Amur blueberries become a great fruit for eye protection, deeply loved by consumers
August in the Greater Khingan Mountains is cool and comfortable, with abundant fruit and fragrant flowers, a different scene at every step. In the early morning, as dawn breaks, a ray of sunlight quietly shines into the Amur Blueberry Garden of the Amur Forestry Bureau, falling on the blueberries covered with a silvery frost. The berries reflect a faint light, setting off the smiling face of Tian Fuhe standing nearby.
“I dare say the best blueberries in the country are right here with us. Blueberries are a gift from heaven to us people of the Greater Khingan Mountains.” Gazing at this “blue world” before him, Tian Fuhe casually picked one, “Big in size, great in taste, completely pollution-free, safe and reassuring. If you don't believe me, try one.” Seven years ago, Tian Fuhe set about establishing the blueberry base. Today, this blueberry garden covers an area of 152 mu, with a total of 16 solar greenhouses, nearly 2 million seedlings and 20,000 fruit-bearing trees.
The Amur Forestry Bureau is located in the northern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, by the banks of the Emur River, under Mohe County in the Greater Khingan Mountains region of Heilongjiang Province. Rich in resources and sparsely populated, it is a natural fertile land for growing blueberries, and is known as "China's Blueberry Town." The blueberries of the Greater Khingan Mountains have a unique flavor, suitably sweet and tart, and can also be made into beverages, spices and alcoholic drinks. “In other regions, the growing season is generally from May to July. Here, with low temperatures and permafrost, the fruiting period lasts as long as half a year, from May to November, yielding continuously.” said Tian Fuhe.
Blueberry fruits contain rich nutritional components. In particular, they are rich in large amounts of anthocyanins, which have the effect of activating the retina, can prevent eye diseases, soften blood vessels, and enhance the body's immune capacity. They also help with beauty care and improving sleep, and are hailed as the “Queen of Fruits.”
According to the "Unofficial History of the Ming Dynasty - Biographies," Li Shizhen suffered from eye problems in his youth. He occasionally felt eye dryness and blurred vision, and after searching everywhere for herbal remedies without relief, he was greatly tormented. Once, while gathering herbs, he passed through the Greater Khingan Mountains region and discovered that this blue berry, whose roots grow in the year-round frozen layer, had a good effect on treating eye ailments. He then ate them regularly, and even in his later years he still had sharp hearing and clear vision. He specifically included this good eye-nourishing medicine in the "Compendium of Materia Medica," and told the local Oroqen people: “This thing nourishes the eyes; there is no harm in eating more of it.” The Oroqen people have gathered and eaten blueberries for generations, calling them the guardian spirit of the eyes, and the Oroqen people, with their exceptional eyesight, were able to adapt to a year-round hunting life.
As the sky gradually brightened, groups of visitors came to the blueberry garden. “Wow, so sweet!” Can Can, a child from Shanghai, ate freshly picked blueberries while clamoring to take photos with the rows of blueberry bushes. “Delicious and cheap. A box of blueberries like this costs 100 yuan in a Shanghai supermarket, but here it's only 20 yuan, a real bargain,” said Mr. Ma, Can Can's father. “The blueberry garden is one of the attractions on our summer getaway. We hope to let our child get close to nature.”
As forest eco-tourism becomes more and more popular, the blueberry garden receives more and more visitors. “On average, we receive more than 2,000 people every month. All who come are guests; the Amur Blueberry Garden never charges admission.” This is the promise made to visitors by garden director Tian Fuhe.
To develop the under-forest economy, the Greater Khingan Mountains region has scientifically formulated plans and strengthened brand integration. Up to now, the blueberry industry has achieved a total output value of 480 million yuan, including 7,450 hectares of wild blueberry management and protection area, 1,940 mu of cultivated blueberry planting, and 271 million yuan in output value from the blueberry processing industry, making it a truly prosperous industry for the people.
Blueberries from the Greater Khingan Mountains are sold to all parts of the country and are often in short supply. “From bearing no fruit at the beginning to now having fruit hanging all over the branches, in peak season I can earn tens of thousands of yuan a month.” said Tian Fuhe. “I hope to grow blueberries well and let more and more people know that the Greater Khingan Mountains has a 'China's Blueberry Town'!”
Tips
How to choose: Good blueberries are round and plump, uniform in size, with a smooth, non-sticky skin and firm fruit. If they feel very soft when pressed and juice seeps out, it means they are overripe. If the flesh is shriveled and the skin is wrinkled, it means they have been stored too long and have lost a serious amount of moisture. The color should be uniform blue-purple; those with a silvery-gray bloom are fresher.
How to store: Blueberries have relatively strong storage tolerance. At an indoor normal temperature of l8—26°C, they can be kept for 2 weeks in a small food container. Freeze for a few hours, then transfer to a sealed container and store refrigerated; they can be kept for at least 1 year.