Although there are crabs to be eaten throughout the year, the best season to eat crabs is in the fall. It is said that "autumn wind, crab feet itch; chrysanthemum blossom, smell the crab", every year in September to October is the crab yellow oil full of time, so there is a gourmet said "in the fall to eat crabs for the most grand thing".

Gaochun Crab Festival--Gucheng Lake Crab Festival is one of the well-known agricultural festivals in Nanjing, jointly organized by the county government, the city's Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry and other units, in September and October each year, the crab ripening season opens, and the time lasts about a month.

Sihong Crab Festival

Poyang Lake Crab Festival

Panjin Crab Festival

Hongze Lake Crab Festival

Wuhan First Crab Festival

High-quality hairy crabs have the appearance of "green shell and white belly, golden claws and yellow hair". "Green shell", refers to the crab shell is green mud color, smooth and shiny, no spots. "White belly", refers to the crab abdomen crustacean white crystal, very smooth, this is the bottom of the lake water plants polishing results. "Golden claw", refers to the crab feet at the tip of the forefront of the golden color, in the hard knot on the bottom of the lake soil exercise solid and powerful, even on the glass can be six feet upright, waving the double chelipeds. The "yellow hair" refers to the hairs on the crab's feet, which are erect and yellow in color, in a vigorous fighting posture.

To pick a pure Yangtze Chinese mitten crab, look at the width of the crab's six legs near the body, which is wider than the pure quality of the crab. If you are still a person with a keen sense of smell, you can smell, if you can smell the sweet flavor must also be a good crab. You can also look at the thickness of the crab from the side. Thick and full crabs are fatter. Turn over the umbilicus of the abdomen, you can vaguely see the yellow color, it means that the yellow full.

No matter how much you know about the factors of selecting hairy crabs, the most crucial thing is still not to forget that hairy crabs are seasonal delicacies, and it is most important to enjoy them at the right time. "Nine male and ten female", "September group umbilical cord, October tip", are talking about the time to eat crabs. In September of the lunar calendar, female crabs are full of eggs, and the crab yolks are fresh and fragrant with delicate fat; in October, male crabs have the best gonadal development, which is when the yellow fat and cream are white, and the crab paste has a rich and rounded taste, and those who are fond of hairy crabs will generally prefer to eat male crabs in November. Some people also like to eat female crabs when the yolks are not yet solid, and the tenderness and smoothness is a different experience.

Because crab conditions vary from year to year, the time of year when hairy crabs go on sale also varies, depending on when the temperature starts to drop. No matter when the weather starts to cool down, hairy crabs need enough time to fatten up, which takes about 1 month or more. This year's crabs will be on the market just about 15 days later than in previous years because of the long period of high temperatures this summer, when the weather started to turn cooler later.

The old saying accurately summarizes that October is the best time to eat female crabs and November is the best time to eat male crabs. But we are luckier than the ancients. The popularization of the transient culture technology allows us to enjoy the delicious taste of hairy crabs from the Mid-Autumn Festival to the Spring Festival.