Unique village growing giant squash

In a small coastal village in the central region, where three sides are mountains and one side faces the sea, there are squashes weighing up to 60-70 kg hanging from trellises. For the people here, these squashes are a part of life, of identity and the dream of making tourism from fields and gardens.

One pumpkin, many values

Bau Chanh Trach is a low-lying area located between Chanh Trach 1 and 2 villages, Phu My Dong commune, Gia Lai province. Legend has it that long ago, a giant carried two mountains to block the monster river. At this point, the carrying pole broke and the mountains fell down, creating an alluvial barrier. Since then, this land has become fertile, any plant can grow well, and from here, "strange flowers and rare plants" such as giant squash or three-month sticky rice have become the pride of the people here.

No one can explain why the squash in Chanh Trach can reach a weight of up to several dozen kilograms. Scientists believe that it is a combination of rare native genetic resources, special soil conditions such as a thick layer of alluvial soil, a well-drained sandy bottom, a temperate climate, light sea breezes and traditional farming techniques passed down through many generations. Therefore, in Chanh Trach, people do not call giant squash a specialty in the commercial sense. For them, it is a part of the village's memory, a crop that has been associated with many generations, an irreplaceable pride.

Mr. Le Ba Bien, who is known as the keeper of the village's squash soul, led us through his 500 m2 squash garden. Here, more than 200 squash vines are ready for harvest, each vine leaves only one fruit, which is the secret to helping the fruit develop to its maximum weight and quality. "Since my grandfather's time, I have been growing squash, but there is no secret to it, even though growing this squash is not easy, it is very "difficult"! First of all, you have to choose the variety very carefully, the soil must be loose, water on time, and fertilize with the right amount. Therefore, every day I go to the garden twice, early in the morning and cool in the afternoon, taking care of the plants like taking care of a child," Mr. Bien shared.

In other places, squash is a food, but in Chanh Trach, squash is a diverse ecosystem. People sell both the fruit and the squash shoots, squash vine juice, squash tea and sometimes the experience. The squash vine juice, collected drop by drop from the squash stem when harvested, is considered the essence of heaven and earth. Each liter of water costs 30-50 thousand VND but is always "out of stock" in the summer. The squash shoots are delicious boiled or stir-fried, the fruit is cooked into soup or dried to make tea. Thus, every part of the plant has value.

This year, with the garden price of about 10,000 VND/kg, Mr. Bien's family earned more than 6 tons of fruit, equivalent to tens of millions of VND. But for him, the greatest value is not in the money, but in preserving the precious breed that has been attached to this land for decades.

Agricultural products become tourism products

In recent years, the people of Chanh Trach 2 have come up with a way to do village tourism. Currently, the whole village has about 20 households growing giant squash, many of which have opened their gardens to welcome visitors for a fee of only 10,000 VND/person. Therefore, not only individual customers, but also many traders from other localities come to buy giant squash. Some people buy them to make drinks, others buy them to display, as a highlight for the culinary space.

Ms. Nguyen Thi To Tran, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province, said that although Phu My Dong squash village does not meet the criteria to be recognized as a traditional craft village, it still has its own values. With people shifting to experience tourism in craft villages, this can be considered a creative, effective and sustainable direction. They do not need a title, but need recognition from tourists and the market.

In the current era of technology and strong urbanization, the giant squash village in Chanh Trach still retains its own rustic, simple and peaceful appearance. It is not only a place to grow “giant” squashes but also a place to nurture dreams. And perhaps, from those heavy squashes, a green dream is growing, that is the dream of a village that can live on agricultural products, on community tourism and on love for the land.

Mr. Bien said that he had sold seeds to many people in other provinces, but when he brought them home to plant, the fruits only reached a maximum of 30 kg. The climate with lots of sunshine, light winds, and little frost created “unique” conditions for this squash variety to grow.

Article and photos: Luong Tung

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/doc-dao-lang-trong-bi-dao-khong-lo-386789.html