为什么松子这么贵？| 昂贵之谜：英语精读讲义

In the remote forests of northeastern China,

在中国东北偏远的森林里，

local harvesters climb trees as high as 100 ft to reach this region's most valuable product, 語法

当地采摘工要爬上高达100英尺的树，才能采到这一地区最珍贵的物产——

pine nuts.

松子。

The job is dangerous,

这份工作很危险，

but the reward is high for people willing to risk their lives. 短語搭配

但对于愿意冒生命危险的人来说，回报也很丰厚。

In the US,

在美国，

pine nuts, which are actually seeds,

松子其实是种子，

can sell for upwards of $117 a kilogram. 用詞

每公斤售价可超过117美元。

Compare that to the price of pistachios, 表達脈絡

相比之下，开心果

which can sell for about $39 a kilogram.

每公斤的售价约为39美元。

So, what makes pine nuts so special? 語法

那么，松子究竟有什么特别之处？

And why are they so expensive?

为什么这么贵？

Around the world,

在世界各地，

there are 30 species of pine trees that produce edible seeds,

能结出可食用种子的松树有30种，

yet only a handful are sold commercially. 習語

但只有少数几个品种进行商业销售。

Like Korean pine,

比如红松，

which grows here in northeastern China.

它就生长在中国东北。

It needs specific conditions to grow.

它需要特定的生长条件。

And unlike almonds and pecans, 表達脈絡

松子与杏仁和碧根果不同，

which can be commercially grown on orchards and plantations,

后两者可以在果园和种植园进行商业化种植，

most pine nuts come from natural forests.

而大多数松子都来自天然森林。

The trees need to grow for at least 25 to 50 years

松树至少需要生长25到50年，

before they bear cones and seeds. 用詞

才会结出松塔和种子。

Even after all this time,

即使等了这么久，

individual trees will only be ripe for picking once every 2 years. 短語搭配

每棵树也只能每两年采收一次。

When the time comes, 短語搭配

到了采收季，

local harvesters make their way into the forest 短語搭配

当地采摘工会进入森林，

to do the most dangerous part of the job

去做这份工作中最危险的部分，

the moment they arrive,

他们一到那里，

scaling those 100-ft trees to reach the cones and seeds. 用詞

就会爬上那些100英尺高的树，采摘松塔和种子。

Those who are willing climb 20 to 30 trees each day,

愿意干这活的人每天要爬20到30棵树，

armed with long poles and spikes attached to their boots, 用詞

带着长杆，靴子上还绑着脚刺，

which they use to knock the cones to the forest floor.

用这些工具把松塔打落到林地上。

Because of the risk 語法

由于风险很高，

and because this job can't be done by machines,

而且这项工作无法由机器完成，

processors must also pay for accident insurance.

加工商还必须购买意外保险。

It costs about 900 yuan,

保险费用约为900元，

or $139 per worker each month.

也就是每名工人每月139美元。

And insurance costs get even more expensive

而保险费用还会更高，

for harvesting companies when paying for workers by the day. 短語搭配

尤其是采收公司按天给工人付工资时。

Now climbing up the mountain

现在上山

to get pine cones is done manually.

采松塔都得靠人工。

We used to hire a truck to pull them for 500 yuan, 語法

以前雇辆车来拉要500元，

now it's 800.

现在要800元。

Manpower used to be 300, 400,

人工以前是300、400元，

now it's up to 900 up to the highest point.

现在最高处已经涨到900元。

Another unpredictable element of harvesting pine nuts

采收松子的另一个不可预测因素，

is just how much time harvesters have to collect the pine cones each season. 語法

是采摘工每一季究竟有多少时间可以采松塔。

For example,

例如，

the Korean pine season typically starts on September 1st

红松采收季通常从9月1日开始，

and can last as long as 2 months 語法

最长可以持续两个月，

or be as short as 20 days.

最短却只有20天。

This brief window of time 習語

采收期如此短暂，

means laborers have to collect as many cones as possible 語法

意味着工人必须尽可能多地采集松塔，

into their large burlap sacks.

装进他们的大麻布袋里。

On average,

平均来说，

they can fill 4 to 6 bags a day,

他们每天能装满4到6袋，

with a single sack often weighing as much as 142 lb.

一袋往往重达142磅。

They get paid by processors in two ways.

加工商通过两种方式给他们付钱。

First, 表達脈絡

第一，

they earn a day rate, 用詞

他们会拿到日薪，

which is around $123 a day.

