Every year in August, the people of Hoang Van Commune, Hiep Hoa District, Bac Giang Province, are busy harvesting black tamarind. According to locals, the tamarind trees flower in February and bear fruit in July. Tamarind usually bears fruit in clusters, and the yield varies from season to season.
“When we have a good season, the black tamarind trees are laden with fruit,” said a resident of Hoang Van Commune. “Each cluster can yield a kilogram of fruit or more.”
However, harvesting black tamarind is challenging due to the tall and wide-spreading nature of the trees. To collect the fruit, locals need good health, agility, and especially, the skill to prune the branches carefully to avoid excessive breakage and keep the fruit unscathed.
These days, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vinh (59 years old) and his wife, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai, are busy harvesting black tamarind from their many trees in Hoang Van Commune to supply customers and traders.
Before harvesting the black tamarind, Mr. Vinh and his wife spread a tarp underneath the trees to catch the falling fruit, which also makes collecting the tamarind easier.
Mrs. Hai shared that the tamarind from Hoang Van Commune has been famous for a long time, so during the harvest season, locals only need to pick the fruit, and traders will come to their homes to purchase it.
“Usually, tamarind trees start bearing fruit when they are 7 to 10 years old,” said Mrs. Hai. “My family harvests several tons of tamarind each season. This year, the price of black tamarind is 140,000 VND per kilogram at the garden. For tamarind that has been minimally processed, the price is 160,000 VND per kilogram.”
Introducing her black tamarind trees, Mrs. Hai said that each tree is over 30 years old, and a few are marked for bearing particularly delicious fruit.
“In Hoang Van Commune, any tree that bears tasty tamarind is marked. Then, people will take cuttings from these trees to graft onto young trees or buy the seeds to grow,” Mrs. Hai shared happily. “I have a few marked trees in my garden.”
Mrs. Hai continued, “Black tamarind has a nutty and fragrant flavor. Here, we process black tamarind by cooking it until it’s soft, then preserving it in jars. Depending on individual preferences, black tamarind can be prepared in various ways, such as stewing it with pork or fish, or eating it with sesame salt or peanuts.”
Currently, Mr. Thanh’s family has more than 10 black tamarind trees, with seven of them bearing fruit. “In addition to harvesting the fruit, my family also sells tamarind saplings. A two-year-old tree can be sold for 1 million VND,” Mr. Thanh shared.
According to our understanding, Hoang Van Commune currently has over 4,000 black tamarind trees, with more than 200 trees aged 70-100 years and 100 trees over 100 years old, mostly in Van Xuyen Village. Black tamarind is not only a delicious treat but also a medicinal herb in traditional Eastern medicine, especially for respiratory ailments.
The Orchard’s Capital Faces a Scarcity of Fruits
The adverse weather conditions this year have taken a toll on the black myrobalan orchards in Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province. This unfortunate turn of events has resulted in a significant loss of income for the local farmers, who are now facing the consequences of a failed harvest.
