Meinong Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes, a Touch of Orange Light Turned into Sweetness

Information provided by / Zhong Yalun

"Orange Honey Fragrance" is a new variety of cherry tomato; its name seems to hold both a warm color and sweetness and fragrance within it. It is the signature crop of Meinong's "winter intercrop" season.

First, let me explain what "winter intercrop" means. After Meinong's well-known tobacco industry declined, farmers turned one after another to developing a rich and diverse range of winter intercrops, including snap beans, radishes, red beans, chili peppers, tomatoes and many more. During what was originally the second rice crop season, because of frequent typhoons and rain and abundant pests and diseases, most farmers chose to leave the fields fallow and let the land rest, so over the past decade, agricultural management in the Meinong area has gradually shifted to one rice crop plus one winter intercrop. From the beginning of autumn, the fields of Meinong gradually begin to buzz with activity.

In recent years, among Meinong's winter intercrop agricultural businesses, "White Jade Radish" and "Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes" have stood out most prominently. Meinong farmers began growing Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes eight years ago, and through their own efforts, accumulated experience, and the mutual exchange of cultivation and management techniques, it has gradually become a representative high-quality fruit. Because of its unique taste, while the prices of other agricultural products rise and fall, Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes have been able to remain stable, driving Meinong's agricultural economy.

However, growing good Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes is truly labor-intensive, because one must wait for the right timing, the right conditions, and the right people. According to the introduction in the sixth issue of Meinong's representative publication "Yeh Shang Yeh Hsia," the preparations for an Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomato field, even before sowing, are already very elaborate:

"The field soil must be loose, and for the soil to be broken up loose it must be dry enough; sometimes just when the waiting is almost done, it suddenly rains, making farmers who were about to relax their hearts tie themselves in knots again waiting. After finally preparing the field and making the beds, the soil must then be flooded with water for a week; once the water has been absorbed by the soil more or less, one begins building the frames and covering them with waterproof cloth, and only after all the preparatory work is done can the tomato seedlings be properly planted." Then, "Cherry tomatoes like cool weather, so tomatoes planted in autumn and winter taste better than those planted in spring and summer, but they also love to bask in the sun, so in Meinong, where the sun is strong during the day and the temperature drops sharply starting in the evening, it is just right for cherry tomatoes to grow and store up sweetness!"

In addition, many farmers have put their hearts into developing cultivation secrets, such as feeding the cherry tomatoes fermented milk, because yogurt is rich in protein with small molecules that are easily absorbed, which can enhance the flavor and sweetness of Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes. Their sweetness can reach above 10 degrees Brix, and their texture is firm and their color pleasing, so they are increasingly loved by everyone.

 
 
This year's Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes, whose harvest began in mid-December, saw output reduced by 50 percent compared with previous years because of abnormal rainfall since the beginning of autumn, and quality and sweetness were affected to some degree as well. Because the differences in quality are so great, in order to let consumers taste truly delicious and wonderful Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes, the Meinong Farmers' Association specially introduced a certification mechanism this year for "Premium Orange Honey Fragrance Tomatoes," recommending outstanding farms and high-quality fruit to consumers.

Zhong Qinghui, director-general of the Meinong Farmers' Association, said: "I hope the strings of Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes, like the color of the winter sun, bring people warmth." Its production season runs until March next year, and this year the Meinong Farmers' Association especially recommends two farms, the Meinong Riverbank Tomato Garden and Jie Shanyuan, which have opened their tomato gardens to offer fruit-picking experiences. Find a warm winter day and take the whole family out for a fruit-picking trip!

[Fruit-picking experience]
Meinong Riverbank Tomato Garden: Located beside the Meinong riverbank, where picking tomatoes also lets you enjoy the mountain-and-river scenery of Meinong.
Jie Shanyuan: Growing tomatoes is not just a business, but also a promise and a responsibility; being able to know one another is itself a kind of destiny.

Zhong Qinghui (first from left), director-general of the Meinong Farmers' Association, said that in recent years the farmers engaged in winter intercrops such as "Orange Honey Fragrance Cherry Tomatoes" in Meinong have mainly been young and middle-aged farmers, who need a high degree of market sensitivity and must also have professional knowledge of the crops they cultivate.