Why exactly?, Hangzhou dad hoarded hundreds of pounds for his daughter's dowry... The price of dried tangerine peel skyrocketed in Xinhui | peeling | dried tangerine peel

Before the rainy season arrives,

Mr. Jiang finally hoarded him

Hundreds of pounds of dried tangerine peel have been sun dried.

For several days in a row, he estimated that the weather would be sunny and hot, and the air would be dry and guaranteed not to rain. Only then did he dare to take out bags of dried tangerine peel from the storage room, spread them all over the yard, sun them for two to three hours, put them in cloth bags, leave them in a cool place for half an hour, tie them tightly, and place them back on the shelf in the storage room.

This storage room also needs to be manually controlled for temperature and humidity, and there must be a separate ventilation channel to prevent any odor.

These hundreds of pounds of dried tangerine peel come in and out, and the amount of labor is really not small, and he is the only middle-aged man as a laborer, tired.

Mr. Jiang is not a tangerine peel merchant or a tangerine peel speculator. He said that these tangerine peels were all saved for his daughter. Year after year, when my daughter gets married, she happens to be the real old tangerine peel, a very affordable dowry.

At the beginning of this year, "Gao Qiqiang" brought in tangerine peel, and the "315" police also displayed counterfeit and inferior aged tangerine peel, once again attracting special attention to this type of ordinary seasoning and traditional Chinese medicine that was originally only used in the Chaoshan area.

Coincidentally, while drying dried tangerine peel, I was listening to a folk expert like Mr. Jiang talk about tangerine peel.

Local workers directly peel and sun dry the citrus fruits, and the citrus flesh is returned to the field as fertilizer.

"A century old tangerine peel surpasses gold"

Why is the price of dried tangerine peel skyrocketing

Any product with a long history and recent hype is deeply rooted.

"The older the world is, the less daring it is," said Mr. Jiang, who has always insisted on only accepting the Xinhui citrus from Meijiang, which is the most authentic origin in the eyes of old customers of tangerine peel. He will fly to Guangdong by himself and directly pick up goods from the citrus fields of farmers. He will watch helplessly as the farmers peel the citrus peels with a three flower knife, dry the peels, pack them in boxes, and send them to Hangzhou by express delivery, before finally returning with peace of mind.

Look, from the next year to June, he still has to personally take out the dried tangerine peel to sun dry. The whole process is really laborious.

One more thing, Mr. Jiang paid 700 yuan for the transportation of dried tangerine peel from Guangdong Xinhui Express to Hangzhou. Don't guess the quantity based on weight yet. This dried tangerine peel has a large volume and light weight, and the shipping cost is calculated based on the size of the cardboard box.

"I collect 120 pounds of Erhongpi, 50 pounds of Dahongpi, and 30 pounds of Laopi every year, which looks like 200 pounds a year."

So the question is, what is Erhongpi? What is Big Red Skin? Mr. Jiang said that the Xinhui citrus harvested around the beginning of winter, which is in November, is called Erhongpi when peeled and sun dried; Before and after the winter solstice, which is in December, we collect new citrus fruits and peel them to sun, which is called Dahongpi. "Within three years, it will still be orange peel, and it will only be called Chen peel after three years of aging." Mr. Jiang said, "I used to only have a small amount of old peel on my hands, and it wasn't until 2020 that I started collecting the peel in bulk."

In the first half of 2021, Mr. Jiang received a price of 350 yuan per kilogram for the 2018 Meijiang Saikouwei tangerine peel. By the second half of that year, the price of citrus peel in 2021 had risen to 1350 yuan per kilogram, and the "ten year old" Meijiang Saikouwei peel had already reached 3000 to 4000 yuan per kilogram. This is not just a price increase, it's simply a surge.

Why is this happening? Mr. Jiang told reporters that it is because the new generation of tangerine peel merchants are collaborating with speculators in trading, and their practices are different from the previous generation and have similarities.

On the one hand, the legend of "one or two tangerine peels, one or two gold, a hundred years of tangerine peel surpasses gold" adds a color of treating all diseases to tangerine peel; The half true and half false complaints, such as "these were originally daily necessities for us people in Guangdong, why are people from all over the country coming to buy them, so they are not enough to sell" and "some people use out of town dried tangerine peel to impersonate Xinhui dried tangerine peel", are all storytelling marketing strategies;

On the other hand, it is the true face of the post-80s tangerine peel merchants: they use the technique of making dried tangerine peel, buying it out, covering the market, internal fundraising, unified management, and repurchase at any time, bold and meticulous, working together to build a new order of tangerine peel commerce.

