Tamarind, also known as acacia prickly, is a plant that lives in the tropics. (Illustration) It is not known when they appeared, but the shady rows of tamarind have become a familiar image of the Vietnamese countryside. The trunk is tall, coniferous and often grows wild, without needing to be nursed or fertilized. And the most attractive thing for the children is the swaying bunches of fruit at the top. Called tamarind, but this fruit grows all the way up. (Illustration) Although the water tamarind is divided into segments like normal sour tamarind, each fruit is bent into a strange curved circle. Water tamarind when young, the skin is green, flat and relatively hard. When it reaches maturity, it expands on both sides of the fruit body to reveal the white flesh and black seeds inside. But the most attractive is when they get old and turn pink and red, making all children crave. Tamarind water when ripe turns pinkish red and bends back into a ring. (Illustration) Picking tamarind is not easy, because the trunk has many thorns, so few dare to climb it. But the most “lucky” way is to throw stones to let them fall or wait until they fall, then pick them up and enjoy. They’re used to eating, so every time the fruit is ripe, they all stand under the tree “soup tamarind”. If you want to pick tamarind, you have to poke or throw stones to make the fruit fall. (Illustration) Although the layer of rice is a bit viscous, it has a very strange sweetness. There is no need to dip anything in salt and fish sauce, just chew on the white meat, wait for the aroma to spread slowly, very pleasing to the mouth. In addition, a little bit of flesh on the outside of the shell lingers in the throat, making the children want to eat again and again. The simple taste has gone into the carefree memories of many people. (Illustration) No one can resist this delicious childhood taste. (Illustration) Currently, tamarind does not seem to appear much even in the countryside. That’s why people sometimes forget the familiar food of that time, but every time they recall the image of tamarind swaying “inviting” so provocatively that all the children have to make a fuss, it’s like childhood rushing back. Such small joys are such a dear part of rural children.

Illustration. My hometown was in the midland hills, at that time the grass was green. The message canopy ran across the hillsides. Under the forest canopy is a world of grass, flowers, myrtle, mussels, peonies… four seasons blooming. On the top of the mountain, there are sparse trees and grass that grow in places. Perched by the gray rocks, the thorny bushes stretched out their green arms in the scorching summer sun. We used to climb hills to rake pine needles, find ripe myrtle and pick leaves from those bushes. People call it the palm tree. I was too young at that time, and I don’t remember who drew it for me. I just know that I can go with my brothers and sisters to the mountains, climb like a baby goat, jump on each cliff to pick leaves, pick but not cut even though the tree has sparse thorns and bleeds. And only pick the leaves of the cake, not too old, not too young. My grandmother said to make delicious jelly and let the tree live for everyone to pick. I like the cool scent of the leaves. Sometimes, after picking, we would run around looking for wild fruits or sit on a large rock, while blooming the leaves, we would look at the village and the tiny river in the distance, holding out our little hands. embracing the sweat-drying face, welcoming the fragrant breezes blowing from the vast fields, dreaming… I love that hill! Love the young pine buds that build green towers lined up on the slopes, the fragrant pine like candles in the sky! Love the giants, grasshoppers and big elephants kicking the brakes, dancing and throwing leaves! Love the sound of howling birds, “catching shrimp braised” in the sky and the cuckoo calling from afar… But love the hill most in the ripe fruit season. Juicy red raspberries in the humid valley by the rocky crevice, clusters of sweet red-purple peonies; The sedum vine hangs tiny purple-pink fruit eyes, black alum, black pearl soup mixed with thorns and inviting thorns… The most interesting thing is that sometimes you open your nose to find the faint scent of ripe fruit, then turn the grass and trees, and catch the flowers. tufts of passion fruit charm or sweet chestnut flowers, sniffing to forget the hungry stomach… Sometimes, our children try to pick sour leaves and acrid fruits to eat. Small green cow’s udder oozes milk, small pomelos, pink and pink, transparent, fragrant, spicy… even the whole fruit is bought full of seeds and tasted… Myrtle season is a paradise for children. Just the other day, the eye-catching purple-pink petals swaying in their hands, in the hair of a few children braided in pigtails, now they turn into fruit while hanging on the branches, showing off their sweet and inviting purple belly… purple and purple… The smiles of children in the mountains and forests… The midland hills gave us delicious food, sweet fruits, raised poor children to grow up in body and soul. I often hum the rhymes as I weave my way through the sparse shrubs or bend down to pick up the pine cones rolling on the carpet of fragrant leaves. In order to remember my homeland later, I often call this the singing hill: There are blue winds Fly through the forest of childhood Where is the sweetness and sweetness Mourning purple sim hillside… Only a song left Keep flying in the nostalgia Wings of time once Wet soft clear spring water… There are steep mountain slopes Sweet white gardenia There is a pine forest that screams I lie on a carpet of fragrant leaves… Miss the misty mountain valley There are wings of clouds and the head of the wind Herd of buffaloes grazing on grass Flowers to open eyes purple pink… From the top of the immense mountain Zoom in on all four sides Seeing the small village far away Loving the old bamboo ramparts… Back to the past years Seeing the kite flying enthusiastically Seeing fragrant sweet potato buried in the kitchen Locusts, grasshoppers fly back… I love summer days Wandering in search of the smell of ripe fruit Sweet wild fruit in the mouth Sorrel leaves in the forest… Fascinated white flower rose Chirping birdsong at the top of the mountain Confused yellow butterfly wings Clap the flash of childhood… … Every time I go to the hill to pick leaves, I like it, even making jelly at home is really fun. Before that, the elder brothers or sisters or