If Hanoi's autumn beckons with cool breezes and fragrant young rice in every street corner, Da Lat welcomes autumn in a very unique way. The poetic scene of rose gardens, hidden with red and yellow ripe fruits, has become a familiar image for those who love autumn in Da Lat.
September, when the autumn sun begins to turn golden like silk, when the persimmons turn a dry yellow, is also the time when persimmon season begins.
Amidst a forest of fragrant flowers and sweet fruits of Dalat, the persimmon tree stands out with its special color.
The desire to return to simple, original things
Anh Thu (26 years old, from Vinh Phuc), born and raised in a farming family in Vinh Phuc, had an important turning point in her life after graduating from university. Although she had a stable job and income in a big city, Thu always wanted to leave the city and go to a certain countryside, first to experience life, and then if she found it suitable, she would stop and develop the economy.
In the fall of 2020, she visited Da Lat, a dreamy city nestled among the pine hills. At that time, Thu did not know that Da Lat was famous for its persimmon season. During the short days of experience, wandering around Cau Dat and Xuan Truong tea hills, Thu learned about the persimmon tree and heard about the ripe persimmon season. Exploring and learning alone, she was allowed by local farmers to try ripe persimmons picked from the tree, and the farmers allowed her to stop by the persimmon garden to take souvenir photos. Good karma was also sown from here.
Anh Thu on the day of harvesting crispy persimmons from Chin Nen.
After returning from that trip, Anh Thu decided to leave the hustle and bustle of Hanoi and move to the city of thousands of flowers, Da Lat. The flight that took her back to the land of ripe persimmons marked an important decision in Thu's life. She recalled: "Until now, if anyone asks why I was so reckless that year, I still cannot answer accurately. I can only say that I believe in my own feelings, my choices and decisions. In December of that year, 2020, a leap year, I packed my suitcase with 18 kg of checked baggage, left Hanoi, and came to live and work in Da Lat."
The beloved pink seasons
Every year, around the end of August, Da Lat persimmons start to turn green on the branches. By September, the skin turns yellow, and by October, they are ripe, plump, and rosy, creating a brilliant scene. A persimmon season is usually very short, only about 3-4 months (from September to December) and will be called by successive names: crispy persimmons, ripe persimmons, dried persimmons, and hung persimmons.
Farmers harvest persimmons from the trees.
The starting point will be the crispy Chin Nen persimmon season, a famous persimmon variety from Dran, Don Duong. This persimmon variety has left its own mark in the hearts of the people with its sweet taste, golden yellow flesh and almost seedless flesh, making any visitor who has tried it once linger forever. Tourists coming to this area cannot resist the charm of this Chin Nen persimmon variety. This persimmon is also associated with an interesting historical story, originating from a farmer named "Chin Nen" (also known as Uncle Chin) who brought the persimmon variety to grow. Thanks to the grafting method, the number of persimmon gardens in Dran has increased. And the name "Chin Nen" was born, to commemorate the first person to bring this persimmon tree to town.
The starting point will be the season of crispy persimmons from the famous Dran region, Don Duong, Lam Dong.
Along with the crispy Chin Nen persimmon season, there is also the "muse" of the smooth ripe persimmon, a type of persimmon considered as a version of the bamboo-skin persimmon in the North. This type of persimmon is picked when the fruit is ripe, with a beautiful yellow color, and after harvesting, it is brought home to ripen naturally. The persimmon is most delicious when the ripe skin is clear and easy to peel, just cut in half and scoop with a spoon. The sweet taste is intoxicating, each fiber of the persimmon has a slightly crunchy taste like jelly. When the fruit is ripe, chilled deeply, the flavor is even more captivating.
"Muse" pink ripe smooth egg.
When the season of crispy persimmons and ripe persimmons passes, Da Lat switches to the season of dried Tam Hai square persimmons around the end of October - November. At this time, the persimmons in the fields change, which is also the time when the persimmons on the trees are ripe. This type of persimmon is not only suitable for direct consumption, but also used to make soft, chewy, delicious persimmons. The process of drying persimmons requires a lot of patience, technique, and temperature is the deciding factor in quality. Too high a temperature will cause the persimmons to dry too quickly. The outside may be dry but the inside is still wet, and cannot be preserved for long. To ensure that the persimmons retain their color, flavor, and softness, temperature control is important. When enjoying, you will feel the soft, smooth persimmon flesh, the sweetness, and the characteristic aroma of ripe persimmons.
