This fruit looks like a cucumber, is sweeter than white sugar, and costs 10 times as much as a melon; farmers can't bear to eat it

Summer is here, and it's once again the season when melons and fruits are fragrant. When it comes to the most popular melons and fruits of summer, watermelon and melon definitely rank at the top. They are full of water and high in sweetness, and eating them quenches thirst and relieves the heat, so they are much loved by people. When watermelons and melons first hit the market, the price is very high; one watermelon can sell for several dozen yuan, and one melon can also sell for a dozen or so yuan. But once they are in abundant supply, the price drops, and several dozen yuan can buy a big bag.

But there is one kind of melon whose price stays high from beginning to end, and even in peak season it does not drop much. Its shape looks like a cucumber. Have you ever seen it?

This kind of melon is called the crisp melon (sugua), famous for its crisp, crunchy texture. It is pointed at one end and round at the other, and is also known as horn melon (yangjiaosu). The rind of the crisp melon is white with a hint of green, the flesh inside is yellow-green, and the core is orange-yellow, sweet, fragrant and juicy. The crisp melon is very high in sweetness, 2-3 times that of an ordinary melon, and among the people there has long been a saying that it is "sweeter than white sugar." The crisp melon also has another trait: the young, unripe melon has no bitter taste, unlike other melons, which are all bitter when unripe. For this reason, the crisp melon is also called a "treasure among melons."

The crisp melon is mostly grown in the north, and those produced in the central part of the Huai River basin are the best. After years of cultivation and seed selection there, the crisp melons grown are not only large, with a single one reaching more than 30 cm, but also thick-fleshed and crisp and flaky. When fully ripe, the flesh can take on a golden-yellow color and the taste is extremely sweet and fragrant. Because of its superior quality, the price of the crisp melon has never been low. After being shipped to big cities, a single crisp melon can sell for 15-30 yuan, about 10 times the price of an ordinary melon. To earn more money, farmers who grow them cannot bear to eat them.

The first time I saw a crisp melon, I thought it was a big cucumber, and only after cutting it open did I discover how different it is. As soon as it is cut open, you first smell a strong, sweet fragrance. The color of the flesh inside is very different from that of a cucumber; it is yellow-green, and one look whets the appetite. What's more, the core (seeds) of the crisp melon can also be eaten; it is rich in juice and especially sweet. After finishing one, you can't help eating another. Crisp and sweet, it is far more delicious than the melons I ate before.

Dear readers, have you ever eaten this crisp melon that is sweeter than white sugar?