Sweet pink grapefruit flavor

(Baonghean) - There is a peaceful mountainous midland land next to the gentle Hieu River, which has long been famous for the type of grapefruit that can only be found here. That is Quang Tien land (Thai Hoa Town), every time it is mentioned, people immediately think of the specialty pink grapefruit. Coming to this land, on the chilly days of late Autumn, even though it is the end of the grapefruit season, people's hearts still feel warm with the passionate grapefruit scent and the hospitable hearts of the people...

When did Quang Tien pink grapefruit come into existence and when did it become a specialty? Even the elders of Quang Tien ward do not know who brought this precious grapefruit variety to plant in their homeland. The only thing that many people know is that in the village there is currently a 30-year-old "giant" grapefruit tree in the grapefruit garden of Mr. Truong Van Quang's house, in Doc Cao block. This grapefruit tree is considered the "ancestor" of the Quang Tien pink grapefruit specialty, preserved until now. And for a long time, in all the home gardens of the people of Doc Cao and Trung Nghia blocks of Quang Tien ward, grapefruits are grown. Some families grow a few trees to eat the fruit, while others grow a lot, up to 1 hectare to both eat and sell, creating the "brand" of Quang Tien pink grapefruit!

Following Mr. Dang Thai Hoa - Deputy Head of Thai Hoa Town Agricultural Extension Station, we went to the grapefruit garden of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thuy's family in Trung Nghia block. Mr. Thuy's grapefruit garden is considered the largest and has the most trees compared to the households growing Quang Tien pink grapefruit. When guests came to his house, Mr. Thuy hurried to the grapefruit garden to pick some late-season fruits to treat the guests. Talking about the profession of growing pink grapefruit, Mr. Thuy excitedly said: After many trips here and there, he came into contact with many delicious grapefruit varieties, with high selling prices, he immediately thought of growing grapefruit, because his garden is a gravel hill, which can grow grapefruit.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thuy's joy during the grapefruit harvest season.

In 2007, he went all the way to Phu Tho to learn about Doan Hung grapefruit varieties, and to Dan Phuong (Hanoi) to learn about Dien grapefruit varieties... but they were not as good as the Quang Tien pink grapefruit variety from his hometown. Returning, he bought a large grapefruit tree in the block, at the price of a color TV plus 1 million VND. There is a large grapefruit tree in his garden, every year he grafts the seedlings, so now his family's nearly 1 hectare garden has 400 grapefruit trees of the Quang Tien pink grapefruit variety, of which more than 200 trees have yielded fruit.

Last year, his family's grapefruit garden harvested about 5 tons of fruit, selling for 20,000 VND/kg. This year, the output increased significantly, excluding gifts, he sold 10 tons of fruit, selling for 20,000 - 25,000 VND/kg, earning more than 200 million VND. During the grapefruit harvest season, in addition to selling to familiar customers as gifts, he and his wife also brought the fruit to the town market to sell.

Mr. Thuy confided: “Previously, people in the block often sold to customers by fruit, each fruit for 20,000 VND, which was a loss, because each fruit weighed over 1 kg. Last year, I sold to customers by “weighing and calculating”, 20,000 VND per kg, most of the pink grapefruit weighed over 1 kg/fruit, since then, every household has sold by weight, grapefruit growers have more income”. In addition to selling fruit, Mr. Thuy’s grapefruit garden is also an address providing seedlings to people in and outside the region, by grafting branches.

Last year, he sold nearly 1,000 seedlings. This year, he recently cut 600 branches to sell to some people. Currently, he has 1,200 newly grafted branches. Customers from Tan Ky, Yen Thanh and neighboring communes have placed orders. Each seedling costs 50,000 VND.

Mr. Thuy revealed: Grafting branches to get seedlings also requires technique, taking mud and mixing it with composted manure and chopped straw; choosing branches with horizontal canopies to graft. If grafting the excess branches, the seedlings will be beautiful, but after planting, the fruit will be very little. It is not clear whether it is due to the soil quality or for some other reason that Mr. Thuy's family's grapefruit garden has not invested much in care for a long time, but the trees still grow strongly, with many delicious fruits.

Mr. Thuy confided: “I will not hide anything from you guys, I have been growing grapefruit since 2007, up to now it has been 6 years, but I have only fertilized with manure once, the tree is still growing very well, without any pests or diseases. However, because I graft branches every year, so starting from this year, I will buy NPK fertilizer mixed with manure to fertilize the grapefruit, if I continue to be subjective and ignore it, in the long run it will affect the growth of the tree and the quality of the fruit”, Mr. Thuy added.

