An agricultural proverb says, "Snow shovel cabbage, snow shovel spinach." The light snow season is the best time for harvesting and storing Chinese cabbage.

Chinese cabbage has a long history of cultivation in China. As early as the Neolithic Age, white rapeseed was found in the ruins of the original village in Anbanpo, Xi 'an. Chinese cabbage was called "fermented grains" in ancient times. Lu Wu, compiled by the Jin Dynasty, records that Lu Xun, a strategist in the Three Kingdoms period, "urged the people to grow beans and grain". In the Tang Dynasty, Chinese cabbage was widely planted and was a delicious food for guests and friends.

Han Yu, a writer in the Tang Dynasty, had a rough life. He formed the "Han Meng Poetry School" with Meng Jiao, Lu Tong, Li He and Jia Dao. One winter, they drank together and discussed poetry. Han Yu cut the newly harvested "fermented grains" into filaments and simmered them with the newly dug winter bamboo shoots. After tasting, everyone was full of praise. As soon as Han Yu was excited, he wrote a poem "Fine-cut the belly of the late fat beef, and Hsinchu tasted the tender horseshoe at first", praising the delicacy of "fermented grains".

Zhou Zai, a good friend of Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi, returned to Yunzhou Mountain Villa after bidding farewell to Yuzhou Prefecture. Liu Yuxi wrote a poem "Send Zhou's envoy to Yunzhou Mountain Villa", saying, "You can't stay overnight if you are afraid of traveling." It's a pity that you can't eat shepherd's purse in late autumn. Tang Yanqian also said in Moving Sand: "Try to be humble and beg for taste and laugh at Zhouyi."

In the Song Dynasty, fermented grains began to be called "Chinese cabbage". For example, Wu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote a poem "Zhou Jieran Picks Water for Tea": "I plan to buy a cabbage and cook the soup in Beihu Lake."

Yang Wanli, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, also wrote a poem: "Yunzi slides a spoon during the Spring Festival and chews snow mites on iced vegetables. The boiled vegetables in front of Lingyin Mountain have recently come to Jiangxi. "

In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen said in the Compendium of Materia Medica: "According to Ya Ya in the Lu Dian, it is said that the Yiling Cave languishes late, and it is common at four o'clock, so it is named Yi. This is called cabbage, and its color is also shown. "

As the saying goes, "pork is beautiful in meat, but only cabbage is fresh in vegetables." The reason why the ancients liked to eat Chinese cabbage was because it was delicious, nutritious and had a therapeutic effect. There are also folk sayings that "a hundred dishes are not as good as cabbage" and "winter dishes are like bamboo shoots". Meng E, a dietotherapy expert in the Tang Dynasty, said in "Dietotherapy Materia Medica": "Amaranth produces saliva to quench thirst, and mutton is delicious. Cooking it in winter can be eaten as soup, which can help digestion and cure cough. "

Gourmet Su Shi said in a poem: "White fermented grains are like lambs and porpoises, which are webbed and unearthed." Comparing Chinese cabbage with mutton and bear's paw, its delicacy can be seen. Zhu Dunru, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote: "Mr. Chao Zhongcuo has been ill for a long time and it is difficult to treat the elderly." He said: "I planted cabbage on the boundary and salted it into yellow sauce. Fat onions are thin, sesame oil is slow, and soup cakes are like silk. A cup in the morning and evening is harmless, and the fairy turns over and rests. "

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "(Chinese cabbage stems and leaves) can benefit the stomach, relieve the troubles in the chest and quench thirst. Digesting Xia Qi, curing miasma and relieving cough. Winter juice is especially good. Harmony is good for defecation. (Son) Make oil, wear hair, and the sword is not dull. "

? Qi Baishi, a master of Chinese painting, loves eating cabbage and painting it even more. He painted many cabbages in his life, including a freehand painting of Chinese cabbage with a few bright red peppers on it, and wrote the following sentence: "Peony is the king of flowers, litchi is the first of all fruits, whether cabbage is the king of vegetables or not." Qi Lao called cabbage "the king of vegetables", which shows his love.

The ancients said, "leek is in early spring and fermented in late autumn." Chinese cabbage must be harvested and stored after light snow to taste sweet. In Song Dynasty, Fan Chengda wrote the poem "Pastoral Miscellaneous Glory", saying, "It tastes like honey lotus root when pulling snow and picking the ground. Zhumen meat has no taste and is only an ordinary dish. " It means that cabbage tastes better than honey lotus root after snow in winter. In other words, Chinese cabbage will be sweet only after being tempered by ice and snow.

? Stop watering the cabbage about ten days before harvest to prevent freezing, and try to choose sunny days when harvesting. After harvest, cabbage is stiff and tastes green, so it can't be stored immediately. The roots of Chinese cabbage should be dried in the sun for 3 to 4 days, and then stored after the cabbage becomes soft.

Through scientific experiments, it is found that Chinese cabbage and other vegetables contain starch. After frosting, starch will be hydrolyzed under the catalysis of amylase to become maltose, and maltose will become glucose under the action of maltase. Glucose is sweet and soluble in water, so Chinese cabbage becomes mellow, full, sweet and delicious.