Waiting for the strawberry season in Cam Mountain.

At this time of year, the rains have visited Mount Cam (An Hao commune, Tinh Bien town), bringing with them the anticipation of gardeners and tourists for the new fruit season. Among them, the strawberry season at Mount Cam has become a distinctive feature of the "roof of the Mekong Delta," with its simple yet poetic beauty rarely found elsewhere.

Having been associated with Thien Cam Mountain for many years, I am still captivated by its unique characteristics. Besides the sacred legends and the bustling crowds during the pilgrimage months, Mount Cam also boasts a distinctive beauty during the rainy season, with the busy activity of gardeners as the fruit season arrives, especially the strawberry season.

Luckily, I have a few friends in Cam Mountain, and I always have enjoyable trips there. They may not be wealthy in material possessions, but their hearts are always open! Using their "specialized" vehicles, they take me along all the major and minor roads in Cam Mountain. We climb Thien Tue peak or head straight towards Bo Hong peak, and everywhere we go, we see lush green orchards. These orchards, after each rain, change their leaves, absorbing the mountain soil and offering the world a season of delightful fruits.

During my visit to Mr. Tran Hoang Anh's strawberry farm (residing in Vo Dau hamlet, An Hao commune), I was extremely impressed by the beauty and abundance of this plant. Having settled on Cam Mountain for over 40 years, this farmer has cultivated many types of crops, but is currently investing in strawberries and durian. He said that strawberries have long been considered a specialty crop of Cam Mountain. Regarding the origin of the strawberry plant, he doesn't know for sure, only that Cam Mountain originally had a wild strawberry variety, which the mountain dwellers brought down to cultivate for pleasure. Gradually, people brought grafted strawberry varieties from the lowlands to improve quality and yield, expanding the cultivation area to its current size.

Mulberry trees bear abundant fruit during the rainy season.

Over generations, the strawberry gardens have undergone changes in both area and quality. In terms of varieties, the gardens in Cam Mountain mainly cultivate Cam Mountain green strawberries, Gia Bao green strawberries, Ha Chau strawberries, and bon bon strawberries. Among these, Gia Bao green strawberries and bon bon strawberries are the most widely grown due to their delicious taste and high yield.

Standing in Mr. Tran Hoang Anh's mulberry orchard, I was somewhat overwhelmed. Amidst the lush green of the mountains and forests, clusters of ripe mulberries swayed, inviting the hands of harvesters. Each mulberry tree, in season, seemed to be bending under the weight of nurturing hundreds, even thousands, of "children." According to the orchard owner, a mulberry tree about 10 years old can yield 200-300 kg of fruit each season, providing a considerable income. If the price fluctuates between 6,000 and 7,000 VND/kg, it could bring in over 100 million VND per year for the orchard owner.

Standing under the strawberry bushes and looking up, all I could see were strawberries everywhere. Quickly picking a strawberry, I peeled it and put it in my mouth, savoring the characteristic sweet and sour taste of these rambutan strawberries. For someone like me who doesn't usually like sour things, these strawberries were quite palatable.

My friend revealed that Gia Bao green strawberries and bon bon strawberries, with their balanced sweet and sour taste, are always popular. Meanwhile, the Ha Chau strawberry variety is now quite rare due to lower-than-expected yields. Connoisseurs seek out the Cam Mountain green strawberries for their traditional flavor, a taste that has been a part of the lives of the mountain dwellers for many years. However, due to market demand, the area dedicated to Cam Mountain green strawberries is gradually decreasing, replaced by higher-yielding varieties.

If you visit Mount Cam during the strawberry season, you'll be impressed by the bustling "specialized" vehicles transporting strawberries to the wholesalers for weighing. At the wholesalers, you'll be even more delighted by the towering piles of strawberries. They are sorted, bagged, and then loaded onto trucks for transport to various provinces...

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one realize that the strawberry season, with its abundant fruit, can also be developed into an agricultural tourism product. Photography enthusiasts have also created many beautiful photos of the strawberry season in Cam Mountain, providing viewers with unique visual experiences. Mr. Tran Hoang Anh also stated that he intends to develop more eco-tourism activities linked to strawberry and durian orchards. However, he needs time to prepare the necessary conditions before he can realize this idea.

At this time, my friends on Mount Cam say that the strawberry season is just beginning, and it will be more than a month before the fruit ripens. Then, the strawberry gardens on Mount Cam will transform again to repay those who have tended them year-round. As for me, I am still eagerly awaiting my return to Mount Cam during the rainy season, to wander amidst the swaying strawberry gardens laden with fruit, and to once again savor the distinctive sweet and sour taste, a crystallization of the soil of the majestic Thien Cam Son mountain.

The strawberry season on Mount Cam begins in May and ends at the end of June each year. With its distinctive flavor and rustic yet unique beauty, the strawberry season on Mount Cam can become a seasonal tourism product, helping to increase income for farmers.

MINH QUAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/cho-mua-dau-nui-cam-a418921.html