Dried Square Eight Roses.
Persimmons are picked when they are deep orange, then left to ripen until soft, peeled, seeded, and put into the drying oven. The drying time for persimmons is 48 hours, drying - resting, drying - resting continuously. During the drying process, the persimmons must be turned back and forth to ensure even color. A well-dried persimmon is when it has a slightly dark orange color, the persimmon pieces are soft, fragrant, and definitely not dry or hard.
She said: "After the persimmons are baked, to pack them, I have to wait for them to cool completely, select the persimmons that meet the standard of softness and fragrance, remove the dry and hard persimmons, divide them into small 250 gram vacuum bags and send them to customers."
Following the season of dried persimmons, the season of dried persimmons knocks on the door. At the end of the year, when the persimmons on the tree have turned orange-yellow, but are still firm (this is an important factor in determining the quality of dried persimmons), the season of dried persimmons begins. There are two popular types of dried persimmons: egg persimmons (tornado eggs, fire eggs, flat-headed eggs) and square persimmons. Both of these types are famous for their delicious taste.
The season of hanging roses knocking on the door, like carrying the whole sky, dreams and aspirations of the small farmer.
Wind-dried egg yolk.
Red fire egg hanging in the wind.
"We, the farmers, often call this the hardest season but the season where we earn the most money. The persimmons chosen to hang are those that have completely turned orange, but must still be firm. If the persimmons are not ripe enough, when hung, they will not have a beautiful orange-yellow color. If the persimmons are too ripe, they will be crushed when transported. Then the persimmons will be peeled and hung on a trellis for 20-25 days, dried in the sun and wind. At the end of November and the beginning of December, when the weather starts to get sunny and the wind blows more, the persimmons will receive the sun and wind to become soft, fragrant and juicy. Although persimmons hung in the dry wind have to face many risks, the finished product is extremely sweet and satisfying. The soft, fragrant persimmons, full of sweet honey, seem to contain all the love for the job of farmers like me," Anh Thu shared emotionally.
When the egg persimmons are half way through the season, it is also the time when the square persimmons are ripe, turning orange and yellow. This type of persimmon is more expensive than the egg persimmons, both fresh and after being hung.
A square persimmon hung in the wind after 27 days on the trellis. The persimmon's honey is orange like jelly.
Difficulties and challenges do not discourage farmers
Cultivating and caring for the whole year, the happiness of farmers like Thu is only limited to the short-lived persimmon season. Talking to Travellive, Anh Thu did not hesitate to share her feelings during the harvest season.
Anh Thu said: "When making dried persimmons, the most difficult thing for me was to set the right temperature. At first, even though I kept an eye on the heat and turned the tray constantly, the batches of dried persimmons that came out of the oven were still dry and hard, even burnt. There were batches of dried persimmons that were dry on the outside but still wet on the inside, and when I dried them until they were dry on the inside, the outside was hard and inedible. In addition, choosing persimmons to dry is also very important. Because if you accidentally choose an underripe persimmon, the dried persimmons will be astringent and not have the desired color. After many times of throwing them away, my hard-won experience is to use a small amount of heat, let the persimmons dry slowly, drying evenly from the outside in. And let the persimmons ripen completely before peeling them and drying them. Although peeling fully ripe persimmons is very difficult and requires more work, the finished product is extremely satisfying."
The persimmons are peeled, arranged, and then put into the drying oven.
Dried persimmons - delicious end of season gift.
As someone who has been in the profession for 4 years, each season of persimmons comes and goes, for Thu, full of emotions. Because that is the season where she can live with all her passion and enthusiasm. Sharing with Travellive, Thu honestly said: "I almost work with 200% of my capacity. For me, a year living in Da Lat has only two seasons, the season with persimmons and the season without persimmons. So, I really look forward to the season. The season to be busy, to love, to see the results after all my hard work and waiting for a whole year."
The finished products sent to customers are neat and delicious.
Confidently, with that love and determination, Anh Thu and the farmers of Da Lat will bring many more seasons of persimmons that linger in people's hearts. The crispy, soft, fragrant, sweet persimmons not only bring the autumn of Da Lat to the hearts that passionately love the land of thousands of flowers, but also cherish the wishes, hopes and love of countless cold hands waiting for a season of drunken persimmons.