Using dried tangerine peel as a dowry

"Give it to my daughter at once when she gets married"

However, after all, dried tangerine peel is dried tangerine peel, and "winning gold" is not gold. When the price of dried tangerine peel is too high and no one takes it, it naturally falls back.

Last year, the price of tangerine peel fell back, but after the Spring Festival in 2023, it rose again to similar levels as in 2021.

"Based on the weather this year, the production of Xinhui citrus has significantly decreased, and it is estimated that the price will not drop. It should be around the level of the previous year." Mr. Jiang said, "Taking Meijiang Quanzhi as an example, it was about 891 kilograms in the previous year, and the lowest price last year was over 5600 kilograms."

Mr. Jiang reviewed the median prices of Xinhui Chenpi in the past three years: over 300 in 2020, over 800 in 2021, around 600 in 2022, and estimated to be around 500 to 600 in 2023.

"Every year, I save some dried tangerine peel and give it to my daughter at once when she gets married. It's like saving small amounts and taking a lump sum. After ten years, the value will increase, and the quality will be guaranteed. I follow this kind of financial management logic." Mr. Jiang smiled and said, "He doesn't have the mentality of leaving after just speculating, so he's not in a hurry.".

How to distinguish dried tangerine peel

For readers, what is the price of dried tangerine peel with different origins? How to distinguish the years of new and old tangerine peel? Do counterfeit tangerine peel have any distinctive appearance features?

The reporter first sought advice from the investigation department of the Environmental Food and Drug Administration of the police. The police told me that they also entrusted the involved items to a professional organization for identification.

As for Mr. Jiang, a folk expert, his experience is that "by observing the distribution of oil chambers and the internal flesh veins, one can determine whether the variety is Xinhui citrus; then judge the year in stages of three to five years; in terms of taste, one can roughly determine whether it is a ringed or pruned variety."

In fact, if you go to the traditional Chinese medicine shops on the streets and alleys, the dried tangerine peel, as a single traditional Chinese medicine, is not expensive, only a few tens of yuan per kilogram. In the hospital pharmacy, its price can be even cheaper by half, because the dried skin of citrus in the Rutaceae family can be called dried tangerine peel. Although cheap tangerine peel may not be worth frying due to its origin and variety, it is more in line with the expected appearance of tangerine peel in daily life: when cooking peanuts, shred them, add a few slices when stewing chicken and duck, marinate them when making cold fruits and drinks... Also, "Fresh tangerine peel, orange peel, and grapefruit peel are chopped and baked on an aromatherapy stove, which can freshen the air and bring joy."

You see, using them instead of hiding or frying them is a good attitude towards life.

How to eat dried tangerine peel

What kind of dishes can be served

Unlike speculators, how to eat or use dried tangerine peel is the most important concern for foodies.

Soak tangerine peel without adding any other tea leaves, or cut it into shreds and boil it together with white tea.

"When we were young, we used to make frozen rice candy and other Dim sum at home, and we always put some dried shredded orange peel." Mr. Zhang San, an artist, said, "Fresh orange peel, orange peel, and pomelo peel are usually cut up and baked on the aromatherapy stove, and used as pure natural aromatherapy."

Indeed, the citrus fruits we usually eat are a large category of fruits, including various citrus fruits, oranges, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and wendan... You see, using them as tangerine peel, aromatherapy, or refrigerator deodorizer is a good attitude towards life, environmentally friendly, and practical.

"If you know how to use tangerine peel and don't throw it all into a teapot, you should break it into small pieces, preferably shredded," Mr. Jiang said. "I often see those who throw a small green citrus into a teapot or teacup. Oh, layman, breaking it open and using one-third at once is almost enough."

At Mr. Jiang's suggestion, another boss in the foodie group reduced the amount of brewing and indeed felt that the taste of the tea had improved a lot, and he also felt the sweetness.

"Gan Pu, Xiao Qing Gan, these are all the 'trendy brands' in tea," Mr. Jiang said. "You shouldn't add other tea leaves to make tangerine peel, or you should cut it into shreds and boil it together with white tea."

Mr. Jiang made Chen Pi stewed flower glue to nourish his wife and children's health. He said that with good ingredients, the cooking method is very simple.

How to use dried tangerine peel in dishes? Foodies who have studied food have all spoken up:

"Chen Pi stewed duck has a good taste."

"In summer, it's best to add some tangerine peel to the sour plum soup."

"Cantonese people are accustomed to cooking orange peel, seaweed, and mung bean soup."

The preservation of dried tangerine peel is also a problem. Most people say it is too easy to get damp and moldy. Mr. Jiang introduced his experience: "When it gets warmer, it should be taken out and sun dried. Usually, it should be packed in a sealed bag."

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