Chinese toon

Overview Toon is also known as toon flower, toon head, and toon bud, and belongs to the family Toon. Originating in my country, it is a perennial woody vegetable. Mainly distributed in Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Hebei, northern Guangxi, southern Hunan and Sichuan provinces, among which the Taihe toona from Anhui, the Ximou toona from Shandong and the Jiaozuo red toona from Henan are the most famous. Rutai and Chinese toon were sent to Chang'an as tributes as early as the Tang Dynasty. Recently, toon sprouts are not only a traditional vegetable loved by urban and rural people, but have also entered restaurants and hotels. At the same time, it is also exported to Southeast Asian countries and is very popular in the international market.

In addition to being eaten, the leaves, bark, roots and fruits of Toona sinensis all have certain medical effects. Mix the fresh toon head with an equal amount of garlic, add a little salt, mash it, and apply it to the affected area to treat sores, carbuncles, and swelling; divide the young leaves of toon, fir, and maple into equal parts, boil them in water, remove the residue, and drink , can treat filariasis; Toon bark is cool in nature and has the functions of removing heat, drying dampness, and stopping bleeding; Xianglingzi is used to treat colds, gastrointestinal congestion, epigastric distension, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The toon tree grows rapidly, has a straight trunk, no knots and few scars, ruddy color, clear texture, bright and beautiful planed surface, and fragrant smell. It enjoys the reputation of "Chinese Mahogany" in the international market.

Characteristics Toona sinensis is a perennial deciduous tree, and the trees can reach a height of more than 10 meters. The leaves are alternate and odd-pinnate, with 6-10 pairs of leaflets. The leaf scars are large, 40 cm long and 24 cm wide. The leaflets are oblong, with sharp tips, 10-12 cm long and 4 cm wide. Young leaves are purplish red. , the adult leaves are green, the back of the leaves is reddish brown, lightly waxy, slightly astringent, and the petiole is red. Panicle terminal, pendulous, bisexual flowers, white, fragrant, flowers small, bell-shaped, ovary conical, 5-chambered, each chamber has 3 ovules, style shorter than ovary, fruit, narrowly oval or nearly Oval, about 2 cm long, reddish brown when mature, with leathery texture and cracking into a bell shape. Flowers bloom in June and fruits mature from October to November. Planted in an oval shape with long woody wings, the seeds are small, have low germination rate, and have high oil content, and the oil is edible.

Chinese toona loves temperature and is suitable for cultivation in areas with an average temperature of 8-10°C. Its cold resistance increases with the age of the seedlings. Annual seedlings broadcast from seeds may be frozen at around 10°C. Toona loves light and is relatively resistant to moisture. It is suitable for growing in fertile and moist soil beside rivers and around houses. Generally, sandy loam is best. The suitable soil pH is pH5.5-8.0.

There are many varieties of toona in my country. According to the different colors of the buds and cotyledons, they can be basically divided into two categories: purple toon and green toon. Purple toon species include black toon, red toon, Jiaozuo red toon, Ximou purple toon and other varieties; green toon species include green toon, yellow umbrella and other species. Different varieties of toon have different characteristics and properties. Purple toon generally has a relatively open crown, with gray-brown bark, purple-brown spores, and purple-red buds when they first appear. They are shiny, have a strong fragrance, have less fiber, and contain more oil; green toon has an upright crown and green or green-brown bark. The fragrance is slightly lighter and contains less oil.

Key points of cultivation

(1) Cultivation methods:

①General cultivation. There are two types of propagation of Toona sinensis: sowing seedlings and division propagation (also called root-tiller propagation).

Due to the low germination rate of Toon seeds for sowing and propagation, before sowing, the seeds should be soaked in warm water at 30-35℃ for 24 hours, picked up and placed at 25℃ for germination. Sow when the radicle is exposed to the size of a rice grain (the minimum ground temperature at the time of sowing is about 5℃), usually in early to mid-March in Shanghai. After emergence, the seedlings should be planted when there are 2-3 true leaves and the seedlings should be planted when there are 4-5 true leaves. The spacing between rows and plants should be 25x15 cm.

For propagation by division, the root seedlings can be dug out in early spring and planted on the seedling ground. When the seedlings grow to about 2 meters the following year, they can be planted again. The root cutting and tillering method can also be used. In late winter and early spring, dig a 60 cm deep circular trench around the mature tree, cut off part of the lateral roots, and then fill the trench. Since the roots of toon are prone to adventitious roots, new seedlings will sprout from the tips of the broken roots. It can be transplanted every year.

After the toon seedlings are grown, they are planted in early spring before they germinate. To create a large toon forest, the spacing between rows should be 7x5 meters. Those planted in river channels and behind houses are all planted in single rows with a spacing of about 5 meters. After planting, water 2-3 times to increase the survival rate.

