The practice of sweet osmanthus
First, choose osmanthus varieties: osmanthus trees can be divided into Jingui and Yingui, and we should choose Jingui, which is the kind with golden flowers. This osmanthus has a strong fragrance.
Second, choose the time to pick osmanthus fragrans: the flowering period of osmanthus fragrans is short. If the osmanthus fragrans is just in bloom, the fragrance of osmanthus fragrans is very weak because the brown shell on the osmanthus fragrans has not fallen off. If the flowering period has exceeded one week, osmanthus fragrans will naturally fall, and the fragrance of osmanthus fragrans will gradually decline. Therefore, the best time to collect osmanthus fragrans should be about 4-5 days after the flowering of osmanthus fragrans, when the shell has fallen off and the fragrance of osmanthus fragrans is the strongest.
Third: collection method: most people first spread paper or plastic tablecloth under the tree and beat the osmanthus tree with bamboo poles or wooden sticks. This method of collecting osmanthus fragrans is mixed with many impurities, including branches and leaves of osmanthus fragrans, insects and their excrement, so the impurities must be carefully removed from the collected osmanthus fragrans. This paper introduces that during the collection time of osmanthus fragrans, the collector holds the dish in one hand and collects osmanthus fragrans in the other. Osmanthus fragrans collected by this method is clean, but the collection speed is slow. There is another method. First, lightly beat the osmanthus tree with a stick to remove impurities on the osmanthus tree, then spread a plastic tablecloth under the osmanthus tree, collect osmanthus with both hands, and let it fall on the plastic tablecloth. The latter can collect osmanthus fragrans faster, but it can avoid more impurities.
Fourth: Method of making: As the collected osmanthus is relatively clean, it is not necessary to wash it in boiling water or cold water, so it is not necessary to dry it in the sun, so that more osmanthus fragrance can be preserved. When it is made, white sugar is put in a clean bottle, then fresh osmanthus is mixed with the same amount of white sugar, then a layer of sweet osmanthus is put in the bottle, and finally a layer of white sugar is put on the top of sweet osmanthus (in the traditional making method, a little salt is added first, and it is mixed in sweet osmanthus for a few minutes to remove the bitter taste of sweet osmanthus). Seal the bottle cap and put it in the refrigerator.