High autumn and little rain, and it is the relatively dry season of the year. At this time, the raw and dry pears also successively appeared in the market fruit shops in the north and south of the world.
Looking back a hundred years ago, pear trees have spread all over Jiangnan in North China and Sichuan and Yunnan outside Guanwai. In 1937, Hu Changji outlined in "Varieties and Distribution of Cultivated Pears in China": "The distribution area of cultivated pears in China is the most abundant in the Yellow River Basin. For example, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, and the north of Jiangsu and Henan, the main cultivation system of white pear, duck pear is the most common. Secondly, the Yangtze River basin is not as cultivated as many pears as in the north, and only a few pears are produced in Zhejiang, Anhui and Sichuan. The varieties are mainly sand pear system, with Sydney pear as the most common, and there are varieties of white pear system in between, commonly known as 'green peel pear', and the yield is very small. There are some cultivated pears in the southern Pearl River basin, most of which belong to the sand pear system, and the varieties are famous for freshwater pears. Yunnan also produces many pears, the main variety is 'buy pearl pear', distributed in Dali, Muding, Kunming, Chengjiang and other places."
Why does a goose-yellow pear cross the North-South food gap?
Northern pear
Where does the northern pears come from? In 1936, the Jinpu Railway Journal directly pointed out a quasi-"axiom": "The best pears produced in the mainland are recommended first in Shandong, followed by Tianjin."
The land of Qilu is an indisputable "pear paradise", and the "Laiyang pear" codenamed by the northern pear is even more excellent in the United States. In 1936, "Yangchun Tabloid" refinedly described the origin and status of Laiyang pears: "The pears sold on the market now, known as 'Laiyang pears', are produced in Laiyang County on the eastern peninsula of Shandong, and are of excellent quality and have long been well-known." Local farmers in Laiyang mostly use excellent sandy soil conditions to grow pears, which is a pillar industry in the local area. In September 1935, the "News" introduced, "Laiyang farmers mostly plant pears for business, in order to make a lot of profits. Laiyi four towns, pear trees forest. Twenty miles south of the city, the sandy land is particularly good."
In addition to suitable soil, Laiyang's local characteristic agricultural technique "whisker pinching" is also beneficial to improving the quality of pears. In 1946, the monthly "Tea Party" disclosed: "Laiyang pears are so famous, but not only because the sand is fertile, but also said to be related to 'pinching'." In the late spring and March, the pear blossoms on the west bank of the Whirlwind River are like snow, pink carved jade, and buds are full of branches. Therefore, tourists are like clouds, and they all come to see the flowers, which is the Pear Blossom Festival. Soon after the Ewha Festival, the fall was colorful. The young women and eldest daughters who have pear trees in their families have to 'pinch' their pear whiskers. In groups of three or five, they carry a four-legged ladder by hand, pinching off all the parts attached to the petals of the pear top with their fingers. In this way, the pear fruit can be fattened, fleshy and seedless. ”
A view of the Laiyang pear orchard in Shandong Province in the Jinling Journal in 1937
Laiyang is located in Jiaodong Peninsula, and the winter is relatively cold and dry. Therefore, Laiyang pears temporarily stored after collection need to be protected with extra care. In 1923, the "Records of the Shandong Industrial Society" recorded the "magic method" of local fruit farmers to save pears: "During the festival of cold dew, the pear fruit is ripe, that is, a shallow cellar is dug in the pear orchard, three or four feet deep, and its size depends on the number of pear fruits." Put on the shelf with wood, and cover it with a cover. Hide the pears in it, review them every ten days, and go to them if they are corrupted. When the weather is cold, go out of the cellars and enter the rooms to prevent them from freezing. After the severe cold, although the room cannot not freeze, it is put into the urn, and the outside is covered with shell bran or other warm objects. When the sun turns and the climate is mild, the cover is removed, and if it is warmer, it will move to a cool place, so that it must not be ried. ”
Although Laiyang pears are thriving, they cannot hide the beauty of other Shandong pears. In 1936, the "Jinpu Railway Journal" talked about two excellent "Lu" pears: the first is the vegetable pear, "the skin is green, with small yellow spots, not very glossy and juicy, for the crown of pears, only produced in Fujian County." However, the production is small, and few people know about it, and in recent years, it has been gradually sold and Beijing, Shanghai, Pingjin and other places "followed by perfumed pears," with Yishui, Penglai, Huangxian as the most, the fruit is flat and round, ripe in August, very fragrant, and juicy. But the production is not abundant".