grandmothers had prepared a large pot of water to cool, a small pot of sugar syrup, sometimes just begging or hiding some sugar from the house because sugar was scarce that day, sometimes a few drops. sugar cane or holding grass roots… Glove leaves are washed many times by us, drained, dried slightly and then put in a large pot or saucepan to crush with our hands. I remember once, we even washed a pair of rubber slippers and used them as a grinding table, rubbing the leaves vigorously. When the leaves have turned into a green powder, they are wrapped in a white coarse cloth and then dipped in a pot of boiling water to cool, thoroughly dried, and squeezed out. Sometimes, we squeeze in a little bit of clear lime juice from the lime pot she eats betel nut, sometimes we don’t, but it only takes a few minutes for the pot to solidify. Sometimes to cool more, the brothers and sisters take a piece of rain cloth to cover the jelly pot and then the line is dropped to the bottom of the well, a few hours later or overnight to pull it up. Wow, it’s delicious when the green jelly pieces are cut out, dropped into a cup or bowl of sugar water, sprinkled with a little banana or grapefruit essential oil! Sometimes it’s not so “advanced”, my brothers and sisters boil some sugarcane juice, stevia roots, sprinkle some sugar obtained on the jelly and then compete to eat… Wherever you eat, cool your guts, cool your liver there, although there is not enough sweetness to mask the strong smell of fresh leaves. So many years have passed, I still remember the afternoons full of flowers and sunshine under the rustling bamboo shade, we slurped the bowls of cool green jelly like jade. Delicious dishes with a hilly flavor but even more delicious by their own hands. It’s even more delicious when receiving the sparkling smiles of grandmothers and mothers when enjoying the jelly that our children prepare… For decades, I have not returned to that ancient hill country. I don’t know if jelly gloves, sims buy… are there any trees left or erased over the years along with the soaring pine forests for a while. But in me, the grassy hills sing with the flavors of wild fruits, fragrant leaves, the first transparent, green jelly slice I ate… still remain forever in the memory and follow through life!

Just bought 5kg of wild raspberries to soak in syrup for this summer, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh in Thai Thinh (Dong Da, Hanoi) said: “Taking advantage of raspberries is in season, what year do I also buy syrup and freeze cake for the whole family to eat because it is not always available. Moreover, this is a clean forest fruit so it is quite safe to not worry about spraying with chemicals or soaking in chemicals ”. This occasion forest raspberries are in full bloom She shared that when she was a child in the countryside, she and her friends went to hunt buffalo and pick ripe red raspberries growing along the road to eat. Even the hand picking is not exhausted because they grow in bushes, almost everywhere around the village. “Now, if you want to re-enjoy the taste of your childhood, you must pay money to buy. Now I buy 5kg of wild raspberries for 750,000 VND, ”she said. Ms. Ngoc Diep – a wholesale dealer specializing in wild raspberries in Lang Son – said that almost every year since March, she also sells this fruit. However, each year there is only one raspberry season, the collection time is relatively short, within about 1.5 months is all. Therefore, everyone takes advantage of buying for the money to accumulate food gradually. In order to have a large quantity delivered to her customers, Mrs. Diep has to buy from the villagers. They go picking in the forests. Every day, she collects 2-3 weights, all of which are ordered first by the customer. The amount returned is not enough to deliver to the customer. Depending on each day, on a rainy day when people cannot pick, she has to appoint a guest to the next trip. This red forest fruit is pouring into Hanoi Shops often sell wild raspberries for between 130,000-200,000 VND / kg “At the beginning of the season, the price of wild raspberries was 70,000 VND / kg, now in the big harvest I pour wholesale to traders for 55,000 VND / kg. Customers buy less each time about 10kg, more they buy 30-40 kg to make syrup, freeze to make jam, make cakes to eat or sell all year round, she said. Ms. Tran Thi Hong – a clue selling various kinds of specialties in Nguyen Xien (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) – added that in recent weeks, wild raspberries are in season, the fruit is ripe, red, and juicy, eating well. sweet so the goods are expensive like hot cakes. Today about 40kg, now only 1-2kg left. This is the second year Ms Hong sells this fruit. According to her, wild raspberries are found in many places, often growing wild in the hills, along the road and in the forests. In particular, concentrated in the Northwest provinces such as Hoa Binh, Son La, Lang Son, Lao Cai, … Therefore, she had to go to collect. However, this fruit is not available all year round, but only one season, from March to the end of April. Because it is picked from a tree growing in the wild, the fruit will be mixed, small and uneven, like planted rows. Many people take advantage of buying raspberries to soak in syrup to make drinks in the summer “Currently I retail for 150,000 VND / kg, get more from 5kg priced 135,000 VND / kg. I have to collect enough quantity and sell it to get red because this fruit is easy to crush and quickly spoil. One trip every 1-2 days, ”she said. Ms. Hai Yen – a dealer selling wild raspberries in Trieu Khuc (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) – shared, compared to Dalat raspberries, the price ranges from 350,000 to 600,000 VND / kg, the price of wild raspberries is only 1/3 . But this is also considered a high price compared to many other fruits. In particular, this forest fruit is always in a state of fire, and cannot be sold. In recent years, raspberries have many good health benefits such as anti-aging, weight loss, prevention of cardiovascular diseases and many vitamins, … so this fruit is more and more popular. favorite, looking to buy when the season comes. Raspberries have a slightly sour, cool taste that can be eaten directly, made in smoothies, syrups or processed in other dishes, creating color for foods. However, transportation is relatively difficult because the fruit is easily crushed, so she sells it to regular customers in the city, said Yen.