Binchuan County

As usual, when spring breeze brings warmth into the Yunnan Province each year, everything there breaks through obstructions to approach growth stage. Without a formal declaration of coming, warmth has raised vitality and surprise among all things of creation. Especially in spring, Chinese people have a keen sense of smell and taste. Yunnanese think that flavor ingredients in spring taste delicious and they have a pleasant sensation from everything that is bursting with vitality. Right now, we will come to Yunnan and try to find delicious foods on their dining table during spring days.Shazhi town stands back against Jizushan Mountain with luxuriant vegetation and plentiful products. Spring comes here just at the right time. When you pour Chinese toon buds into the boiling water, its appetizing smell comes out from the kitchen immediately. Li Cunfen twists scalded buds into strips and dries them out in order to store up while the sun shines. With the highest terrain Li Jimei’s house is on the hillside and opposite to Li Cunfang’s. From the Li Jimei’s courtyard, White Tower can be seen sitting on the top of Jizushan Mountain.The buds are representative among Yunnan ingredients. When Chinese first month of the lunar year has gone, the toon begins to sprout and their buds are like the messengers dispatched by spring to Yunnan. If the buds from jade-green-and-bright-reds spring and the cured meat from just past winter are being fried together, the dish tastes of everything to you, and seemingly, it is a final chance before winter is split with spring. On the basis of color, the buds can be divided into two types: purple buds and green ones. When buds are under the sunshine for quite a long time, they will take on dark red; conversely, green. In addition, the tender buds’ color are purplish red while the buds have the color of green after them putting forth stalk and growing older gradually.Li Zhenxing selects a right branch and hangs up the long-handle knife. The Chinese toons, all of which are more than 100 years, are thick, strong and high in Shazhi village. Therefore, no one can get those from tall trees except the skillful person like Mr. Li. (Mrs. Li: be careful! This toon is so strong! Climbing slowly! It’s too hard to pick its buds. It’s too big! Now, let us collect!) When people cut them with sharp edge, the bud flakes down in the breeze just like a small shuttlecock. (Mrs. Li: his climbing skill is extraordinary. My kids and I are gathering toons under the tree while my husband climbs.) Making buds without bitter and astringent with boiling water, it is widely use in making dishes, principle ingredients or ingredients. The buds can be eaten cold with sauce so as to give nutrients to liver and lungs, which is the first cool dish in spring for households in Jizushan. ( Mrs. Li: it’s too dry this year; therefore, the bud is so tiny.) It takes no less than half an hour, for the couple and children who have left for here to liven things up, they have possessed a bamboo screen being full of buds. (Mrs. Li: My family eating them all up quickly in my childhood, it was quite delicious whether buds were fried with meat or we salted buds.) At that time, still, picking buds is difficult. At last, Mr. Li needs to remove parasitic plants from the toon. The rest ones will grow and develop the new branches and leaves to continue prolonging old toon’s life. Even though, all of them feels quite exhausted and their faces are streaming with sweat, children are immensely pleased at the harvest and ignorant of their weariness. The buds are unique in fragrance and that is why local people call them scented buds. The dish of frying eggs with buds represents a harmonious blend of their appetizing smells, common but homely.