From the beginning of July until now, the sim fruit, which was originally apricot-yellow, has completely turned a deep purple, becoming plump and juicy. This is the time when many people in Thach Ha district ( Ha Tinh province ) gather to go to the forest to harvest this "forest bounty".
As usual, these days, people in Thach Xuan, Ngoc Son, and Thach Ngoc communes (Thach Ha district) gather on the hills near their homes to pick ripe sim fruit.
Ms. Hai carefully examined each leaf to find ripe sim fruit.
To harvest a large quantity of wild berries, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai (from Thach Xuan commune) goes up the hill at dawn. “Around 4:30 a.m., we start going up the hill. Wild berries usually ripen in the morning, so I bring gloves and sacks to harvest them. The wild berry season usually lasts for three months (from July to September), and during that time, by harvesting and selling them at the markets, we earn a decent income,” Ms. Hai shared.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Hoai Thuong (from Viet Tien commune) "goes to great lengths" to ride her motorbike more than 6 km from her home to the myrtle hill in Ngoc Son commune to pick "forest bounty". During one myrtle season, she earns around 7 million VND.
"We usually divide ourselves into groups of 3-5 people. On slow days, each person picks 3-5 kg, on busy days, it's a whole 10 kg. After harvesting, we sell it to traders for about 25,000 VND/kg. Picking sim fruit is somewhat strenuous because you have to move around in high mountainous areas, but with hard work, you can earn a decent amount of money," Ms. Thuong shared.
It is known that the sim fruit in the Thach Ha tea-growing region usually grows naturally on barren hills or under the canopy of eucalyptus and melaleuca trees. The tree bears ripe fruit from the end of June to the end of September. Ripe fruit is dark purple, intensely sweet with a slightly astringent taste, and contains many small seeds.
Wild sim fruit is small, about the size of a fingertip, turning pinkish-purple when ripe, then darkening to black.
Nguyen Van Nam (from Luu Vinh Son commune), who has been involved in the profession of picking and selling wild berries on the hills for many years, said: "Although it's called harvesting products from natural plants, berry pickers must be familiar with the terrain and topography to know where the berries grow well, producing large, beautiful fruits, in order to harvest a lot and sell them at a high price. Large, juicy berries usually grow in moist, loose soil. Especially, if it rains in the evening, many of the berries will ripen by the next morning," Nam explained.
Picking wild berries requires experience and familiarity with the terrain to find areas with large, juicy fruits.
According to many locals, picking wild berries at dawn yields more ripe fruit but also carries risks. At this time, swarms of wasps often build their nests under the mounds of earth near the base of the berries, and some people who are not careful and accidentally step on the nests will be chased and bitten.
To avoid accidents, if the person ahead spots a beehive, they will break off a eucalyptus branch to cover it or mark the spot so that those behind them don't step on it. The sim fruit is quite small, and it also requires keen eyesight to spot it.
People usually go to pick wild berries in groups of 3-5 people.
The process of picking wild berries can last all day, but it's usually concentrated in the morning, especially during the recent peak of hot weather when temperatures reached 39 degrees Celsius. Therefore, many locals often go picking wild berries from 4 am to 5 am, finishing at 8 am the same day.
Harvesting early in the morning helps people avoid the sun, protecting their health, and also gives them time to do more housework and farm work.
In recent years, the demand for wild sim fruit among the population has increased sharply.
On average, each person can pick 5-7 kg of sim fruit per day. Currently, with sim fruit prices ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 VND/kg, each person can earn from 125,000 to nearly 250,000 VND per day. During each sim fruit season, their income ranges from 5 to 7 million VND per person.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the sim fruit has a sweet and astringent taste, and a neutral nature. It promotes blood circulation, stops bleeding, nourishes the blood, and activates the meridians. It is often used in cases of physical weakness, anemia due to blood loss, anemia during pregnancy; weakness and fatigue after illness, nervous exhaustion, tinnitus, and nocturnal emissions. Due to its beneficial properties, the demand for wild sim fruit is always high, and it is often used to make wine, syrup, and sim tea. | |
Ripe sim berries are bought by customers to soak in alcohol, make syrup, or dry and brew as a tea.
Based on actual harvesting practices, in communes such as Thach Xuan, Ngoc Son, and Thach Ngoc, each commune has 3-4 agents specializing in purchasing fresh sim fruit. After harvesting, the locals deliver the fruit to these agents, who then sort and classify it before distributing it to markets in the northern and southern provinces.
Mr. Nguyen Hai Tho, a dealer specializing in purchasing wild berries in Ngoc Son commune, said: “During the wild berry season, we buy up as much as people bring in. At peak times, we sometimes buy up to tons a day. Currently, it's the beginning of the season, and most of the fruit is still unripe and green, but we expect that in the next few weeks, the wild berries will ripen in abundance, and the supply will be plentiful and of high quality. Traders are buying wild berries at high prices, ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 VND/kg.”
Over the past ten years or so, the sim fruit has become a commodity, bought by traders at high prices, leading to an increasing number of people harvesting it. During the sim fruit season, people go to the hills to pick sim, providing a decent income and improving their family's living standards. Recognizing the economic value of this wild fruit, many people in the district have now proposed plans to cultivate, protect, and sustainably harvest sim trees.
Mr. Tran Xuan Hoa
Chairman of the Thach Ha District Farmers' Association
Cam Hoa
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