On sour jujube powder

作酸棗麨法

How to Make Sour Jujube Powder

多收紅軟者，箔上日曝令乾。大釜中煮之，水僅自淹。一沸即漉出，盆研之。生布絞取濃汁，塗盤上或盆中。盛暑日曝使乾；漸以手摩淨，散為末。以方寸匕投一碗水中，酸甜味足，即成好漿。遠行用和米麨，飢渴俱當也。

Gather a large amount of red and soft jujubes, spread them on a drying mat and leave them in the sun until dry. Put them in a large cauldron, adding just enough water to cover them. As soon as the water comes to a boil, strain out the jujubes and mash them in a basin. Squeeze the mashed fruit through a piece of unbleached cloth to extract thick juice, then spread it over a plate or a basin. In the height of summer, leave the juice in the sun until dry; slowly rub it between hands until it crumbles into a fine powder. Adding a small spoonful of the powder to a bowl of water makes a delicious drink with a rich sweet-and-sour flavour. When travelling long distances, the powder can also be mixed with roasted rice or wheat flour, providing both nourishment and relief from thirst.

* From Jia Sixie 賈思勰 (fl. 6th century), Qimin yaoshu jiaoshi 齊民要術校釋, annotated by Miao Qiyu 繆啟愉 (Beijing: Zhongguo nongye chubanshe, 1998), 264.

A wild jujube tree in my orchard