Cua Lo cracked melon

(Baonghean) - This season in Cua Lo Town, many shops sell cracked melons to serve tourists, a delicious and nutritious product. What is special is that this fruit is produced according to a clean process right in the town.

At this time, the last batch of cracked melons in the Cay Gac melon field of Nghi Huong ward (Cua Lo town) is being harvested and preparing to start a new crop cycle with the stages of land preparation, sowing, care... In block 10, where 60/78 households grow cracked melons, during the melon season, the village is deserted, but in the fields, the bustling, joyful atmosphere is completely different. "The most important thing in growing cracked melons is human resources, especially women. To "please" this type of melon, in addition to the meticulous care of the grower, it also requires many factors such as weather and soil quality", Mr. Dao Van Que, Deputy Head of Block 10 shared.

The cracked melon plant has a rather interesting characteristic, which is that it “rejects” all pesticides and chemicals. Therefore, every day, in the late afternoon, children and women in the village visit the field to catch worms. Therefore, the cracked melon is always guaranteed to be clean.

A stall selling cracked melons attracts buyers at Cua Lo market.

In the Nghi Huong “cracked melon village”, Mr. Nguyen Duy Duc is famous for being a skillful man who can take care of this difficult cracked melon plant. He explains: “My wife is sick and cannot work, and my children are working far away, so I have to take care of it all by myself. Before, my family grew 2 sao of melons, but I can’t do it alone, so now I only grow 1 sao. The hardest part of growing melons is when sowing seeds, flowering, and harvesting. If there is no rain, we have to water the plants more, otherwise when sowing, the seeds will not germinate, and when fruiting, the plants will be difficult to keep. Therefore, every family has to drill a well to get water to irrigate the melons...”.

The profession of growing cracked melons in Nghi Huong has been maintained for many generations. Visiting the house of Block 11 Chief, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long, who has been involved in growing cracked melons for over 40 years, he said: Cracked melons are suitable for the soil and climate in Block 10 and Block 11. The sandy soil here is very loose. This is a key factor for the roots to absorb water in the hot season and not be flooded in the rainy season. Because the melon plant requires a guaranteed amount of water but cannot withstand waterlogging. Moreover, loose soil helps the roots not to be suffocated by oxygen. The climate here is also very pleasant and mild. In the morning there is a south wind, in the afternoon there is a south wind. A south wind, a south wind brings cool air, mixed with morning dew, providing a stable amount of water for the plant to absorb through the leaves and stems. Indeed, to "please" this plant is not simple.

According to the locals, a delicious melon must be “balanced from head to tail”, have an even yellow color and the cracks in the skin must run evenly along the length of the fruit. If these factors are achieved, the price will be from 15 to 18 thousand VND/kg, otherwise it will only be around 10 thousand VND/kg. One factor that worries people is that during the harvest season, cracked melons cannot be preserved for long. When the melon reaches the right yellow level, it can only be kept for more than 1 day after being picked from the tree. If left longer, the fruit will become soft and not taste good. Therefore, during the harvest season, melon growers must mobilize all the labor in the family to harvest quickly and spread to new consumption areas in the hope of earning income. Therefore, people growing cracked melons in Nghi Huong do not dare to expand the area...

Every year, the melon is grown twice, the first crop from mid-January to the end of April, the second from early May to July. In the last melon crop, Nghi Huong people planted nearly 7 hectares, because the weather was favorable, the melons had a good harvest, and the price was good, right during the holidays, so tourists loved them very much. On average, each hectare brings in around 100 million VND, much higher than growing other crops. However, no family here grows more than 3 sao, because the care requires a lot of time and manpower.

Thanh Quynh