Some dates in my hometown ripen on July 15, some ripen in August, and some taste the sweetness on August 15. I used to have this at home.
Jujube trees blossom and bear fruit in May every year and mature in early autumn. Among all kinds of fruit trees, it is the one that farmers spend the most time on production and management. Its production process needs pruning, topping, nailing, pruning and fertilization, which is deeply loved by farmers.
Speaking of red dates, it reminds me of interesting things when I was a child.
When I was a child, there were always a group of children who liked to climb the jujube tree to have a jujube fight. When you found a big round jujube on the jujube tree, you hurried to pick the green jujube. Come and play with each other and throw the green dates all over the floor. Suddenly, people will fall down and the drooping jujube branches will hold their heads up. When the adults saw it, they scolded us with distress, but a group of children ran away and there was nothing they could do.
Spring flowers and autumn fruits, when the dates are ripe, will also help the family to play dates. Adults raised long poles, with dates but no dates. The red and crisp dates ran down with the falling poles, fell into the peanut vines on the ground, fell into the sweet potato hills, and hit our heads. Some of them fell directly into my basket, glad that "it is not troublesome to cross the iron shoes." During the period, there are also broken jujube leaves, which float behind the jujube, float down, occasionally float into your clothes, and float into your neck. The itching of the thorns makes people sway from side to side. I really can't take off my clothes, just pour out the broken jujube leaves.
After picking the dates back at home, we will also pick some crisp dates to make "wine dates" and store them. First, pour some white wine into a clean bowl, put the picked red dates into the white wine with chopsticks and roll them a few times. After soaking the red dates, put them into a crock or canned bottle, tie the mouth tightly with clean plastic sheets, seal them, put them in the shade and take them out in winter. Some can even be put on the Spring Festival. When you open the bottle, a strong smell of wine comes into your eyes. Crispy dates make your mouth water, and you feel refreshed after eating them. They are sweet with a strong smell of alcohol and crunchy. If you are in the market, you can still sell at a high price, which greatly increases your income.
Jujube is rare as jujube, and most of them are still drying on their roofs, and the edges are surrounded by poles. In a few days, those jujubes will turn red, even red, then wrinkle, and the moisture will be reduced until the jujubes are wrinkled and soft to eat, and basically dried, and then sorted, divided into one, two, three, or bagged. Just like Yao Shanbi said, "There is a red cloud on the house and a pile of flames on the kang", what an image description. Every day in the county, adults invariably bring better dates with bicycles in exchange for some money to supplement their families. But every family will leave some food for themselves, such as steamed rice cakes, steamed buns, jiaozi and so on. In those days when food is tight, we will grab a few jujubes from the cupboard after school, take some peanuts out of the bag, and have a jujube with peanuts. It is fragrant and sweet, which can not only alleviate our hunger. Jujube really deserves the reputation of "good year is fruit, poor year is grain"
However, jujube also has its tragic moments. Sometimes, in autumn, jujube has just arrived home, and unfortunately it meets with continuous autumn rain. No matter where it is placed, jujube will become soft, moldy and sour. People will throw away bags by bags, people who are distressed will cry and curse God, and some will directly pour into the pigsty, except pigs. That is a scene that people are very unwilling to see.
At that time, there was no TV and no weather forecast. Sleeping soundly at night, the autumn rain fell silently from the sky and hit the farmer's bucket, and the sound of' bang' woke the sleeping adults. The adults will get up at once and ask the children to help clean the dates on the roof. Pushing boards, brooms and wooden sticks are a lively scene. Coupled with the crying of children, the shouts of adults, reflecting the gloomy lights, broke the silent autumn night. People are sleepy, sometimes just after cleaning up, the moon comes out of the clouds again, smiling, and some angry people are cursing. However, God still goes his own way and never consults with others. He will do it when he should, and it will rain when it should, regardless of time and place.
God aside, jujube's contribution to mankind is selfless. No matter who it is, it's the same. As long as you manage, water and manage with care, you will reap rich fruits year after year, uninterrupted, just like crops, "people are diligent but not lazy."
Time flies, and the past is unbearable. But every autumn, I always go to my hometown to pick some lost dates and bring them back to taste slowly. Tasting red dates, the naughty scenes of "jujube fighting", jujube making and jujube washing on the roof at night will linger in my mind.
Eating sweet dates is not only material enjoyment, but also spiritual comfort. I love jujube, and I love my hometown even more.
The small red lights full of trees reflected the sky, which was an attractive red date and a beautiful hometown.