Ripe plum season

The clusters of ripe, shiny black myrtle flowers hang heavy on the branches.

Seeing the trays and baskets of ripe star apples for sale, so many of my childhood memories suddenly came flooding back.

In my neighborhood, there was only one star apple tree, no one knew when it had been there. The tree trunk was tall and big, with rough bark. The season when the star apples were ripe was also the time when we kids had summer vacation. On days when we didn’t have school, we would climb up to pick the star apples, then share the sweet ripe fruits.

Myrtle is a woody plant with many branches, growing and developing naturally, bearing fruit after a few years. Usually, the Myrtle tree blooms in early summer, the flowers form clusters, dense white flowers, with a faint fragrance.

Over time, those flower clusters are replaced by clusters of young green fruit. The fruit is oval, as big as a fingertip, green when young, when ripe the fruit changes color from green to red, purple, black.

Full, ripe star apples are sold along the road.

Under the summer sun, the star fruit ripens quickly. Standing from afar, you can see the dense clusters of star fruit hanging heavy on the tree, shiny black and plump.

The ripening season of star apple is from May to July. If you want to pick star apples from short trees, you just need to climb up and pick each bunch. Ripe star apples fall easily. For tall trees, you can stretch a net under the base and then climb up and shake the branches to enjoy the ripe star apples.

When ripe, the star fruit is shiny black, plump, and juicy. The blacker the fruit, the sweeter it is. Freshly picked star fruit has a sweet taste mixed with a slightly sour taste and a mild aroma.

Many people like to eat plums with salt and chili for more flavor. A little sweet and sour, a little astringent taste mixed with salty and spicy salt and chili, soaking in the mouth, smelling on the tip of the tongue, the more you eat, the more addicted you become.

Ripe star fruit eaten with salt and chili has an unforgettable taste.

Star apples are not rare now. In recent years, star apples are more expensive than before, from 50,000 - 90,000 VND/kg and are sought after by many people; bringing in a good income for many families.

Star apple is sold at Tac Rang market, Rach Gia city ( Kien Giang ).

Each year, the star apple only bears fruit once. When the star apple is ripe, many people buy it to enjoy the sweet, slightly sour, and slightly astringent taste of the star apple, which is part of the flavor of childhood memories.

Article and photos: TIEU DIEN

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