According to the people of Thai Hoa Town, Quang Tien pink grapefruit has its own characteristics in terms of fruit shape and flavor compared to other common grapefruit varieties. But there is a very strange thing that this grapefruit variety is only grown on the land of the two blocks Doc Cao and Trung Nghia, the fruit is delicious, but if grown on other land, it is not as delicious. In the surrounding areas, a few kilometers away, even in the same ward, people bring the variety back to plant, because of the strange soil, although the trees grow well, the fruit is abundant, but the quality is far inferior. The people of these two blocks are still proud that the good soil gives sweet fruit for generations. And that is true, only grapefruit grown on the land of the two blocks Doc Cao and Trung Nghia is truly the specialty of Quang Tien pink grapefruit. Because according to the grapefruit growers, the characteristic of the soil in these two blocks is chicken fat gravel soil (gravel soil with chicken fat color), a most important factor to create the special flavor of this grapefruit variety!

The tree and fruit of Quang Tien pink grapefruit are not as glossy as many other grapefruit varieties, it is rustic and simple like the people of the midland and mountainous countryside. The grapefruit tree is not as tall as the normal grapefruit varieties, just moderately tall. People of height can reach out and pick the fruit. The peel is not smooth and shiny but has a light yellow color, shining warmly from the dark green foliage of the grapefruit. The grapefruit is quite large, slightly flat, with an average weight of 1 kg to 1.5 kg/fruit, with some fruits weighing up to 2 to 2.5 kg. When cutting the grapefruit, before the knife is fully submerged, we can already see the grapefruit segments, because the grapefruit peel is thin, the grapefruit pulp is not as thick as other local grapefruit varieties.

When split, the pomelo has a bright pink color, smooth flesh, plump segments, moderate amount of water, not mushy like some other pomelo varieties. Quang Tien pink pomelo is crispy, not too sweet and not sour, does not have a bitter taste after eating, so you can eat a lot without getting bored. Because it is a native variety, it is less susceptible to pests and diseases, adaptable to local climate conditions. Because the pomelo is easy to eat, Quang Tien pink pomelo has long become an indispensable gift from the countryside for the children of this land every time they return to their hometown or go to the city. In the feasts in this countryside, there is still the presence of a plate of specialty pomelo, making the feast even warmer with the love of the countryside.

During the pomelo season, Quang Tien people who go far away have in their gift bags a few pomelos from their hometown as gifts. People passing by on National Highway 48, through Quang Tien ward, how many people do not stop to buy a few kilos, a yen as a special gift from their hometown. Quang Tien people are very proud, because this precious pomelo variety has been attached to the people here for many generations.

Quang Tien pink grapefruit today has brought a significant source of income to the people of this countryside. When the Mid-Autumn Festival comes, the grapefruit is harvested. This type of grapefruit has a very "popular" price, from 20 - 25 thousand VND/kg. There are trees that yield 200 fruits, a harvest equal to 2 sao of rice. Thanks to growing specialty grapefruit, many families in Doc Cao and Trung Nghia blocks earn hundreds of millions of VND/year.

Quang Tien pink grapefruit is sweet, the hearts of the people of the grapefruit land are also fragrant. When it is grapefruit season, coming to Quang Tien, going to the blocks, asking for the address of the grapefruit growing area, everyone enthusiastically introduces the specialty grapefruit of their hometown, talking in detail about the address and current prices. When coming to the grapefruit garden, the host does not hesitate to cut a few fruits and arrange them on a plate for guests to enjoy. Everyone hopes that the flavor of Quang Tien pink grapefruit will be preserved and spread far and wide. However, the concern of grapefruit growers as well as guests who have enjoyed the flavor of this grapefruit is that it has many seeds and uneven segments, so when cut open it does not look as beautiful as some other specialty grapefruit varieties.

Mr. Tran Hung Quang, an agricultural and forestry officer of Quang Tien ward, said: Currently, the area of ​​Quang Tien pink grapefruit planted in the two blocks Trung Nghia and Doc Cao is 12 hectares, of which 7 hectares are for harvest. By creating new varieties on the spot, Quang Tien plants 3 - 4 hectares of this grapefruit variety each year. Currently, the land fund for planting Quang Tien pink grapefruit in the two blocks Doc Cao and Trung Nghia is about 15 hectares. Both blocks have over 300 households, and every garden has at least 2 grapefruit trees. Quang Tien pink grapefruit is of good quality and sold at a reasonable price, so no matter how much there is, it will be sold out. There are grapefruit trees that can harvest 4 - 5 million VND per crop, and 2 - 3 million VND is common, so families with large gardens and growing grapefruit for business have much higher income than other crops.

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Head of the Economic Department of Thai Hoa Town shared: To overcome the disadvantages of this grapefruit (many seeds and uneven segments), investment in science and technology is needed. Up to now, the development and preservation of Quang Tien pink grapefruit have all come from the spontaneity of the people, without any investment from the State.

Saying goodbye to Quang Tien grapefruit land in the gentle sunshine of Autumn, we seemed to hear the sweet taste of the pink grapefruit specialty lingering on the tip of our tongues and in our souls. Feeling the kind heart of the grapefruit people who have been cultivating for generations for bountiful harvests.

Xuan Hoang