Muong region's rose apples are in season.

Every July, when the golden sunlight pours like honey on the hillsides, clusters of persimmons ripen. While many fruits come in season during summer, the persimmons from Dong Giang village, Ky Son ward, nestled beside the cool, fragrant Bai Chau banana trees, are renowned for their distinctive flavor and are considered the "persimmon capital" of the Muong region.

The season of ripe, juicy rose apples is bustling.

Clusters of ripe rose apples in Dong Giang village, Ky Son ward.

In late July, Dong Giang village was more bustling than usual. Throughout the hillsides and gardens, clusters of plump, ripe persimmons hung heavily on the trees, being harvested by the villagers and filling baskets. Trucks parked in front of the entrances, and customers eagerly loaded baskets of fruit, filling the cargo beds.

Ms. Bui Thi Nhung gently arranges the freshly picked bunches of rosehips into baskets to deliver to customers who have placed orders.

At the edge of the village, the persimmon orchard of Ms. Bui Thi Nhung's family is lush and laden with fruit beside their traditional stilt house. Gently arranging bunches of persimmons into baskets, Ms. Nhung recounted: “My family has 30 persimmon trees, most of them growing naturally. Some I've seen since I was a child, now hundreds of years old. Because they don't require any cultivation, the persimmons here are completely clean and safe. When harvesting, we need to be gentle so the fruit doesn't get bruised and stays fresh. During the harvest at the end of July alone, my sister and I collected 120 kg of fruit, and customers came directly to our house to place orders.”

Baskets of persimmons displayed for sale along National Highway 6, in the section passing through Dong Giang hamlet, attract passersby.

Along National Highway 6, passing through the hamlet, the ripening season of the persimmon always attracts passersby with trays and baskets of golden-yellow and dark brown persimmons sold by the villagers of Dong Giang. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom harvests persimmons from her family's and neighbors' trees every season and sells them right by the roadside. "I only sell persimmons during the season. On a good day, I sell about 70kg, priced from 20,000 to 35,000 VND/kg. Some trees have large, fully ripe, dark brown fruits, priced at 45,000 VND/kg, but even then, I can't keep up with customer demand," Ms. Thom said.

The clusters of ripe, dark, sweet, and fragrant rose apples are a favorite among customers.

The distinctive flavor of Dong Giang rose apples.

To demonstrate the purity and unique characteristics of Dong Giang persimmons, especially the top-grade ones, Ms. Thom invited guests to taste them with the peel on. Indeed, the persimmons here have a subtly sweet taste, thick flesh, few seeds, and thin skin. Chewing the peel releases a slightly tangy flavor and a fragrant aroma of essential oils throughout the palate.

Mr. Phan Trong Tan regularly buys persimmons to eat and give as gifts whenever he passes through Dong Giang village.

Many passersby have become regular customers of this region's persimmons. Phan Trong Tan, a truck driver on National Highway 6, shared: "Almost every time I pass through Dong Giang, I stop to buy persimmons for my family and friends. They're only available during the harvest season, so I take advantage of the opportunity to buy these delicious, clean fruits from the local people, both for myself and as gifts."

Ms. Tran Thi Chit packed boxes of pink envelopes to send to customers in Hanoi who had placed orders.

Many customers in Hanoi and some neighboring provinces have become "addicted" to Muong persimmons. Therefore, people like Ms. Tran Thi Chit buy them from local farmers to ship, several hundred kilograms at a time. And families like Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, with 29 persimmon trees in her garden, harvest over 100 kilograms of fruit each time, providing them with additional income to support their lives.

Candied rosehip fruit is made from fresh, delicious, and appealing rosehips.

Not only delicious, the loquat fruit has long been considered a medicinal herb by the Muong people. They often soak the fruit in honey to treat coughs and sore throats, or use it to treat common ailments such as indigestion and colds. Nowadays, many people, like Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom, also make loquat jam and syrup. Coming home from the sun and enjoying a refreshing sip of loquat tea or savoring a piece of chewy jam with its subtle essential oil aroma is truly invigorating, forgetting all fatigue.

A simple fruit with the hope of reaching far.

The rose apple trees in Dong Giang, Ky Son ward, are in their fruiting season.

The rose apple is a familiar, rustic woody plant found in many places in the former Hoa Binh province, but it is most famous in the Ky Son region, particularly in the hamlets of Ao Trach, Deinh, and especially Dong Giang. Because of its reputation, many people have taken seeds from Dong Giang to plant elsewhere, but the apples don't taste as fragrant and delicious as those grown there. Perhaps it is the climate and soil that give it its distinctive flavor.

Even the small rose apple tree has produced clusters of berries.

Previously, the rose apple tree grew wild on hills and in gardens; the local Muong people often called it "nhâm fruit" or "voòng fruit." Having been associated with the people for generations, this tree is resilient and rarely suffers from pests and diseases, so it requires little investment in care. Because it's a case of "easy work, easy profit," many families cultivate it extensively from seedlings grown from seeds. In Dong Giang, it's easy to see rose apple trees on hills, in gardens, along streams, and now some households even plant them in rice fields for a precarious crop.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, head of Dong Giang hamlet, pointed to a rose apple tree in his garden and introduced: "The hamlet has 170 households, mostly Muong people. Every house has rose apple trees, some with a few, others with 30-40. Rose apples have brought a significant source of income to the people. However, we mainly only harvest the fresh fruit, which can be preserved for a few days."

Persimmon peel has always been a favorite treat for young people in Dong Giang village.

Elderly people like Mr. Bui Van Kieu still tell their grandchildren stories about a difficult time when candy and cakes were scarce, and the only treat for children in the village was the loquat fruit. When they coughed or were sick, this simple fruit served as medicine. Adults, returning from working in the sun, would sit under the shade of a tree, listening to the birds chirping and picking loquats to enjoy, feeling peaceful. Today, loquat remains a part of the people's lives, simple yet providing economic benefits.

Trucks carrying Muong rosewood are traveling to all corners of the country.

With its distinctive quality and flavor, along with the age-old stories passed down from the native persimmon tree, local people hope to develop the persimmon growing area to elevate the product and build a brand. This is a story not far-fetched if properly planned and supported. For generations, the Muong people of Dong Giang, Ky Son have maintained the simplicity, naturalness, and sincerity in every delicious, safe persimmon delivered to customers.

Cam Le

Source: https://baophutho.vn/hong-bi-xu-muong-vao-mua-qua-mong-236863.htm