot be dried the same day due to time constraints, then the storage and management of the Sichuan pepper must be done well. The storage site is generally chosen indoors, and the conditions required for the storage room are: the room must not leak rain, must not be too well ventilated, the light must be dim, the indoor temperature should be kept as constant as possible, and the floor must not return dampness. Adobe houses and brick-concrete houses are best, with a floor of lime-sand-clay mixture. The room should be kept clean, free of debris, and free of foreign odors.
Drying methods for Sichuan pepper
1. Drying ground: it can be spread out to dry on a clean and dry drying yard or on bamboo mats. Bamboo mats are best raised on bamboo poles or similar objects for ventilation, and to avoid soil and other debris mixing in.
2. Drying method: the harvested Sichuan pepper should be spread out to dry promptly when clear weather is available. Gently spread the Sichuan pepper on the drying yard or bamboo mat to a thickness of about 2 cm; it should not be spread too thickly, and the thickness should be even, without piling up. When Sichuan pepper is exposed to the hot sun, it generally splits open after 5-6 hours. After the moisture in the peel evaporates, the oil cells are less likely to rupture. Once the grains have fully burst open, gently pat them with a bamboo stick to separate the seeds, fruit stalks, and peel, then use a sieve, winnowing fan, or similar tools to separate the three. Sichuan pepper dried the same day and sorted the same day has relatively good quality and color.
3. If rain is encountered or it is cloudy and it cannot be dried in time, then the color and quality will both deteriorate. If rain is encountered after harvest, it should be spread out in a clean, ventilated place, with the thickness based on spreading single clusters without overlapping clusters; after the weather clears, gently move it into the sun to dry.
If after harvest there is prolonged rain with no clearing, or the place has poor drying conditions, a baking method can also be used to dry it.
Storage methods for Sichuan pepper
Storage method for dried Sichuan pepper
For large amounts of dried Sichuan pepper, put it into bags, and be careful to keep it ventilated and dry. A wooden board or another object should be placed underneath to block moisture, so that excess dampness does not cause mold. For small household amounts, it can be put in a bottle or in a bag.
Storage method for fresh Sichuan pepper
1. Rinse the harvested fresh green Sichuan pepper briefly with clean water; just rinse off the surface dust. After washing, place the green Sichuan pepper in a ventilated place to dry off the moisture in the shade.
2. Prepare an appropriate amount of cooled boiled water and small plastic bags. Put the shade-dried green Sichuan pepper into small plastic bags separately, pour an appropriate amount of cooled boiled water into each plastic bag, and then seal the bag openings tightly.
3. Put the prepared small plastic bags into the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, and take them out when green Sichuan pepper is needed.
Green Sichuan pepper preserved this way keeps its original juice and flavor, and even after 1 year it will not change color, just like freshly harvested green Sichuan pepper.