Lulong Walnuts

Lulong Walnuts

　　Lulong County is a world-renowned homeland of walnuts, with a walnut cultivation history of over a thousand years. Through years of production practice, an outstanding local variety known as "Shimen Walnut" has been developed. The walnuts produced here are large in size, rich in kernel, thin-shelled, easy to crack, and high in fat and protein content, with a sweet and fragrant taste. As early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, they had become a renowned local specialty, often praised as "Shimen Walnuts, a treasure of the world." Since the late Qing Dynasty, Lulong Walnuts have been exported to more than 20 countries and regions including Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Their superior quality established the "Shimen Walnut" brand in the international trade market, making it the only brand that could rival the American famous "Diamond Walnut." The "Shimen Walnut" has been included in nationally compiled teaching materials for colleges and vocational schools, as well as in books on walnut cultivation, processing, and sales. To protect this prestigious brand, our association has applied to the National Trademark Office to register the "Lulong Shimen" walnut trademark and is actively seeking origin protection. To further tap the potential of the brand and quantify its prestige, the county’s Party Committee and government have decided to develop 50,000 mu of walnut bases during the 11th Five-Year Plan period. Seizing this opportunity, our association is establishing a leading walnut sales entity to drive the development of the walnut industry.

　　 As early as the 1980s, the Lulong County Forestry and Fruit Industry Association collaborated with the Changli Fruit Tree Research Institute to launch a walnut selection project. From among 270,000 seedling trees across the county, two superior individual trees — "Gaogezhuang No. 4" and "Dongyangzhuang No. 5" — were selected. They were rated as excellent strains in the provincial walnut selection and promotion program and were included in the "Chinese Fruit Trees Record – Walnut Volume." A walnut selection and final selection nursery was also established in the county. Grafting and cultivation practices have proven that Gaogezhuang No. 4 and Dongyangzhuang No. 5 possess traits such as early fruiting, high yield, strong resistance, and excellent quality. In terms of nut quality, these two strains outperform others with larger fruit size (average single nut weight over 15 grams), higher protein and fat content (protein content above 17%, fat content above 65%). Currently, relevant data on these two strains is being collected, and applications for variety approval are being submitted to relevant authorities. They have been tentatively named "Shimen No. 1" and "Shimen No. 2." In addition to managing the original parent trees, the county has also established a scion orchard of 100 mu to support future seedling propagation. Furthermore, we have introduced eight varieties from other regions, including Liaohan No. 1, to enrich the local walnut resources.

　　 Since the 1990s, walnut variety cultivation has been promoted in Lulong as a key measure to improve quality. Currently, most core members of the association have mastered new grafting techniques, and three specialized seedling breeding bases have been established. These bases produce 200,000 seedlings annually, enabling the construction of standardized walnut bases. The county has newly developed 150,000 mu of walnut plantations, yielding 1,000 tons of walnuts annually, and the walnut base has begun to take shape in scale.

　　 In recent years, through collaboration with the Beijing Food Research Institute and other relevant departments, the association has actively developed a series of Shimen Walnut-based products. Walnut milk and walnut canned goods have been successfully trial-produced by Daohu Qinhuangdao Juice Co., Ltd. and Qinhuangdao Huaxin Food Co., Ltd., respectively. This lays a solid foundation for better developing Shimen Walnut resources and promoting the formation of a walnut industry.

　　 I love the walnuts from our Lulong — thin-skinned, plump-kernelled, and richly aromatic. I highly recommend everyone to buy and try them. Welcome to visit our Lulong County anytime !