Also outstanding is the "Changyi pear" produced in the northwest of the Shandong Peninsula. In 1936, Tanggu "Haiwang" commented that "it can be called a fruitful result, the large one is half a foot in diameter, the weight is half a pound, and the small one weighs more than ten taels." The skin is delicate yellow, full of dark spots, slightly rounded like a duck pear, thin and brittle skin, and sweet and pulpy."
Due to the abundant production of pears, Shandong formed a developed pear sales network a hundred years ago. In 1934, the International Trade Bureau of the Ministry of Industry compiled the "China Industrial Records Shandong Province" to talk about the general situation of Shandong pears "going out": "There are four concentrated places for selling pears, namely Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai and Longkou. In the neighboring counties of Sibu, farmers transport the fruits to the port either by donkey or by truck when the pears are ripe. After picky selection, the load is shipped out of the province. The largest market outside the province is Shanghai, followed by Hong Kong, Tianjin, Yingkou, Dalian, Nanjing, Suzhou, Bengbu, Xuzhou and other places."
In 1935, the "North Morning Pictorial" published the pear sales scene at the station in Dingxian County, Hebei
From the land of Qilu to the north, there are also many famous sweet pears in the Beijing-Tianjin area of North China. And take the pear production near the capital as an example, it is slightly exciting. In 1937, the monthly magazine "Phenomenon" introduced several native pears in Beiping.
Delicious people such as "Bo pear": "The shape is like a duck pear and small, the color is light yellow, there is a pull-shaped yellow bag pattern around the body, the taste is pure and sweet, similar to honey." In the mountains near Zipei City, the production of the best is very small, and the annual market period is only tens of days in August and September."
The taste is like "Buddha sees joy": "The most precious of the 'pears' is produced in the 'Tanglin' of Pingdong Malan Ridge, with an annual output of only hundreds, and non-bookers cannot enjoy the peculiar smell."
In addition, there is a type of "sand fruit pear" dedicated to interior decoration, which is festive and beautiful: "A kind of small sour pear, produced in the Ming Tombs of Beiping." The taste is also sour, resembling apples and sand fruits. Middle and upper people buy more for decoration, living room study, between the windows and clean tables, a number of placements, red beads, fragrant, help people Yaxing a lot. ”
Tianjin duck pear export packaging in the 1937 "Rural Cooperation Monthly"
Southern pear
Although pear production is more abundant in the north, the southern pear is by no means inferior to the quality.
Smoke and rain Huizhou out of the best pear. In October 1934, the "News" miscellaneous "Jiwan Pear" discussed the excellent products here: there is "Huixi pear", which is "big like a pomelo, the skin is yellow, and it is cut and chewed, its taste is relished, and it is sweet to leave the tongue." And the meat is thick and small, and one can be full." The main production area of "Huixi pear" is in Xiuning, and the requirements for quality are extremely strict, so "when the pear first bears, the fruit owner will wrap it in paper one by one, fearing that the paper will not be dewed without rain." Persimmon paint, and insects and birds peck, can be avoided. The purity of the pear is flawless, and the power of the fruit owner is mostly protective."
Among the pears in Huizhou, the "most expensive species is the 'honey pear', which is produced in Yu Village at the junction of Xiuning and Xixian counties. It is a pear as big as a loquat, first separated from the tree, hard and inedible. It must be stored in an urn and sealed so as not to bleed air. After a certain period of time, when it is taken out, it is soft and rotten and can hardly be held. If you suck it, the pulp and flesh are in the mouth, luscious and incomprehensible, and the rest is only the outer skin ears." Today's famous Dangshan peashi was unknown a hundred years ago. In September 1935, Suzhou Ming Pao praised Anhui Dangshan pear as "as big as a rice bowl, sweet and crispy", and "produced a lot, selling only 780 wen per kilogram." If you swim in the middle of an orchard where pears are produced, you can eat as you please, without taking a penny." However, due to "inconvenient transportation, it was not possible to compete with Laiyang pears".
