The main production areas of goji berries are mainly distributed across Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang and other places

The goji berry is the fruit of a deciduous shrub in the genus Lycium of the nightshade family. It is both a common food ingredient and a traditional medicinal material, and the saying that it serves as both food and medicine has been passed down for a long time. What people usually call goji berries mostly refers to the dried red berries, which can be used for brewing tea, making soup and cooking porridge, with quite a wide range of uses.

In terms of distribution, the main production areas of goji berries are concentrated in the northwest region, among which Ningxia has long been regarded as the authentic production area, and the goji berries produced in Zhongning and other places are especially famous. Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other provinces and autonomous regions also have large-scale cultivation, and the industry in each place has its own scale.

Goji berries like ample sunlight, are drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant, and can also adapt relatively well to saline-alkali land. They are suitable for growing in sandy soil with strong sunshine, large temperature differences between day and night, and good drainage. The dry, rain-scarce climate of the northwest region is conducive to the accumulation of sugar in the fruit and natural drying, which is also the natural condition that has made the local area a main production region.

The fruits from different production areas differ slightly in appearance and taste. It is generally believed that Ningxia goji berries have smaller berries and a taste that is sweet with a slight bitterness, while those produced in Qinghai and other places are relatively plump in shape and higher in sweetness. When selecting them, pay attention to whether the color is natural and whether the berries are dry and not sticky, then smell them to check for any off odor.

Besides the fruit, the tender leaves of the goji plant are also eaten as a vegetable in many places, commonly known as goji shoots or goji greens. In recent years, various production areas have successively promoted standardized cultivation and regional brand building. When buying, paying more attention to the place-of-origin labeling makes it relatively easy to pick goods of stable quality.