Remember the season of kumquat

Childhood gift

Rose apple is a small tree. Normally, each tree is only 3-5 meters high, the largest tree is only 8-10 meters. With strong growth, rose apple is not only drought-resistant, water-resistant but also has very good resistance to pests and diseases.

The rose apple tree has a wide canopy, contributing to creating a cool green space. That is probably why people in my hometown often choose the rose apple tree to plant in their home gardens.

Interestingly, from the initial purpose of providing shade, later becoming a fruit tree, the rose apple tree gradually became a source of income to improve the family economy .

For the children in the countryside, kumquat is a gift reserved for childhood. Every summer, we put aside our studies and leisurely stroll around the small alleys throughout the village, looking around and waiting for each kumquat tree to bear fruit.

We were stunned to see the green oval leaves, with a few white flowers growing in sparse clusters at the top, attracting all kinds of butterflies to flutter around.

The children's excitement lasts from when the fruit clusters are still as young as green beans, until they turn golden like drops of honey. When the outer skin of the fruit turns dark brown, it is also the time when it is at its ripest.

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

When the required quantity was harvested, the whole family would tie them into bunches, add some fresh green leaves, and then my mother would take them to the market to sell the next morning. That was also a way for my mother to earn a little extra money to improve the family's meals.

Medicine

Not only is it a clean and healthy fruit, kumquat is also a good folk medicine for both adults and children. Sometimes, when the children come home from the sun, they just pick a bunch of fruit to eat, it is both healthy and cooling, there is nothing better.

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... very well.

I remember the times when we had a cold or cough, my mother felt sorry for us so she went to the garden to pick a bunch of persimmons for us to eat, and that immediately stopped our persistent cough.

Or sometimes, when we had hiccups, my mother would take some ripe fruits, mash them with a little honey, then carefully steam them, mix them with water to drink, and the hiccups would go away completely.

Every season, my mother regularly collects the seeds, dries the shells, and saves them to make a decoction to drink to remove worms for my siblings and me. The mothers and sisters in my village sometimes boil the leaves of the rose apple to wash their hair, which not only cleans the scalp, treats dandruff, but also makes the hair smooth. No wonder when my mother or sister finishes washing their hair, the fragrance lingers all summer afternoon.

More meticulously, my mother also took the time to soak a few jars of kumquat wine for my grandparents on both sides to drink whenever they were tired or had a change in weather. My mother often said that kumquat wine is also used by many Eastern medicine practitioners to treat dizziness, lack of energy, tinnitus, etc. very effectively.

In the blink of an eye, we left our childhood behind, wandering in a foreign land. But the image of the kumquat trees of our hometown is still an unforgettable memory. Occasionally, when I have the chance to return to my hometown right at the time when the kumquat trees are ripe, I slowly walk around the trees, smelling the scent of ripe fruit wafting in the wind, and my heart is filled with a feeling of longing.

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