Cultivation of wild Aralia elata in Zhang County, Gansu, succeeds and yields a bumper harvest
"From seedling cultivation to the first harvest of shoots took exactly two years and one month; at first production, 70 to 80 jin can be picked per mu, yielding a net income of over a thousand yuan." Right now, as wild mountain vegetables are in peak season, in Shi Lianke's Aralia elata plantation in Chechang She, Shagoutai Village, Yihuqiao Township, Zhang County, the successfully cultivated wild Aralia elata has yielded a bumper harvest. At the planting base, an Aralia elata industry chain has already been achieved with seedlings in spring, fresh vegetables in summer, and seeds in autumn, opening up a road to prosperity through growing Aralia elata.
The photo shows Aralia elata seedlings just emerging from the plastic mulch.
Aralia elata is another name for the buds of Aralia chinensis (plant name), also known as Mu Long Tou. It belongs to the Araliaceae family and is a deciduous shrub or tree. In the forest areas of Tianshui, Gansu, the mountainous areas of Longnan, and the damp mountain areas of Zhang County, it grows mixed with other trees and likes to grow in contiguous patches. Covered all over with small thorns, it is a precious wild vegetable used both as medicine and as food, produced in the forested mountainous areas of Li County. The roots and stems of the Aralia elata tree can be used as medicine; its taste is sweet and bitter, and its nature is neutral. It has effects such as strengthening the stomach and promoting bowel movements, and promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.
Shi Lianke said that he began researching and cultivating wild Aralia elata in 2005, and it has now grown to a hundred-plus mu. This year he also used plastic mulch to grow Aralia elata, "The plastic mulch can suppress the growth of weeds, saving the labor of hoeing weeds."
The photo shows Shi Lianke explaining seedling cultivation knowledge.
"Aralia elata from other places still needs to be soaked in cold water after being blanched to remove the bitterness, but the Aralia elata we grow can be eaten directly after blanching, with a bit of sweetness and a very good taste. The guests who come to the farmhouse restaurant are all very satisfied." Shi Lianke's wife, Zhou Fuxiang, said that Aralia elata has now become the specialty dish most liked by guests at the farmhouse restaurant she operates.