Dried Cordyceps militaris becomes a treasure that helps villagers get rich

Original title: Tiny Cordyceps militaris, Du Hongwei's treasure for getting rich

Dried Cordyceps militaris

Du Hongwei shows the mature Cordyceps militaris.

Through the film covering the square white plastic basins, one can clearly see the plump, tempting golden-yellow fungal bodies with small mushroom caps inside, striving to stretch their "waists"... On November 5, at Du Hongwei's home in Songhuangdi Village, Xiaonan Town, Diaobingshan City, I got a look at the real appearance of Cordyceps militaris. In Du Hongwei's more than 300 sq m Cordyceps militaris cultivation room, 15,000 basins of Cordyceps militaris had reached the picking season. The freshly picked Cordyceps militaris was sent into the drying room, and after 12 hours and then natural moisture regain, it could be packaged. According to Du Hongwei, the production cycle of one crop of Cordyceps militaris is exactly 2 months, and it can earn about 30,000 yuan.

In the picking room, Du Hongwei's wife Sun Yujie and another 3 neighbors were picking. Du Hongwei picked up a Cordyceps militaris and put it in his mouth: "It's quite sweet. This is a fungus used both as food and medicine. Its medicinal and tonic effects are similar to those of Cordyceps sinensis, and its market prospects are very good."

Du Hongwei began growing Cordyceps militaris in 2008, investing more than 100,000 yuan, building 2 cultivation rooms, 1 drying room, installing a boiler and air conditioner, and also designing and building a large steamer for sterilization himself. He was also somewhat "fated for wealth," and Du Hongwei's Cordyceps militaris planting project succeeded right from the "start." Du Hongwei said that artificial cultivation of Cordyceps militaris is not complicated. Wheat grains are used as the culture medium, and it is divided into steps such as wheat grain sterilization, film covering, strain injection, picking the fungus, and drying. But in the whole process, "being attentive" is most important. The temperature of the cultivation room must be controlled between 15-23 degrees Celsius, watering once a week, and ensuring the temperature, humidity, light, and ventilation for the fungal seedlings at each growth stage is key. If there is a problem in any link, it will affect the quality of Cordyceps militaris.

In the cultivation room, the Cordyceps militaris cultivation basins were stacked in rows, with row spacing of more than half a meter, and a fluorescent lamp was installed every 2 m between rows. Because Cordyceps militaris grows toward light, but is most afraid of ultraviolet light, the cultivation room cannot have direct sunlight, so fluorescent lamps became a necessary condition for the growth of Cordyceps militaris.

"Growing Cordyceps militaris does not hold people back. Four crops can be grown a year. Daily management, care, and harvesting are concentrated in just a few time periods, and it does not affect other farm work. Every harvest season, neighbors all come running to 'earn extra money.'" Du Hongwei grows Cordyceps while also doing transport, and his wife is responsible for field farming. The family has an annual income of nearly 200,000 yuan, and their life is prosperous and sweet.

Talking about future plans, Du Hongwei, who has already mastered mature technology and market sales channels, wants to make this industrial project bigger, implement factory-style production, improve the quality of Cordyceps militaris, strive to establish a cooperative, organize villagers to work together as a group, and make Cordyceps militaris a treasure for villagers to get rich.