Tianjin's Gegu radishes sell briskly before Spring Festival
Currently it is again the peak sales period for Gegu radishes. Vegetable farmers use greenhouses to keep the radishes warm, extending their growing period to late winter so they can fetch a good price before Spring Festival.
As the saying goes, “eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor's prescription”. With Spring Festival approaching, it is once again the peak sales period for Gegu radishes. Han Baolai, head of the Yuejin Vegetable Base in Gegu Town, Jinnan District, said: “A big temperature difference between day and night is especially effective at converting sugar in our radishes, raising their sweetness, and it also makes the radishes greener and crisper.”
Gegu radishes have their own unique characteristics. Local people once summed them up in a rhyming jingle: “Look at the surface, round and plump; touch it, smooth and sleek; hold it in your hand, heavy as can be; drop it on the ground, and it breaks into eighteen pieces.” Not only that, Gegu radishes have long been known for being green and pollution-free. Han Baolai explained: “When we planted them in the early stage, the fertilizers we used were organic fertilizers purchased from elsewhere, including chicken manure and cow manure, and all were pollution-free pesticides and biological pesticides bought from designated suppliers. Based on our years of experience and the soil conditions, basically during the care period, diseases and pests are almost never seen.”
At the Changshenglongyuan Agricultural Park in Jinnan District, every year as Spring Festival approaches, Gegu radishes become the favorite that members rush to buy. Ma Xiaoli, head of the park, said: “Jinnan District, Tanggu and Dagang are all not too far from our park, so it is convenient for everyone to come and look at the radishes, pick them up and eat them. Whether for Spring Festival or at ordinary times, they make a very good gift for relatives and friends.”
How should harvested Gegu radishes be kept fresh? Han Baolai, head of the Yuejin Vegetable Base in Gegu Town, Jinnan District, shared their storage experience. “If they are packed in the outer cartons for radishes and placed in a cool place, keep the temperature between minus 4°C and 7°C. For radishes without cartons, the storage temperature should be between 1°C, 2°C and 7°C. Under these conditions, Gegu radishes can be kept for more than half a month.”