The husband and wife transferred to farming in middle age-from two cents of land to one hectare to raise the perfect golden passion fruit

Passion fruit sweet and sour taste is an addiction to eat, summer fruit. The passion fruit of Shihui Organic Farm in Chishan, Kaohsiung, ripens naturally on the fruit tree and falls into a pre-set hanging net. Farmers use the net to protect the hard work, but also the net to live the most appropriate sweet and sour!

Chen Shih-kung and Huang Hui-chuan, a couple from Shih-hui Organic Farm, have been busy in the fields all morning in mid-June. Braving the scorching sun overhead, they hold freshly harvested passion fruits in their hands. Sweating, they say they are used to it, and their faces are full of satisfied smiles.

The redder the color, the more mature it is, and the sweetness increases when it turns purple, until the sweetness is highest when the epidermis has obvious wrinkles.

The orchard grows from small to large, and the more you plant it, the more you learn.

In 2013, Huang Huijuan got to know the former owner of organic passion fruit because of her contact with organic farming method. She liked the soil and climate here very suitable for passion fruit. She was very satisfied with this orchard, so she rented it. "At first I didn't have any experience and only dared to plant a small plot of land. I didn't expect that the more I planted, the more I learned and became more and more confident." The middle-aged couple who switched to farming have expanded their planting area from more than two minutes to one hectare!

The word tsāi-tsâng- âng is pronounced in Taiwanese and refers to the fruit ripening perfectly on the branch. Chen Shih-kung compared all kinds of passion fruit and chose to plant Tainong No. 1 because it has a particularly strong aroma and a moderate sweet and sour taste. Seedlings are planted at the beginning of November every year, flowering in March of the next year, fruit harvest begins in mid-May, and June is the busiest time. Every day, fruit harvest is carried out on the scaffolding until the end of August. [During the harvest season, you can harvest up to six 20 kg bamboo baskets!] From seedling, irrigation, fertilization, pest control to harvest, it is all taken care of by husband and wife, and the sweat is full of sense of accomplishment and joy.

Pure environment attracts birds to nest

Passion fruit in the process of growth, must be flowering, pollination, can grow young fruit. Therefore, the bees are very much needed,"but the bees don't know where they have gone." Huang Huijuan sighed. Faced with fewer and fewer wild bees, they have also tried artificial pollination, because there are only two couples in the park, not only physically overloaded, but also inefficient. For this reason, Shihui Organic Farm keeps a large number of bees, serving as pollination cherubs.

The two of them were proud of keeping the orchard green and clean. As they toured the orchard, they said excitedly,"I'll show you the birds nesting on the trellises." Everyone looked up carefully and found several nests "hiding" on the scaffolding. Chen Shih-kung says that birds such as green-eyed, white-headed, and night herons often come to nest here."If you want these lovely guests to enjoy the show, the prerequisite is a non-toxic and pesticide-free environment!"

Passion fruit in the process of growth, must be flowering, pollination, can grow young fruit. Therefore, the bees 'assistance is greatly needed...

Passion fruit in the process of growth, must be flowering, pollination, can grow young fruit. Therefore, there is a great need for bees to assist in the map/pexels

Sweet and sour happiness taste buds know best

Although Huang Huijuan decided to enter organic agriculture, Chen Shigong, who followed suit, became the main force of field cultivation and management. For example, hanging nets on trellises are masterpieces that he has studied everywhere. Apart from allowing the fruits to fall naturally when they are ripe, preventing them from falling to the ground and being spoiled by dew or rain, it is also easier to harvest! Chen Shih-kung also takes great care of fruit trees. He places DIY sticky fly boards around the scaffolding to prevent aphids and mites from biting. He also sprays mineral oil or neem oil to prevent pests from breeding. It also has the effect of preventing insects from eating.

In addition, passion fruit must have sufficient sunlight, ventilation and density, and fruit trees are also very afraid of "wither disease"! He learned from expert research analysis that it was caused by too close planting distance. When the spacing of 2 m ×4 m per plant was changed, wilt disease rarely occurred.

How to choose a delicious passion fruit? Huang Huijuan said that the redder the color, the more mature it is. When it turns purple, the sweetness rises until the epidermis has obvious wrinkles. Those who are afraid of the acid, choose this right!" Chen Shigong stressed that passion fruit should not be placed in the refrigerator, because the after-ripening passion fruit tastes better, but refrigeration will make the after-ripening stagnation! The couple confidently said that after eating the passion fruit they planted carefully, they would definitely taste the happiness and fullness blooming on the taste buds.

Passion fruit knowledge

Main Cultivars in Taiwan: Tainong 1

Distribution: All over Taiwan, most in Puli

Production season: June ~ August

Growth period: 6 ~ 7 months

Selection and preservation: Store in a cool place at room temperature. It is recommended to finish eating within a week.