Lychee, the fruit of the southern lands: when does it usually ripen and hit the market, how do you keep it fresh, and will eating too many make you "heaty"?

Lychee belongs to the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), genus Litchi, an evergreen tree, and along with banana, pineapple and longan it is known as one of the “four great fruits of the southern lands”. So which month does it usually ripen and go on the market? How do you keep it fresh? Will eating too many make you “heaty”? It is reported that, generally speaking, there are many lychee cultivars, and different cultivars ripen at different times. The earliest lychees ripen in March, and the latest ripen in July. So if you want to eat freshly marketed lychees, you need to look carefully.

Lychee ripening and marketing times

1. Sanyuehong (March Red), named for ripening in late March of the lunar calendar. It is the earliest-ripening cultivar. It is mainly produced in Xinhui, Zhongshan and Zengcheng in Guangdong, and Lingshan and other counties in Guangxi.

2. Yuanzhi, also known as Shuidong or Shuidong Heiye. It is distributed in the suburbs of Guangzhou and the counties of the Pearl River Delta, and ripens in late May or early June.

3. Heiye, ripens in mid-June. It stores relatively well.

4. Huaizhi, the most widely cultivated and highest-yielding cultivar in Guangdong. It ripens in early July.

5. Guiwei, the best comes from the suburbs of Guangzhou and Lingshan County in Guangxi. It ripens in early July.

6. Nuomici, mainly produced in Luogang District in the suburbs of Guangzhou and Xintang Town in Zengcheng City, followed by Conghua, Dongguan and other counties. It ripens in early July.

7. Yuanhong, mainly produced in Minhou County, Fuzhou City, Fujian. It ripens in mid-July.

8. Lanzhu, mainly produced in Longhai, Nanjing and Zhangzhou counties and cities in Fujian. It ripens in mid-July.

9. Gualv, a rare treasure among the lychees of Zengcheng, Guangdong, ripens from late June to early July.

10. Chenzi, most famous in the Putian and Xianyou areas. It ripens in late July.

How do you keep lychees fresh?

1. Cut off the overly long lychee stems, then put the lychees into a plastic bag, tie the bag mouth tightly, and place it in a cool place. If conditions allow, you can immerse the plastic bag holding the lychees in water. In this way, after several days the lychees' color, aroma and taste remain unchanged. Note that when selecting lychees you should pick fresh ones, to help them keep longer.

2. Sort through the lychees left uneaten that day, throw away the bad ones, cut off the stems of the remaining healthy lychees, leaving only a small stalk. Do not pack too many lychees in one bundle; 20-30 is OK. Of course, it is even better if you add some fresh lychee leaves. After wrapping them in newspaper, put them in another plastic bag and place them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator (the layer where we usually keep vegetables), and you are done. However, remember to check the package every 2-3 days to make sure no lychees have gone bad, and keep the newspaper dry. This method can keep lychees fresh for about 10 days, and it is very effective.

3. The heat-exhaustion method is also a good preservation method. First put the flesh into a jar, add sugar water, then place it in an exhaust box for heating and exhaustion, then seal the jar, boil it in boiling water, and after cooling it becomes canned lychees in syrup. Because of the high-temperature treatment, bacteria cannot survive. This provides a new method for keeping lychees fresh.

4. Soak fresh lychees in a 2% sodium hypochlorite solution for about 2 minutes, then scoop them out, drain the water, let them dry, put them in a cardboard box and store in a ventilated, dry place; generally they can be kept fresh for 7 to 10 days.

5. Soak fresh lychees in boiling water for a few seconds, then promptly scoop them out and soak them in an aqueous solution of 5% citric acid and 2% sodium chloride for about 2 minutes, scoop them out, drain the water, and put them in a freezer for storage; they can also be kept for 2 to 3 weeks without rotting or spoiling.

6. Pick ripe lychees together with the branches and leaves, remove diseased and small fruits, then put them, branches and leaves and all, into a clean ceramic jar, then take an appropriate amount of lychee honey (honey made by bees from lychee flowers during the lychee blooming season; places in the south that abound in lychees all sell lychee honey), boil it, remove from the heat and let it cool, then add it to the ceramic jar (enough to submerge the lychees), finally cover and seal it, seal the jar mouth with wax, and store it in a ventilated, dry place. It can be kept fresh until New Year's Day of the following year; during the Spring Festival, served to guests as a treat, the lychees are still fresh and sweet and taste as good as ever.

Will eating too many lychees make you “heaty”?

Lychees can be used as a food therapy to nourish the body. For people with a weak heart or weak lungs, eating lychees has the effect of strengthening the heart and lungs; those with generally low body temperature or anemia and weakness may as well use them as a nourishing, strengthening and tonic food.

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that lychees are sweet and warm in nature and have the effects of tonifying qi, nourishing essence, dispelling cold and promoting the flow of qi. For people with a yin-deficiency constitution, especially those suffering from chronic tonsillitis or pharyngitis, eating too many lychees will aggravate “deficient fire”, so eating too many lychees will indeed make you “heaty”!

So, although lychees are delicious, do not be greedy for too many! Be sure to note:

1. Eat lychees in moderation, do not be greedy; it is best not to eat more than 10 lychees at one time;

2. Remember not to eat lychees on an empty stomach; the best time to eat lychees is within half an hour after a meal;

3. People with diabetes, people allergic to lychees, and people with yin deficiency and hyperactive fire should avoid or cautiously eat lychees;

4. People suffering from pharyngitis, tonsillitis or constipation should try not to eat fresh lychees;

5. If you are currently suffering from a cold, sores, acne, or acute inflammation, be sure not to eat lychees.