② Dwarf and dense planting cultivation. This is a cultivation method that has developed in recent years. Its seedling cultivation method is the same as that of ordinary cutting cultivation, except that the planting density and tree pruning are different. Generally, about 6,000 plants are planted per 666.7 square meters. Tree types can be divided into two types: multi-layer type and cluster type: multi-layer type is to remove the top tips when the seedlings are 2 meters high to promote the germination of side buds and form three layers of backbone branches. The first layer is 70 cm from the ground and the second layer is 70 cm from the ground. The first layer is 60 cm, and the third layer is 40 cm from the second layer. This multi-layered tree trunk is taller, fully lignified, and has a more stable yield. In the cluster type, the top tips are removed when the seedlings are about 1 meter high. Liu Xin only picks the young leaves from the branches without removing the top buds, and then wipes the tops when the branches are 20-30 cm long. It is characterized by a shorter trunk and more main branches.

③Cultivation in protected areas. It can also be divided into two types: one is to plant dwarf and densely planted Chinese toon in a greenhouse (or tube shed), and film it in mid-November (referring to southern North China). The other is to plant seedlings that have passed dormancy for two or three years in a greenhouse (or tube shed).

The temperature in the room (shed) should be maintained at 18-24°C during the day and the night temperature should not be lower than 12°C. After 40-45 days, the young leaves can be eaten.

(2) Management: Although the field management of Toona sinensis is extensive, in order to achieve fast growth and high yield, attention must be paid to fertilizer, water, and pest and disease control. If the weather is dry, water should be watered in time; the soil should be plowed every year to loosen the soil. It is best to interplant green manure between the rows, and push it into the soil or pour human and animal excrement in May.

Pests include toon caterpillars, clouded longhorn beetles, paramecium scale insects, etc., which can be controlled by pesticides such as Borenicidus; diseases include leaf rust, powdery mildew, etc., which can be controlled by agents such as Bordeaux mixture and lime sulfur mixture.

(3) Picking: Commonly cultivated Chinese toon and dwarfed and densely cultivated toon generally germinate before Qingming, and the top buds can be picked before and after Grain Rain. This first harvest is called the first crop of toon buds. Not only are they plump and tender, but they are also rich in fragrance and of high quality; they will be picked a second time every 15-20 days depending on the growth conditions. Newly planted toona can be harvested up to 2 times. After 3 years, it can be harvested 2-3 times a year, and the yield will increase accordingly. As for those cultivated in protected areas, they can be harvested in winter through heating. If they are not heated, tree buds can be supplied in advance in early spring.

Nutrition and Edible Toon head is extremely rich in nutrients. According to analysis, every 100 grams of toon head contains 9.8 grams of protein, 143 milligrams of calcium, and 115 milligrams of vitamin C, which are among the best among vegetables. In addition, it also contains 135 mg of phosphorus, 1.36 mg of carotene, as well as nutrients such as iron and B vitamins.

There are two ways to eat toon: fresh and processed:

(1) Fresh:

① Mix toon with tofu. 50 grams of tender toon and 500 grams of tofu. Seasonings: refined salt, monosodium glutamate, sesame oil.

②Chinese toon scrambled eggs. 100 grams of Chinese toon, 5 eggs. Seasoning: peanut oil (or soybean oil), refined salt.

③ Fried tofu with Chinese toon. 50 grams of Chinese toon and 250 grams of tofu. Seasoning: peanut oil (or soybean oil), soy sauce, salt, sugar, MSG, fresh soup, water starch.

① Fried toon fish. 50 grams of Chinese toon, 4-5 pieces of marine fish (hairtail, yellow croaker, etc.), 2 eggs. Seasoning: peanut oil (or soybean oil), pepper, salt.

(2) Processing: The traditional Chinese toon processing method is to pickle it with salt, which is called salted toon head. However, due to the high salt content, the original flavor of toon is affected. Therefore, in recent years, many processing units have improved their processing technology and developed various new products, such as:

① Dehydrated toon buds. It is a rejuvenation dish that can be restored to its fresh sprout state by soaking it in warm water for half an hour. It can be made into delicacies when paired with chicken, meat, and eggs.

② Sweet, sour and spicy toon sprouts. This product is soft in texture, sweet, sour, spicy and crispy, and has a delicious taste.

In addition, there are toon sauce, toon puree, toon tofu and toon in oil sauce.

Recommended recipe

Chinese toon shredded beef

Ingredients: 250 grams of fresh toon, 200 grams of ox hind shank, 3 grams of ginger, and 10 grams of cornstarch.

[Seasoning] Appropriate amounts of vegetable oil, rice wine, refined salt, white sugar, sesame oil, and MSG.

Preparation method

(1) Remove old and black leaves from fresh Chinese toon, then pick into 5-6 cm long, wash and drain.

(2) Remove the fascia from the beef, cut it into thin strips, squeeze out the blood, add rice wine, refined salt, white sugar, and an appropriate amount of water and stir in one direction until the water has been absorbed. When the shredded meat is absorbed, add a little water and stir again. Add aquatic starch, stir until it is firm, and put it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

(3) Boil 100 grams of vegetable oil, then cool to 60% heat, and sauté the ginger slices until fragrant. Mix the shredded beef with a little refined oil (or cooked oil), pour it into the oil and spread it out. When the shredded meat is discolored, pour it into a colander to drain the oil.

(4) Leave 50 grams of oil in the pot, heat it to 70% heat, add toona sinensis, then add refined salt and sugar, stir-fry over high heat until the vegetables turn green, add shredded beef and stir-fry , add MSG, pour in sesame oil and serve.

Features: The toon is refreshing and the shredded meat is fresh and tender.