Hong Bao Ha - Sweetness on sacred land

Every year in the seventh lunar month, pilgrims flock to the Ong Hoang Bay Temple Festival in Bao Ha commune (Lao Cai province). It seems as if there's a sweet arrangement of heaven and earth, as this sacred time coincides with the peak harvest season for the local seedless persimmon orchards.

Locals often jokingly say that whenever the drums of the Ông Bảy Temple festival sound, the persimmons on the trees begin to turn yellow. The festive atmosphere permeates from the temple grounds to every garden, where the seedless, golden persimmons hang heavily on the branches, seemingly inviting visitors. This is the result of generations of cultivation by the local people; some persimmon trees have witnessed dozens of festival seasons.

Walking around his family's garden, which boasts dozens of ancient rose bushes, Mr. Pham Van Dien, from Lien Ha 6 village, Bao Ha commune, proudly said: "Since they started bearing fruit 30-40 years ago, there hasn't been a single year of crop failure. The older they get, the more fruit they produce, and we have to prop up the branches or they'll break. On average, they sell for 10,000 VND/kg, and some trees yield 4-5 quintals, equivalent to 4-5 million VND."

Ripe persimmons can be soaked in well water for 3-4 days to make pickled persimmons.

From the persimmon trees of our ancestors, seedless persimmons have now become the main crop of the locality, renowned as a "clean" natural product that requires almost no intervention from pesticides.

Regarding the special value of the local persimmon, Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Head of Lien Ha 6 village, affirmed: "This persimmon variety is very precious; it has mainly grown naturally until now. To be honest, sometimes it hasn't even received a drop of water for irrigation. Except for areas with flat land, where farmers add a little fertilizer, no pesticides are sprayed, yet the persimmons still bear abundant fruit."

It is thanks to this exceptional quality that the Bao Ha persimmon brand is increasingly recognized. The product has officially been awarded OCOP 3-star status, becoming a source of pride for the local people and a meaningful gift for tourists visiting Bao Ha.

According to Ms. Luc Thi Tuyen, an economic officer of the commune, the area of ​​native persimmon trees is currently about 300 hectares. In the past, persimmon trees were mainly grown and harvested by local people using traditional methods on hillsides, and the products supplied to the market were limited to ripe persimmons and unripe persimmons for soaking.

Bao Ha's ripe persimmons are also a delicious treat to offer guests.

"We will also apply new scientific advancements to improve the quality and yield of our products for farmers, aiming to create other products such as crispy dried persimmons, chewy dried persimmons, persimmon juice, etc., not just fresh persimmons as we do now," shared Ms. Luc Thi Tuyen.

Visiting Bao Ha these days, tourists not only get to immerse themselves in a unique cultural and spiritual atmosphere, but also have the opportunity to enjoy the sweet, crisp taste of freshly picked persimmons right from the orchards. These are gifts from nature and a testament to the generous spirit of the local people.

vov.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/hong-bao-ha-vi-ngot-tren-dat-thieng-post881937.html