Jujube Advocacy - New Thinking in Nutrition

Author: Xu Shwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Dried jujubes are prone to infestation in summer. Some insects come from the outside, while others emerge from within. This is because there is a type of insect called the jujube fruitworm on the jujube tree. It bites through the jujube skin during the growth period, drills a hole, and crawls inside. As the jujube fruit continues to grow, the hole closes, and the insect takes up residence inside. Even after the jujube is ripe, harvested, and dried into a dried jujube, some insects may not emerge. However, by the following summer, the well-fed, plump insects emerge, transform into moths, and lay many more eggs. Therefore, even if the jujubes you buy appear to have no insect holes on the surface, it is difficult to guarantee that there are no insects inside. Thus, the best way to store dried jujubes for preservation is to place them in a freezer, which can freeze the insects to death and prevent them from causing a disaster in the summer of the following year. Alternatively, you can first cook the jujubes in water, dry them, and then store them. You can also place some "grain insect killer" in the jar or bag where the jujubes are stored to kill the insects and ensure the safety of the dried jujubes during the summer.
How Many Ways Are There to Enjoy Jujubes? Due to their rich nutritional value and health benefits, jujubes are highly favored by people. Since ancient times, people have not only eaten them frequently at home but also used them as auspicious gifts, selecting high-quality jujubes to give to friends and relatives. As a food, jujubes have many ways of being enjoyed. On crisp autumn days, you can leisurely stroll through a jujube grove with family and friends, picking a few half-red, half-green fresh jujubes from the tree to eat while chatting, enjoying the crisp sweetness of the jujubes and adding a unique charm to the experience. You can also carefully select some high-quality fresh jujubes at the market, store them properly in the refrigerator, and enjoy them gradually later. Alternatively, you can dry the jujubes and, during snowy seasons, snack on them while reading books on leisure holidays. Or, you might suddenly feel inspired to enter the kitchen, where you can cook a tray of jujube zongzi, steam a pot of jujube rice cakes, jujube rolls, jujube pots, jujube fermented cakes, fried cakes, jujube flower rolls, or jujube buns. You can also cook millet jujube porridge, rice jujube porridge, jujube red bean porridge, or jujube eight-treasure porridge, and so on. Jujubes can also be used to make a variety of dishes, such as stewed chicken, duck, or pork trotters, which are both delicious and nutritious. Jujubes can also be processed into many products, such as jujube tea, jujube crisp, jujube paste, jujube jam, drunken jujubes, smoked jujubes, burnt jujubes, black jujubes, honey jujubes, jujube canned goods, jujube tea, jujube wine, jujube vinegar, and jujube drinks, among others. Here, only a few examples are mentioned, as there are too many traditional methods of making jujube products, and the market for jujube products is too vast to be fully described.