Picking pine cones on the forest trail | Eat vegetarian food at Jizhao Temple after hiking (June to February of the following year)

"I'm Xiao Jing, and our favorite place is the forest. The mountains have different treasures throughout the year: mushrooms in the rainy season, pine cones, pine nuts, and ferns in autumn and winter. Each season has its own flowers and plants. The girls in our picking group always go up the mountain and find new things no matter what season it is. Join our mountain adventure!"

Video of a hike:

Time: 2:30 pm.

Activity end time: 5:30 pm (dinner time at Jizhao Temple)

You can choose whether to eat vegetarian or not. Cost: 20/person, at your own expense.

Hiking distance: 4 km in total, with an ascent of about 300 meters.

Suitable age: 5-60 years old (in good physical condition).

This is a secluded mountain road that goes down the mountain past Jizhao Temple. This is the only way for villagers to pick mushrooms, wild tea, and pine nuts. This road requires a certain amount of physical strength, but children over five years old can also walk if they are not too weak.

If you like wilderness, non-commercial attractions, and don’t mind passing by a cemetery, you are welcome to join the girls in our picking group to go treasure hunting in the mountains.

In the evening we will go down the mountain to Jizhao Temple for dinner. You are free to choose whether to eat there, but it is recommended that you try the vegetarian food at Jizhao Temple. Usually there are fewer tourists at dinner time, which can provide a unique experience.

As the seasons change, you’ll see different plants and wild fruits along the way.

For example, camellia, hawthorn, pine nuts, pine cones, various rhododendrons, Nepalese hemlock, winter cherry, etc. It is not recommended to ask specifically what you will see, because even in winter, the vegetation in Cangshan is very rich. Walking in the forest is a general appreciation rather than a targeted search.

A few days ago, Yangmi, Phoebe and I went up the mountain to see if the hawthorns were ripe. Last November, we found a delicious hawthorn under a tree, but that was it. Yangmi has never forgotten that hawthorn. Recently, we passed by the tree again, and the fruit was still there, but it was still green and unripe. We tasted one that had fallen on the ground. It was sour and a little bitter. It needs time to ripen. However, this year, we can still eat it.

A year later, after mushroom season was over, Jason and I hiked up the hill and rested on a patch of soft moss that had once been teeming with mushrooms. Although there were no mushrooms that day, out of habit we scanned the ground and unexpectedly found small, firm pine nuts. They were plump and fresh, as if they had just fallen from a pine cone. We cracked one open, and it had a strong resinous aroma, different from the usual cream-cooked pine nuts. I sat there, finding more pine nuts, reluctant to leave. Looking for pine nuts is a bit like picking mushrooms - once you find the first one, the rest will follow. Over time, you become sensitive to their shapes and colors, and collecting them one by one is a relaxing experience.

In September and October, pine nuts are hidden in pine cones. Villagers eager for a harvest climb up the mountain and pick green pine cones directly from the trees. At home, they let the pine cones dry naturally until they crack open and the pine nuts come out. Some people split the pine cones on the spot and carry the pine nuts down the mountain with less effort. Those pine cones that are not harvested are left on the trees; after drying, they crack open and the pine nuts fall off. This is the happy moment we enjoy with the squirrels.

In winter, there are no mushrooms on Cangshan Mountain. This is perhaps for the best; constant mushroom hunting can tire us out, and the mushrooms themselves need a rest. Since they hibernate, we go up the mountain less often. Occasionally, stepping into the sun-dappled, pine-needle-covered forest is a pleasant experience for us.

Our team introduction:

There are five or six girls in our mushroom picking group, namely, Zaoweijing, Yanzi, Xiaomin, Wanwan, Li Zhenhao and Daxiang. They all have their own strengths. They study various mushroom books and participate extensively in field work in different forests.

To summarize their characteristics: they have both profound theoretical knowledge and rich field experience in forestry.

Some photos from previous pine cone-picking hikes:

Picnic in the forest (the guide will bring tea, picnic mats, fruits, and snacks)

Searching for pine nuts

Vegetarian food at Jizhao Temple