When is the best time for Cordyceps sinensis, which is as expensive as gold? How do herdsmen dig Cordyceps?

Qinghai is the main producing area of Cordyceps sinensis, with annual output accounting for more than 60% of the country's total output. Since June, the four states of Yushu, Huangnan, Guoluo and Hainan in Qinghai have fully entered the Cordyceps sinensis mining season. How is this "fairy grass" as expensive as gold dug out? How did it get to the whole country?

When is the best time to pick and dig Cordyceps sinensis?

The most accurate prediction method for the best mining period of Cordyceps sinensis is mainly based on the comparison of cold and warm weather at that time and in the same period of previous years. In the best mining time, not only the insect body is full and fat, the grass head is short, but also easy to find and dig. The yield, quality and efficacy are all higher in comparison. If you dig too early, most of the grass heads have not yet been unearthed, so it is not easy to find and dig, but if you dig too late, the Cordyceps sinensis will dry up and the insect body will be hollow or rotten.

From May 1 to June 20 every year, the producing area of wild Cordyceps sinensis has a mining period of about 12 to 26 days. Generally speaking, in areas with relatively low altitude, the earlier the mining period is, the worse the quality of Cordyceps sinensis is, and vice versa.

At the beginning of June, spring arrived on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. At five o'clock in the morning, in the Yushu Batang grassland more than 4000 meters above sea level, the sun still refused to appear on the other side of the ridge, and the breeze was not as gentle as the willow. Bai Su, the eldest daughter of Pubu, a herdsman in Xiaosumang Township, Yushu City, got up the earliest. She wanted to collect the fresh cow dung produced by the cattle last night, carry it on the drying ground, and spread it bit by bit. Sun-dried cow dung is the main fuel for cooking and heating in Pubu family. At this time, the families also got up one after another. Wife Zaxi Cuomao was busy milking yaks, while the second daughter Dejibamao took a bucket to the nearby river to fetch water. Collecting cow dung, milking, drawing water and cooking every morning is what Pub's wife and daughter must do. In the house, the dried cow dung in the stove was burning vigorously. Pub, his son-in-law and grandchildren also got up to wash up. Between talking and laughing, everyone is full of longing for the harvest of going up the mountain to dig Cordyceps sinensis. Drink a bowl of hot buttered tea, eat delicious Zanba, a day's work is about to begin. Filling up the motorcycle with gas and bringing enough dry food, Pub's daughter and son-in-law set out. On the roof, the birds chirped merrily, as if to see them off and bless them. "Today they are going to cross the river by motorcycle to have a try in the distant mountains." Pubu is not in good health and can only try his luck on the nearby low-altitude mountains.

We followed Pubu to a hillside. Seen from afar, there are already several figures on the top of the mountain. Across a swift stream, we started a Cordyceps sinensis digging trip with Pu Bu. At an altitude of more than 4300 meters, the local people are walking at a brisk pace, but we are short and flustered after a few steps, and we obviously can't keep up with the pace.

Reporter: how high is the altitude here?

Pubu: "about 4300, that mountain over there is 4800."

It is not easy to find Cordyceps. Pub came to a bush and lay on the grass like a scout, his eyes sweeping through the grass in front of him. He told us that the mountain had a good output last year.

Pubu: "in hotter places, look in colder places at the end of June. Now look in hotter places."

As he walked, Pub explained to us the tricks of finding Cordyceps.

Reporter: how much is this Cordyceps sinensis exposed?

Pub: "show a little bit."

Although Pubu explained to us in detail and demonstrated how to find Cordyceps, we still couldn't touch the door. The rod-shaped fungal constellation of Cordyceps sinensis emerges from the surface and blends with the surrounding non-green withered grass. Even if the Cordyceps sinensis is right in front of you, it is still difficult to find it without careful identification.

Every three or four steps, Pub would lie on the ground or bend over to take a closer look at the surrounding grass. If you don't find Cordyceps, get up and walk forward, stop in three steps, sit in five steps, and the morning will pass quickly.

Reporter: are you tired when you get up and sit down like this?

Pubu: "tired."

Although the yield of Cordyceps sinensis on this hillside was very high last year, Pubu was not very lucky today and did not find a single Cordyceps sinensis. As the altitude rose, Pub's eyebrows frowned. It was still early, and Pubu decided to try his luck on the eastern hillside.

At this time, we looked back at the foot of the mountain and found that we had gone a long way. The thin air and the violent mountain reaction make us realize the difficulty of mountaineering.

It was not easy to climb to the east side of the hillside, and the rest of the village was already there.

Pubu: "I didn't dig it." I couldn't find it on the other side of the mountain yesterday. I only found five in another place. "

Soon, this makeshift mining team will have a harvest.

After the discovery of Cordyceps, the digger used a small triangular hoe to dig up the whole piece of soil around the Cordyceps sinensis. After taking out the Cordyceps sinensis, carefully backfill the soil and smash it with a hoe handle. If you don't look carefully, you can't see that the lawn has been dug up.

Pubu: "this kind of digging can protect the environment." There used to be people from outside, but they didn't care about it, just to dig up the caterpillar fungus and leave. "

Pub told us that a few years ago, many outsiders came to dig Cordyceps sinensis, destroy pastures and litter. In the past two years, the government has restricted outsiders from going to the mountains to dig Cordyceps sinensis, and it has also imposed strict requirements on local herdsmen to dig Cordyceps sinensis, and everyone can consciously protect the environment.

Sang Ding, deputy secretary of the Yushu Prefecture political and Law Commission, told us for the first time that the starting point of all this is to hand over the price to the market and the management to the masses.

Sangding second: "the state party committee and state government has introduced a system in which the government strengthens law enforcement and serves the common people, handing over management to the masses and prices to the market, thus realizing the scientific, efficient and legalized management of Cordyceps sinensis collection."

4300 meters above sea level, you need to look for Cordyceps one step at a time. It seems that today's Pubu lacks a little luck, so can the Pubu family pick Cordyceps sinensis this year? How did the Cordyceps collected by herdsmen get to the whole country? Welcome to listen to the second part of "another year of harvesting season, looking for Immortal Grass on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" tomorrow.