Xieren village, Jinfeng town, in Zhangjiagang – a county-level city administrated by Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province – has welcomed the harvest time for gorgon fruit, also known as jitoumi or qianshi in Chinese.

The "fruit" of the annual aquatic plant, that is a type of water lily, is a seed that is used in cooking and is believed to have medicinal benefits.

Farmers pick the kernels of the gorgon plants. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

As an aquatic delicacy harvested from early August to late October, the gorgon fruit is an ideal snack for autumn.

A field of 90 mu (6 hectares) can yield about 650 kilograms of gorgon fruit buds every day. Each bud could produce about 80-100 individual seeds. Some 50 kg of buds can produce 5-6 kg of gorgon fruit, according to Shi Hongjiang, a 43-year-old grower in Zhangjiagang.

You can buy fresh gorgon fruit kernels from street vendors and the round, soft and chewy ones are reputedly the best for cooking.

The classic dish is gorgon fruit soup – the quick-boiled ones are tasty – with some rock candy and osmanthus for extra flavor. It is also recommended to cook the dish with lotus seeds and Chinese yams, which is said to have a wide range of benefits for the body.