【English translation: Marie-claude Pelchat；Photos by Pao Chung-hui】
Jiasian's Chu-Yun Plum Extract
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| 甲仙青梅園 Green plums are farmed organically. |
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Going up winding mountain trails that reveal beautiful scenery, the early spring sun shines down on lush leaves which hide little green plums. The plum farms that dot the slopes of Baiyun Mountain are among the organic plum orchards which have benefited from the guidance of Jiasian Farmers' Association. Verdant woodlands act as a buffer zone, preventing pesticides sprayed in other areas from contaminating these plum orchards, and thus contributing to a natural organic environment.
Ms. Liu Hsiu-chin, director of Jiasian Farmers' Association Green Plum Food Processing Factory, explains: "Growing organic plums is a way to differentiate ourselves in the market." In the past, few people knew that Kaohsiung's Jiasian District had close to 2,000 hectares of plum farms. In 2008, the farmers' association worked with the government to introduce the Chu-Yun brand, and set up a marketing program with the goal of developing plum-based health products. Starting from scratch, the association progressively entered organic farming, achieved product traceability certification and CAS certification, as well as organic farming certification, all of which guarantee that the products are fertilizer- and pesticide-free. Director Liu laughs and says that although organic green plums are smaller than those grown by conventional methods, their flesh is firmer. Currently, organic green plum orchards cover 11.19 hectares in Kaohsiung's Jiasian, Taoyuan and Namasia Districts.
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| 濃稠的梅精 Highly concentrated plum extract |
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The skin of green plums is fuzzy, and the end of the fruits are pointed. Their skin is crisp and slightly bitter, while the entire fruit has a sour and astringent taste. Director Liu says that plums which have attained a degree of ripeness of five to six are most suitable for producing concentrated plum extract. The best time to harvest these green plums is from Mid-March to early April.
After this period, farmers harvest plums that have reached a degree of ripeness of at least seven or eight. The skin of these plums will have turned yellow. Because they have fully ripened, they are no longer suitable for turning into concentrated plum extract. Instead, they are used to make preserved plums.
After purchasing green plums from farmers, the association sends the fruits to a processing factory. There, machines are used to break the fruits down into paste, and the flesh of the fruit will be separated to extract plum juice. This juice will then be boiled for 72 consecutive hours, until highly concentrated plum extract is left. It takes 600kg of green plums to produce just 14kg of concentrated juice. The dark, shiny plum extract captures the essence of green plums and has been called the "black gold of Jiasian." Director Liu explains that the production method is entirely natural. The boiling process eliminates the bitterness of the fruit, she says, so the plum extract has a natural acidity and saltiness. Apart from drinking plum extract by diluting it with water, it can also be consumed neat or added to dishes.
Where to buy?
Jiasian Farmers' Association 07-6754123
甲仙 初雲梅精
【文／張嘉玲；攝影／鮑忠暉】
