A Detailed Guide to the Harvesting Time and Processing Methods of Perilla
Perilla is a very common plant in China. It is both a culinary ingredient and a medicine, a plant that combines edible value and medicinal value in one. Perilla added to dishes can enhance aroma, and added to fish it can also remove the fishy smell. So when should perilla be harvested? How should it be processed? Let me, Shuaishuai, tell you all about it below!
I. When to Harvest Perilla
1. Perilla leaves for eating
The perilla leaves meant for eating are to be used in cooking, so the harvesting time should be on clear sunny days, with the harvest dates from late May to early August. The perilla leaves harvested during this period have a pungent, penetrating aroma, and harvesting should also be done before it flowers. One mu of perilla field can produce about 1700-2000 kg of fresh leaves, and one perilla plant can have 36-44 perilla leaves harvested per year, no more than that.
2. Perilla stems for medicinal use
If it is to be made into medicine, what is harvested is the perilla stem. The harvesting time for perilla stems is in early September, before the perilla leaves flower; you should wait until the perilla's flower spikes have grown before harvesting. Cut the roots off with a sickle, then hang the plants upside down in a ventilated, shaded place to dry.
3. Perilla seeds for medicinal use
The harvesting time for medicinal perilla seeds is from late September to mid-October, when the seeds and fruits are ripe. First cut off the fruit spikes, then tie them into a bundle, leave them for a few days, and then take off the perilla seeds. One mu of perilla can produce 150-180 kg of perilla seeds.
II. How to Process
The perilla leaves, after being picked, cleaned and dried in the sun, are called perilla leaves; the perilla seeds, after impurities are removed and then dried in the sun, are the perilla seeds; the perilla stem is the stem and branches without leaves. We should dry them in the sun while the leaves are fresh, and then we can obtain the perilla stem.
1. Perilla leaves can relieve the exterior and dispel cold and treat wind-cold, and can also be processed into pickles. Adding a little perilla leaf to pickles gives them a particularly strong fragrance.
2. Perilla stems have the effect of calming the fetus. They can be combined with dried tangerine peel, poria and chicken gizzard lining to make a medicinal meal, and their fetus-calming effect is excellent.
3. Perilla seeds can improve memory and vision, and the α-linolenic acid in them can lower the triglyceride content in our blood and inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in the body.
The above is all about the harvesting time and processing methods of perilla. You can plant some perilla in your own garden. Perilla leaves are very fragrant when stir-fried and are a great aromatic seasoning, most suitable for cooking fish. If you want to learn more about perilla leaves, please keep following Qinnong Network!