Remember the season of kumquats and red dates.

A childhood treat

The Chinese quince is a small woody plant. Typically, each tree is only 3-5 meters tall, with the largest reaching only 8-10 meters. With its vigorous growth, the Chinese quince is not only drought-tolerant and waterlogged but also highly resistant to pests and diseases.

The Chinese quince tree has a wide canopy, contributing to a cool, green space. That's probably why people in my hometown often choose to plant Chinese quince trees in their gardens.

Interestingly, what started as a shade tree later became a fruit tree, and the rose apple tree gradually became a source of income that improved the family's economic situation .

For country children, kumquats are a special treat of childhood. Every summer, we would put aside our studies and leisurely stroll through the small alleys of the village, looking around and waiting for each kumquat tree to bear fruit.

We gazed in wonder at the lush green oval-shaped leaves, with a few white flowers scattered sparsely at the top, attracting countless butterflies fluttering about.

The children's excitement lasts from the time the fruit is still small, like green peas, until it turns golden like drops of honey. When the outer skin of the fruit turns dark brown, that's when it's ripest.

Children would accompany their parents to the garden to pick kumquats. My father nimbly climbed the tree, skillfully using a stick with an iron hook to pull down clusters of kumquats from the very top. After picking them, he would slowly lower them to the base of the tree, where my mother and I were waiting.

Once they had harvested enough, the whole family would sit down and tie them into bunches, adding a few fresh green leaves, so that my mother could take them to the market the next morning to sell. That was also a way for my mother to earn a little extra money to improve the family's meals.

Medicinal ingredients

Not only is it a clean and healthy fruit, but kumquat is also a good folk remedy for both adults and children. Occasionally, when children come home from being out in the sun, they can just pick a bunch of fruit to eat, which is both invigorating and refreshing – nothing beats it.

The most interesting thing is that all parts of the kumquat tree (leaves, fruit, seeds) can be used to make medicine to treat colds, reduce fever, loosen phlegm, stimulate digestion, etc., very effectively.

I remember the times we had colds and coughs; Mom felt sorry for us, so she went to the garden and picked a bunch of loquats for us to eat, and that immediately stopped our persistent coughs.

Or sometimes, when we got hiccups, my mother would take some ripe fruits, mash them with a little honey, then carefully steam them, mix the resulting liquid with water, and drink it—and the hiccups would disappear completely.

Every season, my mother would regularly collect the seeds and peels of the loquat tree, drying them to use in a decoction to treat worms for my siblings and me. The mothers and sisters in my village would occasionally boil loquat leaves to make a hair wash, which cleansed the scalp, treated dandruff, and made hair very smooth. No wonder the scent of loquats lingered throughout the summer afternoons after my mother or sister finished washing their hair.

More meticulously, my mother also made several jars of kumquat wine for both sets of grandparents to drink whenever they felt tired or unwell due to changes in weather. My mother often said that many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners use kumquats to treat dizziness, lack of energy, tinnitus, etc., very effectively.

In the blink of an eye, we left our childhood behind, wandering in foreign lands. But the image of the kumquat trees of our homeland remains an unforgettable memory. Occasionally, when I have the chance to return home during the peak kumquat season, strolling slowly around the trees, inhaling the faint scent of ripe fruit in the breeze, my heart is filled with a poignant longing.

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