Bustling season of ripe persimmons
Ripe bunches of persimmons in Dong Giang village, Ky Son ward.
At the end of July, Dong Giang village was busier than usual. All over the hillsides and gardens, clusters of plump persimmons hanging from the trees were picked by the locals and filled up their baskets. Trucks parked in front of the alley, customers hurriedly loaded baskets of fruit into the cargo hold.
Ms. Bui Thi Nhung gently arranges each bunch of rose apples just picked from the tree into a basket to deliver to customers.
Right at the entrance of the village, the rose apple garden of Ms. Bui Thi Nhung's family is lush and full of branches next to the traditional stilt house. Gently arranging each bunch of rose apples in a basket, Ms. Nhung said: "My family has 30 rose apple trees, most of which grow naturally. Some of them I saw when I was a child, and are now hundreds of years old. Because they don't need to be fertilized, the rose apples here are completely clean and safe. When harvesting, you need to be gentle so that the fruit is not bruised and remains fresh and delicious. In the harvest at the end of July alone, my sister and I harvested 1.2 quintals of fruit, and customers came to our house to order."
Baskets of persimmons sold along Highway 6 through Dong Giang hamlet attract passersby.
On Highway 6 through the hamlet, the ripe persimmon season always attracts passersby with trays and baskets of golden, dark brown persimmons sold by Dong Giang villagers. Every season, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom picks persimmons from her family's trees and neighbors' trees to sell right on the roadside. "I only sell persimmons in season. On a good day, I can sell about 70kg, priced from 20-35 thousand VND/kg. There are trees with large, fully ripe, dark brown fruits priced at 45 thousand VND/kg, but that is not enough for customers to buy," said Ms. Thom.
The clusters of dark, sweet, ripe persimmons are popular with customers.
Characteristics of Dong Giang persimmon flavor
To demonstrate the purity and uniqueness of Dong Giang persimmons, especially the first-class ones, Ms. Thom invited guests to taste the peel. Indeed, the persimmons here have a sweet taste, thick flesh, few seeds, and thin peel. Chewing the peel has a slightly spicy taste, and the aroma of essential oils spreads throughout the palate.
Mr. Phan Trong Tan often buys persimmons to eat and as gifts every time he passes by Dong Giang village.
Many passersby have become “regular customers” of this local persimmon. Mr. Phan Trong Tan, a truck driver on Highway 6, shared: “Almost every time I pass through Dong Giang, I stop to buy persimmon for my family and friends. It’s only in season, so I take the opportunity to buy delicious, clean fruit from the locals, both to eat and as gifts.”
Ms. Tran Thi Chit packed boxes of red envelopes to send to customers in Hanoi .
Many customers in Hanoi and some neighboring provinces are “addicted” to Muong rose apples. Therefore, people like Mrs. Tran Thi Chit have bought from the locals to send goods, each time several quintals of fruit. And families like Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lien with 29 rose apple trees in the garden, each time harvesting more than 1 quintal of fruit, have extra income to cover their living expenses.
Rose apple jam is made from fresh, delicious and attractive fruits.
Not only delicious, rose apple has long been considered a medicinal herb by the Muong people. People often soak the fruit in honey to treat coughs, sore throats, or use it to treat some common diseases such as indigestion, colds, etc. Now, many people like Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom also make rose apple jam and syrup. Coming home from the sun and drinking a sip of cool rose apple tea, nibbling on a piece of chewy jam with a faint scent of essential oils is so refreshing, forgetting all fatigue.
The simple fruit hopes to reach far
Rose apple tree in Dong Giang, Ky Son ward is in fruiting season.
Hong bi is a familiar, rustic tree found in many places in the old Hoa Binh province, but the most famous is in the Ky Son area such as Ao Trach, Denh hamlets, especially Dong Giang hamlet. With its good reputation, many people have taken seeds from Dong Giang to plant elsewhere, but they are not as delicious as here. Perhaps it is the climate and soil that create the unique flavor.
The baby rose apple tree has also produced clusters of berries.
In the past, rose apples often grew wild on hills and in gardens. The local Muong people often called them "qua nham" or "qua voong". This tree has been associated with the people from generation to generation, it is resistant to pests and diseases, so it does not require much investment in care. "Play for fun and eat for real" so many families grow it from seedlings grown from seeds. Coming to Dong Giang, it is easy to see rose apples on hills, in gardens, along streams and now some households even bring it down to the fields for a precarious crop.
Dong Giang hamlet chief Nguyen Ngoc Tuan looked at the rose apple tree in his garden and introduced: “The hamlet has 170 households, mostly Muong people. Every house has rose apple trees, at least a few, at most 30-40. Rose apple trees have brought a significant source of income to the people. However, they mainly stop at harvesting fresh fruit, which can be preserved for a few days.”
Rose apples have always been a favorite gift of young people in Dong Giang village.
Elderly people like Mr. Bui Van Kieu still tell their children and grandchildren about a difficult time when there was no candy or cake, the only thing the village children had was persimmons as a childhood snack. When they coughed or were sick, they used that simple fruit as medicine. When adults came home from working in the sun, they would sit under the shade of a tree, listen to the birds chirping from branch to branch, and pick a bunch of persimmons to enjoy, feeling at peace. Today, persimmons are still associated with the people, simple but bringing economic efficiency.
Trucks carrying Muong rose apples go everywhere.
With the characteristics of quality and flavor, along with the stories passed down from the native rose apple tree, local people expect to develop rose apple growing areas to improve the product, and build a brand. That is not a far-fetched story if planned and supported in the right direction. For generations, the Muong people of Dong Giang, Ky Son have maintained the simplicity, naturalness, and sincerity in each delicious, safe rose apple delivered to customers.
Cam Le
Source: https://baophutho.vn/hong-bi-xu-muong-vao-mua-qua-mong-236863.htm
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