Clip: Farmers in Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province harvest seedless persimmons – a specialty fruit. This land also has ancient trees – seedless persimmons nearly 100 years old.
Seedless persimmon tree nearly 100 years old in Bao Ha
We went to Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district, a land considered the capital of ancient seedless roses in Lao Cai province, with rosewood trees that are nearly a hundred years old.
These days people are busy picking seedless persimmons from the trees.
August and September are the peak season for persimmon harvest. This year, the weather is favorable, so in many villages of Bao Ha commune, the fruit is abundant, ripe, and sweet.
From the first ancient seedless persimmon trees, the area of seedless persimmon trees in Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district (Lao Cai) is increasingly expanding. Photo: Spring.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, nearly 60 years old, from Lien Ha 5 village, Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district, said: I have been married in this village for more than 35 years.
Since I came here, there has been a tall seedless persimmon tree standing behind this house. From this ancient seedless persimmon tree, my family has multiplied it into many trees to plant.
Currently, my family has more than 100 seedless rose bushes, of which more than 20 are 35-90 years old. With such large rose bushes, they produce a lot of fruit, each tree must yield 2-3 quintals of fruit/crop/year.
According to Ms. Thu, in recent years, seedless persimmons have become more popular with consumers, so the output is more stable, selling at a wholesale price of about 13,000 VND/kg; retail price from 20,000 VND/kg or more, especially during the Bao Ha Temple festival. Each crop, Ms. Thu will harvest about 3 tons of seedless ancient persimmons.
The ancient trees are seedless persimmon trees over 35 years old, tens of meters high in Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district (Lao Cai). Photo: Spring.
From the seedless ancient rose roots of Mrs. Thu’s family, many people inside and outside the village have gradually known and propagated them to grow.
Sharing about the technique of propagating and growing seedless persimmons, Ms. Thu said: When the seedless persimmon crop is finished harvesting in October and November, the tree will lose all its leaves, the roots will sprout about 20cm and then sprout. When the buds sprout in January, leave it for a year before separating and planting it in the soil, with a survival rate of 100%.
How to soak seedless persimmons
As one of the households that propagated seedless persimmon trees from Mrs. Thu’s family, Mr. Hoa’s family has 13 seedless ancient persimmon trees that are over 30 years old. Every year, his family also harvests 2-3 tons of seedless persimmons.
Mr. Do Van Hoa, Lien Ha 5 village, Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district shared: This type of rose is suitable for the soil and climate here, so fertilization is mainly done when the tree is young, while the old trees that are decades old do not need to be fertilized or sprayed with pesticides. Therefore, the fruit is always guaranteed to be safe and delicious.
Seedless persimmons are turning yellow and ripe. Photo: Spring.
With the seedless persimmons in Bao Ha commune, the special thing is that when the fruit is harvested and starts to ripen, people have to soak it in water for 3 days and 3 nights to get rid of the astringent taste in the fruit.
During the harvesting process, you must be very careful not to scratch, bruise, or jerk the fruit. This is also an experience passed down from the elders, but in the past, they soaked it in gio or lime.
In addition to soaking in alum water, seedless persimmons can also be soaked in plain water and mixed with persimmon leaves, which is also very effective. In addition, when soaking persimmons, they should be placed in an airy place with good sunlight to maximize sweetness.
The older the seedless rose trees are, the more their branches wither over time. Photo: Spring.
From the ancient rosewood trees of households in Lien Ha 5 village, Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district, implementing Resolution No. 10 of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee on developing commodity agriculture, this crop has been promoted and mobilized by the Party Committee and authorities of Bao Ha commune to expand the planting area.
This is also one of the main crops expected to bring stable income to the people of Bao Ha commune.
Farmers in Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district harvest seedless persimmons. Photo: Spring.
Up to now, Bao Ha commune has 172 hectares, of which 20 hectares of seedless ancient roses over 30 years old are giving stable harvests.
Currently, seedless persimmon products have been recognized as 3-star OCOP products and certified for geographical indications.
According to the village elders in Bao Ha commune, Bao Yen district, the ancient rose tree is 5-10m tall, has a wide canopy, and has many leaves during the fruiting season. In winter, all the leaves fall off to prepare for new leaves and flowering for the next crop.
In addition, as the seedless rose tree gets older, the branches on the trunk will gradually wither over time. This is also an easy-to-recognize feature of old roses that are over 30 years old in this countryside.
People pick persimmons and soak them in large pots for 3 days and 3 nights to remove the astringent taste. Photo: Spring.
Mr. Tran Van Cau, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Bao Ha Commune, Bao Yen District (Lao Cai) said: In recent years, the seedless persimmon brand has become known to many people, especially to tourists visiting Bao Ha Temple, so many tourists prefer to buy it as a gift.
However, currently, seedless persimmon products are mainly sold by people to retailers and brought to the market for sale, there is no output link for the product. Therefore, Bao Ha people really hope to receive attention from all levels and sectors in finding output for seedless persimmon products.