Black Mountain An Cherries

Black Mountain An Cherries

　　Black Mountain An cherries are a specialty of Heishan'an Village, Shuanghou Town, Yinan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province. Black Mountain An cherries are widely favored in the market for their large size, excellent quality, and good storability and transportability.

　　Heishan'an Village is situated at the northern foot of Wucui Mountain within Shuanghou Town, bordered by Heishan Mountain to the north and Daqing Mountain to the west. The village comprises 12 natural settlements spread across 8 mountain valleys. The soil is black sandy loam, rich in phosphorus, and the microclimate is favorable, making it highly suitable for cherry cultivation. The history of cherry planting in the village dates back to the Ming Dynasty, mostly in scattered small plots. Since 1984, leveraging local advantages, the village has vigorously developed fruit production, rapidly expanding the planting area and establishing scaled production. By the end of 1998, the village had a total of 1.5 million cherry trees, covering an actual area of over 2,500 mu, making it one of the largest cherry-producing areas in Linyi City. The annual total yield reached 150,000 kilograms, with total income exceeding 700,000 yuan. This single crop generated an average income of over 500 yuan per capita, with nearly 40 households earning more than 2,000 yuan and a few households earning over 5,000 yuan.

　　According to analysis, cherries contain various nutrients such as sugars, proteins, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamin C, among which the content of vitamin C, phosphorus, and iron is several times higher than that of apples. Moderate consumption can help invigorate the spleen and stomach, and nourish vitality. Most of the cherries grown in Heishan'an Village are traditional varieties known as Yingzhu, covering an area of over 1,800 mu, accounting for about 70% of the total. Yingzhu cherries are small in size with thin skins, juicy, sweet and tangy, brightly colored, and crystal clear. They generally ripen in early April of the lunar calendar, filling the gap in the off-season and are hailed as “the first spring fruit of the north.” Late-maturing varieties such as Dazi, Hongdeng, and Naweng were introduced in 1986. These fruits are large, averaging about 180 per kilogram. Among them, Dazi cherries are large with tender flesh, purple tinged with red, deliciously sweet, and have a sugar content of up to about 14%, ripening earlier than most large cherries. Naweng cherries, also known as yellow cherries, have a tender yellow hue with a blush of red, firm and crisp flesh, sweet juice, and are rich in nutrients with a sugar content of up to about 16%. The planting area for large cherries is relatively small. Starting in 1996, the village uniformly purchased high-quality large cherry scions from other regions and completed the grafting and renovation of 20,000 old cherry trees. In the spring of 1998, the newly grafted large cherries yielded over 5,000 kilograms. These cherries were widely favored in the market for their large size, excellent quality, and good storability and transportability. In the spring of 1999, the village harvested and sold 15,000 kilograms of large cherries, generating an income of 300,000 yuan.