There are also good pears in many places in Sichuan. Looking through the 1940 edition of the agricultural book "Sichuan Jianyang Cangxi and Xikang Hanyuan Pear", we can see the lively scene of Sichuan pear distribution at that time. The Jianyang pears sent by ship will be "loaded in wooden boats, without packaging equipment, only slightly laid with straw on board." The pear fruit is picked into the cabin and covered with a reed mat." When the pears are loaded on ships with such a big grin, they are often ripe due to accumulation. After a little time, the fruit will inevitably show signs of decay." In contrast, the meticulous packaging of Cangxi pears is "usually made of bamboo into thick and hard thin lattice flat round baskets. When picking fruit, gently pluck it from the tree by hand, replace it with the original brown bag, wrap it in fine paper, and put it into a basket, each basket can hold eight or nine." Such a fine pear, naturally also better than other Sichuan pears in price.
Although the scale of Fujian pear production is not large, there is no lack of fine management wisdom. In 1940, Luo Peichun in the "Fujian Agriculture" reported that the "perfume pears" in Fujian's city-linked cities had to be "picked three days before the beginning of autumn" because "the north wind is common in autumn, shaking the trees, and the fruit is easy to fall".
The hook rod used to harvest the pears is also very safe, so as to ensure that the fruit is not damaged: "It is a sack sewn from linen, small in width at the top and bottom, about 30 centimeters deep and 20 centimeters in diameter." The mouth of the bag is opened with thick lead wire or bamboo sheets, and the bag is wrapped around a wooden handle or bamboo handle, and the handle length varies, usually two to three meters. ”
A hundred years ago, pear-picking "hook rod"
A hundred years ago, pear growers in northern Fujian also participated in a highly commercial pear production cooperation chain. In 1941, a rural survey published in Fujian Agriculture described this model: "Fruit farmers often sell at an estimated price and the fruit merchants to guard and sell them due to the lack of labor, the difficulty of selling, and the inability of a family to wait for maturity due to the economy. This is called "judgment", and the price of those who have "judged flowers" and "judged fruits" is much smaller than the market price when ripe. When the pear fruit is ripe, the fruit merchant picks it one by one into the basket, hires the worker to carry it into the city, and resells it with the pear shop. The pear shop was packed in a separate basket and transported by ship to Jianou and Nanping for sale. ”
In 1935, "Northwest Question" saw peasants in Guide, Qinghai, building "wooden ladders" to pick pears from trees
In modern times, central Zhejiang and southern Zhejiang also have many famous pear producing areas.
Yunhe County produces good pears that are not good-looking but have a stunning taste. In April 1943, the Southeast Daily commented that "clouds and pears, from the appearance, the skin is yellow and rough, and the form is not beautiful." However, the substance is white and tender, moisture, sweet and fresh, and it is a local product that is not popular in food. Locals call it 'Snow Pear', but outsiders call it 'Sydney'. is a kind of 'June elimination' as the best quality."
Zhejiang Central was an important "pear basket" in the Yangtze River Delta a hundred years ago. In 1933, the treatise "Zhuji and Yiwu Pears" published in the "Zhejiang Construction Monthly" concluded that Zhejiang pear production "is particularly prosperous in Zhuji, Yiwu and Shengxian County".
The ground pears in Zhuji and Yiwu areas have both high-end "fruits" that are "directly eaten after harvesting" (such as "sassafras", "white camphor", "early snowflake" and other famous pears), and relatively second, but there are many "moldy fruits" in the market: "It must be softened for a considerable period of time, commonly known as 'mildew'" before it can be eaten. When fruit farmers in Zhejiang perform the "mold" step, "it is common to use a basket to cushion the straw and smother the fruit inside." For example, short-stemmed chrysanthemums are ripe in five days, and moldy pears must be cooked in ten days. Various other kinds can be cooked in about six or seven days."
The Jintang pears bred on the island of eastern Zhejiang also taste very good. For island pears, windproof reinforcement is a particularly important part. In 1935, the agricultural report "Jintang Pear of Dinghai" published in the "Zhejiang Construction Monthly" analyzed that Jintang pear "must be planted in sheltered places, and is generally produced in the mountains", and if it encounters "strong winds in autumn, the impact is great, often fruitful, and when hit by wind and rain, there is no ripeness". To protect the fruit, the local pear farmers "surround the pear tree with bamboo cuttings, which are about eight feet high." The diameter of each bamboo is about six minutes, the distance between the two bamboos is about seven minutes, and the middle is woven into two belts of eight points wide. With such a device, strong winds cannot pass through".
A pear from the north to the south tells the sweet pride of the terroir, demonstrates the wisdom of farmers according to local conditions, and delights countless taste buds in the suburbs of the city.