每天约123美元。

And second,

第二，

they get paid by how much they harvest. 短語搭配

按采收量计酬。

As of September 2021, 短語搭配

截至2021年9月，

a processor will pay $720 for four full bags of cones.

加工商会为四袋装得满满的松塔支付720美元。

These bags then go to a processing facility

这些袋子随后会被运到加工厂，

where the cones are opened and crushed 語法

松塔会在那里被打开、碾碎，

to reveal the pine nut shells inside.

露出里面带壳的松子。

Cones that are sold to processors

卖给加工商的松塔

often come in green and unripened

往往还是青的，尚未成熟，

and need additional processing.

因此需要进一步处理。

If it's early on,

如果采得比较早，

because this is too light,

因为这个太轻，

it hasn't opened

它还没有张开，

yet. It has to be let to ferment

就得先让它发酵，

with a cloth to let it heat up.

用布盖起来，让它升温。

It will open up like this.

它就会像这样张开。

It's easier to work with the machine that I just bought.

用我刚买的这台机器处理起来更轻松。

On September 1st,

到了9月1日，

I have to wait until the 15th or the 10th

我要等到15号或10号

to work with them.

才能处理。

But after the 15th of September,

但到了9月15日以后，

it's not necessary to do

就没必要

that. I can work with them the same day.

这么做了，当天就能处理。

Knowing exactly when a pine cone needs to be threshed 講解

准确判断松塔何时需要脱粒，

is an important part of the process,

是整个流程中的重要一环，

as it can determine the quality of the seeds inside

因为这会决定里面种子的品质，

and ultimately the final price they can be sold for. 語法

最终也会影响它们的售价。

If you don't process them quickly,

如果不尽快处理，

they will ferment and go bad. 短語搭配

它们就会发酵变质。

It will affect the color of the pine nuts,

这会影响松子的颜色，

and the quality and the taste.

也会影响品质和口感。

But we will process them quickly

但我们会尽快处理，

and not let them sit for too long. 語法

不会把它们放太久。

It's only after the pine cone scales are opened 語法

只有等松塔的鳞片张开后，

that the pine nuts can be extracted.

才能取出松子。

And even then, 表達脈絡

即便如此，

the cones don't yield many seeds. 用詞

每个松塔里的种子也不多。

A single pine cone can produce 2 kg on average.

一个松塔平均能产出2公斤。

So,

所以，

some of them can weigh 1 kg.

有些松塔能重达1公斤。

This means that 250 kg of pine cones 表達脈絡

也就是说，250公斤松塔

yields only 50 kg of pine nuts.

只能产出50公斤松子。

Because a majority of pine trees grow in natural forests,

由于大多数松树生长在天然森林中，

there are large variations in the yield from year to year. 短語搭配

每年的产量差异很大。

This causes demand to often outweigh supply, 用詞

这使得需求经常超过供应，

driving the overall price of pine nuts up. 短語動詞

从而推高松子的整体价格。

But the price of each pine nut

不过，每颗松子的价格

also depends on its size.

还取决于它的大小。

It's 28 to 30 for big ones,

大粒的是28到30，

30 to 32 for big ones.

大粒的是30到32。

$5 to $6.

5到6美元。

That's a big difference,

差价很大，

because the high-end stuff is still more valuable. 用詞

因为高端货还是更值钱。

Once processed, 語法

加工完成后，

some seeds are sold as they are now,

有些种子会以现在这种样子出售，

in their shells.

也就是保留外壳。

Others are sold

另一些则

as the white nuts you see in dishes like pesto.

作为你在青酱等菜肴中看到的白色果仁出售。

They are the same nuts,

它们其实是同一种果仁，

just with the outer shell removed. 語法

只是去掉了外壳。

The two largest producers of pine nuts

全球最大的两个松子产区

are East Asia and the Mediterranean.

是东亚和地中海地区。

Korean pine,

红松

which is the most common species to grow in China,

是中国最常见的松树品种，

makes up 59% of the world's global supply. 短語動詞

占全球松子供应量的59%。

By 2025,

到2025年，

the pine nut market is expected to grow by $332 million. 語法

松子市场预计将增长3.32亿美元。

And with a growing demand for foods like pesto and hummus, 語法

随着人们对青酱和鹰嘴豆泥等食品的需求不断增长，

it's likely that the price you pay for pine nuts 語法

你购买松子时支付的价格

will only continue to rise.

很可能只会继续上涨。