In the past, there were few vegetables in winter in Beijing, and the price was expensive. Beijingers said that they were at the feet of the emperor and were not rich. Therefore, all vegetables eaten in winter have to be stored before winter, which makes me feel at ease. Of course, Chinese cabbage is the main food, because this cabbage is big and cheap, and you can eat it. You can also save some radishes, melons, potatoes and green onions. Chinese cabbage is stored in hundreds of kilograms for each family, and thousands of kilograms for each family, so as not to be eaten by the whole family in the next spring.

vegetable grower

In the early years, at the end of autumn, vegetable farmers in the suburbs of Beijing were busy, delivering vegetables to the city by carriage and platoon (sound: PAI reads three times), shouting and selling while walking. Later, when there were food stalls, people flocked to buy them. Later, in the sixties and seventies of the last century, vouchers began to be supplied. In order to facilitate the purchase, as soon as the Chinese cabbages went on the market, vegetable companies or vegetable stations set up a lot of sales outlets for Chinese cabbages temporarily in the spacious places along the hutongs and roadsides, only to see that the cabbages after cabbages were continuously transported to the city and piled up like hills, which became a great landscape in the capital. The Chinese cabbage that Beijingers eat is not only produced in the suburbs of Beijing, but also from Hebei and Shandong. The most popular dish is the white-mouth dish produced in yutian county, Hebei Province, which is big and porcelain-solid. It is refreshing to eat, especially for stuffing and eating jiaozi. It is absolutely delicious.

At that year's moon, people lined up to buy Chinese cabbage early every morning, and people were very busy coming and going. At that time, the neighborhood relationship in the quadrangle was also very good. Often, one family bought food, several families helped, loaded cars, pulled carts and carried them, and there were busy people outside the courtyard. Generally, the newly bought Chinese cabbage should be put in the sun for a few days, then neatly packed under the eaves, covered with grass curtains and plastic sheets, and stored. If the quadrangle is spacious, you can also dig a vegetable cellar for better storage. This vegetable cellar is five or six feet deep, and its size depends on the width of the yard. There are also two or three houses sharing one, and the area is even larger.

This Chinese cabbage cooked a lot of dishes. At that time, every family often cooked pork and cabbage stuffed with jiaozi, steamed stuffed buns, stuffed boxes, vinegar-preserved Chinese cabbage, boiled cabbage soup with meatballs, boiled cabbage soup with vermicelli, shredded cabbage with shredded pork, shredded cabbage with vermicelli, shredded cabbage with cold sauce, and other families. They ate stew at the last meal, left the soup, and boiled cabbage with broth at the next meal. Although it is, Beijing people can't find a way to eat cabbage in winter, but no one has ever been hurt.

In addition to Chinese cabbage, the old Beijingers store more red radish, which can be boiled, fried, glug, stewed and stuffed, whatever you want. And radish is crisp and refreshing, when fruit and wine are cold dishes. Until now, sometimes friends get together, no matter how big the banquet is, or Chinese and foreign people, as long as there is one, I will come to the plate and marinate it with salt and pepper, and order the cold radish skin with sesame oil.

potato

Old Beijing people's winter storage dishes are old squash and potatoes. I don't like old pumpkins, but my favorite ones are potatoes, shredded potatoes in vinegar, fried potato chips with bell peppers, steamed potatoes, and the roast beef with potatoes that the big brother of the Soviet Union went to * * * to eat.

There is also an indispensable green onion. The average family needs to save dozens of pounds of green onions. First, it is cheap to buy when it is on the market. Second, it is easy to store. Third, it is convenient to eat. Shandong green onions are the most famous, with long scallions and short green leaves, which are very affordable. If you have a rich family, get a piece of fried pork with green onions and serve rice, which is simply a fairy.

Old pumpkin and scallion

Bian radish potherb mustard

In the past, every family of old Beijingers had to store winter vegetables, so as soon as they entered the quadrangle, they saw Chinese cabbage, old pumpkin and green onions stacked under the eaves and hung on the walls, which became a unique scene.

Nowadays, with the improvement of people's lives, there are more dishes, and they can afford them, so there is no need to store them. But this beautiful cultural landscape that Beijing once had must not be forgotten.