Autumn is the time when hairy crabs are on the market in large numbers.
For hairy crabs, countless people are irresistible. Even though its price has always been heart-wrenching, it can't resist the temptation of deliciousness, and it will occasionally buy a few to relieve the hunger.
But hairy crabs are really on fire, which is what has happened in recent years.
In the vast rural areas, there is a small crab, which is no less delicious than hairy crab. Only in the past, many farmers regarded it as a pest, but now it has become a rare commodity, selling for 18 yuan a pound.
This small animal, which was once regarded as a pest by farmers, is the crab. It is estimated that many post-70s and post-80s people have caught it in the rice fields and reeds by the river when they were young.
The crab not only looks like a crab, but is actually a kind of crab. It's just that unlike the hairy crab that is popular on the market, this is a small crab, and its scientific name is the amassonaut crab.
The distribution of crabs in China is very wide, basically north and south have its presence. This small crab in some places directly call it a small crab, a purr, etc., its size is not large, the general body width is difficult to exceed 4cm, generally that is, 2-3cm.
And this crab's pair of large claws are very thick, which looks a little scary. It is estimated that when many people caught it as a child, they were not less injured by their pair of large pliers.
Unlike other crabs, the crab feet of the crabs are hairless, but the foot is hairy. And this crab likes to live in groups, often turning over a large stone, there will be several in it. Sometimes in a hole, dozens of crabs can be hidden.
In the past, the number of these small animals in the countryside was the most in the rice fields, rivers and reeds. And the farmers do not have any good feelings for this small animal, it can be said that it is a little annoying, just because it is still a pest.
Crabs are an omnivorous animal, they like to live in some of the more humus near the water source, only because this animal loves to eat humus, generally with the microorganisms in the river and purple mud and small shells, of course, also love to do damage, that is, with its pair of thick and powerful claws to clamp down rice leaves to absorb sap.
At the same time, although the crab is also a horizontal animal, probably because of its small size, they crawl very fast and are particularly fond of burrowing.
Therefore, the crabs living on the banks of the river and near the rice fields will burrow a large number of holes, which will lead to a large loss of water and fertilizer in the rice fields. Moreover, a large number of holes will also cause damage to the rhizomes under the rice, which is not conducive to the growth of rice.
Because this small animal is not so destructive, farmers hate it with itchy teeth. Fortunately, it still has edible value, so it is often caught in the current wine and vegetables to eat.
For the little friends who really grew up in the countryside, it is the most familiar. These small animals are basically invisible during the day, but they all appear after night.
And catching crabs does not require any other tools, a flashlight, a bucket is enough. At night, when you go to a rice field or a reed swing, you can basically see them wherever the flashlight shines. And at that time, there were too many crabs, and it was not an exaggeration to catch hundreds of pounds in one night.
Experienced people will choose to go out and catch crabs in the evening after the rain. In this way, the crabs will move in groups, as long as they are like picking beans, one by one. And if you catch this one, the other one won't be discovered. Just because the light shines, they are like being cast with a fixation spell.
Because there were no pesticides in the past, farmers were some soil methods to control pests, and going to rice fields to catch crabs was also one of the ways to control pests. At that time, it was common to see lights in many rice fields at night, that is, farmers were busy catching crabs.
And these caught crabs, naturally will not be wasted, it is a delicious appetizer, and there is a "world of fresh" reputation, the degree of delicious is not lost to hairy crabs.
There are many ways to eat crabs, either salt and shrimp oil, or they can be made into crab crisps or crab sauce.
In the past, because the conditions were not good, there was no seasoning, and the method of crab was relatively simple, one of the most common of which was to pickle and eat with wine, the crab made by this method was not only creamy and dissolving, the meat was tender like cheese, but also had a special umami taste, which was a snack that men and women of all ages liked to eat at that time.
It is also because of this delicacy that people in the city still come to the rural market to buy it. At that time, it was sold at the market, that is, a few cents a pound.
But nowadays, there are not many wild crabs, and it is worth mentioning that in the whole Yangtze River, it is currently a closed fishing period, and wild crabs cannot be caught at will. In recent years, farmers in many parts of the country have caught wild crabs and faced fines, detention and other penalties.
So if you still have crabs in your hometown and see them in the wild, don't go to the steps casually, oh, if you don't get it right, you will face fines, then it will be too late to regret it.
However, because the crab is very delicious, and it is also a kind of river fresh that many people love to eat. In recent years, it has been farmed in some places. These farmed crabs also sell for about 18 yuan a catty on the market.
After all, there are not many people who breed crabs at present, so even if the price is a little high, it is not something that can be bought if you want to buy, which is a rare commodity that cannot be sought, and even much more difficult to buy than hairy crabs.
Friends, have you ever eaten or caught a snail when you were a child? Now that the wild can no longer be caught, it is estimated that it will be more difficult to eat in the future. So met at the bazaar, don't miss it!