Goji and its History
A goji berry is actually one of two very closely related berries, Lycium barbarum and L. Chinense, which are two of many small, red berries in their genus that are members of the Solinaceae family. This means that goji, although rare, is closely related to potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, tobacco and chili peppers, too. Other names for goji include; murali, Chinese wolf berry, bocksdorns, barbary matrimony vine, red medlar, matrimony vine, Duke of Argyll's tea tree, and of course, simply wolfberry. The berries are native throughout all of China, but likely came from the valleys between the Himalayan mountains in pre-history.
The leaves of the plant are slightly oblong shaped, the flowers are small, lavender in color with stamens in the center. It usually has one to three flowers per stem. The fruit that develops is a small, red and sort of an oblong shape. The main growing area for these berries in the north-central area of China. Since they became popular, they have been grown on and cultivated on large plantations in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous region of north-central China. The Ningxia province is the largest and most famous growing area for all goji.
Although advertised as Himalayan and Tibetan Goji berries, they are actually grown in the Ningxia area and the Tian Shan Mountain region. The Himalayan mountains do not support their growth as the climate in this frigid area will not support this plant.
The United Kingdom has become a curiously common place to find goji plants. They grow in hedge rows in the areas of Hadley, Ipswich, Suffolk Sandlings, Bawdsey and Walberswick. They were introduced to this area in the early 1700's, which explains why one of the names for this plant is the Duke of Argyll's tea tree.
Wolfberries, in their fresh form, cannot make the trip safely across the oceans to other countries. Therefore they cannot be exported fresh, but rather are shipped dried like raisins, and sometimes frozen. They can get quite hard during the drying-out process though, so generally the frozen berries are preferred. Goji berries are found in Chinese cuisine country wide, cooked until they are soft. They are added to many soups, put in with rice and Chinese vegetables, even meat, fish, and chicken. They are used also in a few Chinese teas.
If you want a tasty goji treat, you could try the ale made from these berries at the New Belgium Brewery, or at least get your hands on some 'Wolf Berry Beer.' The Chinese have made a flavored brand of coffee from them too, which isn't any surprise since they also use the leaves for nearly infinite medicinal uses already. - 17273
The leaves of the plant are slightly oblong shaped, the flowers are small, lavender in color with stamens in the center. It usually has one to three flowers per stem. The fruit that develops is a small, red and sort of an oblong shape. The main growing area for these berries in the north-central area of China. Since they became popular, they have been grown on and cultivated on large plantations in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous region of north-central China. The Ningxia province is the largest and most famous growing area for all goji.
Although advertised as Himalayan and Tibetan Goji berries, they are actually grown in the Ningxia area and the Tian Shan Mountain region. The Himalayan mountains do not support their growth as the climate in this frigid area will not support this plant.
The United Kingdom has become a curiously common place to find goji plants. They grow in hedge rows in the areas of Hadley, Ipswich, Suffolk Sandlings, Bawdsey and Walberswick. They were introduced to this area in the early 1700's, which explains why one of the names for this plant is the Duke of Argyll's tea tree.
Wolfberries, in their fresh form, cannot make the trip safely across the oceans to other countries. Therefore they cannot be exported fresh, but rather are shipped dried like raisins, and sometimes frozen. They can get quite hard during the drying-out process though, so generally the frozen berries are preferred. Goji berries are found in Chinese cuisine country wide, cooked until they are soft. They are added to many soups, put in with rice and Chinese vegetables, even meat, fish, and chicken. They are used also in a few Chinese teas.
If you want a tasty goji treat, you could try the ale made from these berries at the New Belgium Brewery, or at least get your hands on some 'Wolf Berry Beer.' The Chinese have made a flavored brand of coffee from them too, which isn't any surprise since they also use the leaves for nearly infinite medicinal uses already. - 17273
posted by X - Men at
5:14 AM
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