Cured meat

Appearance The smoked bacon is consistent inside and out, cooked and sliced, transparent and shiny, with bright colors, yellow with a hint of red. It has a rich and fragrant taste, not greasy when fatty, and not getting stuck in the teeth when lean. It is not only uniquely flavored but also has functions such as stimulating appetite, dispelling cold, and aiding digestion. Hubei bacon maintains the excellent characteristics of color, aroma, taste, and shape, and is praised for its saying "One family cooks meat, a hundred families enjoy the fragrance." Characteristics From the processing and production of fresh meat to storage, the quality of the meat remains unchanged, retaining its aroma for a long time, and it has the characteristic of not spoiling over time. This meat is smoked with cypress branches, so flies and mosquitoes do not crawl on it in summer, and it does not spoil even after being stored for a long time, making it a unique local delicacy.

Beef

1. Look: Check if there are red spots on the meat. No red spots indicate good meat, while those with red spots are bad meat. Check the muscle: Fresh meat has a shiny appearance, with an even red color, while inferior meat has a slightly darker color. Check the fat: Fresh meat has white or light yellow fat, while inferior meat has dull fat, and spoiled meat has green fat. 2. Smell: Fresh meat has a normal odor, while inferior meat has an ammonia or sour smell. 3. Touch: First, check for elasticity. Fresh meat is elastic, and the indentation from finger pressure recovers immediately. Inferior meat has poor elasticity, with slow recovery or no recovery from the indentation, while spoiled meat is inelastic. Second, check for stickiness. Fresh meat has a slightly dry or slightly moist surface and does not stick to the hand. Less fresh meat has a dry or sticky surface, with freshly cut surfaces being wet and sticky. Spoiled meat is severely sticky, with an extremely dry surface, but some heavily injected meat may not stick at all, although it appears wet on the surface and is not firm.

Poria

Poria, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It is the dried sclerotium of the fungus Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf from the family Polyporaceae. It is harvested mainly from July to September. After excavation, the mud and sand are removed, and it is piled up to "sweat". Then, it is spread out to dry until the surface is dry, and then "sweated" again, repeating this process several times until wrinkles appear and most of the internal moisture is lost, after which it is air-dried, referred to as "Poria pieces"; or fresh Poria can be cut into different parts and air-dried, referred to as "Poria blocks" and "Poria slices" respectively.

American ginseng slices

Soaking Method The best way to use American ginseng is to slice it. It can be soaked in water for drinking alone, or it can be decocted and combined with other medicines. Generally, it should be limited to 10 grams per day. Slices of American ginseng are especially suitable for teachers and others who need to speak for long periods, as it can help alleviate shortness of breath and fatigue while also improving vocal quality. Decoction Method Slice the American ginseng, take 3 grams, place it in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Drink the ginseng slices and the ginseng soup on an empty stomach before breakfast. Steaming Method Slice the American ginseng, take 2 to 5 grams daily, place it in a porcelain bowl, add an appropriate amount of water, and soak for 3 to 5 hours. Cover the bowl and then place it in a pot to steam for 20 to 30 minutes. Consume it half an hour before breakfast.

Gastrodia elata

Gastrodia elata is widely distributed in China, produced in Jilin, Hebei, Gansu, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, and other places. It is also found in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Siberia [5]. Gastrodia elata is distributed in mountainous areas of tropical, subtropical, temperate, and frigid zones, generally growing at altitudes of 400-3200 meters under sparse forests [5] [18]. It prefers cool and humid environments, and growth stops when the local temperature exceeds 30°C. Gastrodia elata has strong adaptability and can grow in general soil, preferably in sandy loam that is loose, well-drained, fertile, deep in soil layer, and rich in humus.

Gastrodia elata

The Tianma plant grows to a height of 30-100 centimeters, sometimes reaching up to 2 meters. The stem is upright and can be orange-yellow, yellow, gray-brown, etc. [5]. Stem The plant height is 30-100 centimeters, sometimes reaching up to 2 meters; the rhizome is thick, tuberous, oval to nearly dumbbell-shaped, fleshy, 8-12 centimeters long, 3-5 (-7) centimeters in diameter, sometimes larger, with denser nodes, and the nodes are covered with many triangular, broad oval sheaths. The stem is upright, orange-yellow, yellow, gray-brown, or blue-green, without green leaves, and the lower part is covered with several membranous sheaths [5]. Flowers The raceme is 5-30 (-50) centimeters long, usually with 30-50 flowers; the flower buds are long oval-lanceolate, 1-1.5 centimeters long, membranous; the flower stalk and ovary are 7-12 millimeters long, slightly shorter than the flower buds; the flowers are twisted, orange-yellow, light yellow, blue-green, or yellow-white, nearly upright; the perianth tube formed by the sepals and petals is about 1 centimeter long, 5-7 millimeters in diameter, nearly oblique oval cylindrical, with 5 lobes at the top, but the opening at the front, where the two lateral sepals are fused, is deep to 5 millimeters, and the base of the tube protrudes forward; the outer lobes (the free part of the sepals) are oval-triangular, with a blunt tip; the inner lobes (the free part of the petals) are nearly long oval, smaller; the lip is long oval-shaped, 6-7 millimeters long, 3-4 millimeters wide, 3-lobed, with the base attached to the end of the column and the inner wall of the perianth tube, and has a pair of fleshy calluses, the upper part is free, with papillae on top, and the edges have irregular short fringes; the column is 5-7 millimeters long, with a short column foot [5].