Taoyuan Fragrant Plum tastes so good, Dama and Gina both say it's great

By Chen Fen-yu

After Typhoon Morakot, Bunun friends who remained in the Qinhe tribe in Taoyuan District, Kaohsiung, decided to rebuild the tribe's agricultural livelihood in a way that made peace with nature.

They pick non-toxic green plums grown without herbicides or pesticides, and make "Taoyuan Fragrant Plum" with no preservatives or artificial flavorings. This year marks the second year. Through the careful work of the Dama and Gina (the fathers and mothers), in July they launched "The Good Taste of Miruhu": crisp plums, plum essence, Q plums, and plum jam, with quality and flavor both more mature.

In the processing of various plum products, the tribal farmers have gradually developed their own organization and division of labor. Through constant experimentation and a series of refined procedures, the plums can achieve their best expression in different flavors. Over two years, the farmers have mastered division of labor and production techniques, and are striding bravely toward the path of self-reliant reconstruction.

This "Small Farmer Re-Cultivation Support Project," which supports industrial transformation, is funded by the Haoran Foundation for equipment, materials and other expenses, with dedicated staff accompanying them. The agricultural courses are arranged by the Kaohsiung County Social Affairs Bureau through commissioned arrangements by the Qimei Community College. Chen Fen-yu, a member of the "Taiwan Rural Front" who came into the tribe last year to assist, said she hopes this project can ultimately achieve the transformation to organic farming, not only allowing small farmers to make a profit, but also allowing farming closely connected to the land to be carried out in a land-friendly way. (For related reports, please see Cheng Chun-yi)

Chen Fen-yu said that the support of friends from all walks of life is the best enzyme for the transformation of "Taoyuan Fragrant Plum" and the good taste of Miruhu, and will allow the new force to show and advance more steadily.

The following is a report from Chen Fen-yu.

"Miruhu" is located at the southern foot of Yushan and by the bank of the Laonong River. It is a Bunun village on the Southern Cross-Island Highway. "Miruhu" is located at the southern foot of Yushan and by the bank of the Laonong River. It is a Bunun village on the Southern Cross-Island Highway, and its administrative area belongs to Qinhe Village, Taoyuan District, Kaohsiung City. Most residents' main source of livelihood is fruit tree cultivation, including green plums, summer peaches, red-fleshed plums, mangoes, etc., and green plum output accounts for a major share in the Taoyuan area. However, for a long time, local agricultural products have mainly depended on wholesalers for purchasing, prices fluctuate at any time, and farmers generally lack room for bargaining.

After Typhoon Morakot, the villagers' livelihood became even more difficult. Not only did some villagers lose their houses and orchards, but the village was also designated a dangerous area, facing major pressure to relocate; in addition, the severely changed environment and terrain, plus roads that are often interrupted whenever it rains, have caused difficulties in production, marketing and transportation, and the farmers' entire year of hard work faces the risk of being washed away. The summer peaches harvested in mid-May this year had their harvesting and transportation rhythm disrupted by the late plum rain, and some ripened peaches could only remain on the branches and be left to rot.

Typhoon Morakot sounded the alarm about environmental disasters and made farmers realize that the recovery of agricultural livelihoods must be based on caring for the environment and ecology. After repeated discussions, villagers who chose to stay in their hometown decided to start with the locally abundant plums to develop non-toxic agricultural processed products as the direction of efforts for rebuilding the tribe's livelihood, and to stand up again through their own efforts.

In the first summer after the disaster, the brand "Taoyuan Fragrant Plum" was officially launched. The healthy good plums made with care by the Dama and Gina (the fathers and mothers) of Qinhe received support from many friends. Not only did companies make group purchases as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, but overseas Chinese also took them abroad to give to relatives and friends. They said they wanted more people to see the efforts of the tribal farmers.

This year, just as the plum harvest season began around Qingming, friends who had bought them last year took the initiative to call and ask: "When will the crisp plums and plum jam go on sale?" Consumers' expectations gave the farmers more confidence to continue production and made them care more about quality. I still remember that last year when preparing the product introduction, farmer Gao Xiuying (Gina Savi) said: "We should not keep emphasizing the tragedy of the flood, but instead make good things that others will like." This self-demand, along with the wish to let more people know about "Miruhu," supported the farmers through the first year of learning by doing, and in the second year they showed more skilled techniques and a firmer resolve.

For farmers accustomed to the big movements of cutting grass, pruning branches, and knocking down plums in the fields, making processed plum products is a challenge of fine work, and the steps for pickling crisp plums are especially complicated. It starts with hand-picking green plums at 6-7 parts ripe, followed by a series of procedures. In addition to lightly tapping the fruit open, rubbing with coarse salt, rinsing to remove astringency, and draining off water, they must also observe changes at all times and change sugar water at three different ratios before the refreshing crisp plums can be completed.

Pure plum essence is also the crystallization of the farmers' efforts in taking turns staying up late and simmering without letting the fire go out.

In order to make it at the freshest time after the green plums are harvested, the farmers first go to the plum orchard early in the morning to knock down the plums, and in the afternoon immediately remove stray branches from the harvested plums and wash them, then press out green plum juice, and in the evening begin a 48-hour simmering without letting the fire go out. On an April night on the chilly Qinhe platform, Gina Mina and her husband watched over the cooking pot. When asked, "Aren't you tired? Could you turn off the fire first and continue during the day?" she smiled and said, "That wouldn't be good, although some people do it that way. It's all right, we'll take shifts, and someone will come again at a little after five tomorrow morning." At noon on the third day, the successfully simmered plum essence was black and glossy, as if responding to Gina Mina's persistence.

Besides crisp plums and plum essence, Q plums and plum jam are also the results of the farmers' careful handiwork. Pickling Q plums requires patient waiting in exchange for the mellow, chewy texture and aroma. Plum jam, on the other hand, is made at the end of the plum season, when the farmers take pains to harvest yellow-ripe plums that have ripened on the tree and simmer them, full of the essence of sunlight.

Wu Qiufen, who is responsible for communicating with the outside world and has accompanied everyone all along, observed that several tribespeople who are deeply involved are very happy doing this and do not feel the workload has become heavier or that they are very tired, and she also saw everyone's gradually increasing confidence over these two years. Having gone through the struggle for in-place reconstruction and the effort to develop plum processing, she said: "Everyone is getting better at expressing themselves. When facing media interviews, they can also speak fluently and introduce and explain things. This progress is very moving."

The pain and challenges brought by Typhoon Morakot still require sustained effort to overcome. The taste of it all is like the green plums on the branches: after salting, sugar-curing, and simmering, they produce rich and mellow flavors of all kinds. The farmers of Miruhu are immersed in it and feel it deeply, and the support of friends from all walks of life is the best enzyme for the transformation of "Taoyuan Fragrant Plum" and the good taste of Miruhu, and will allow the new force to show and advance more steadily.

The "Taoyuan Fragrant Plum" series of plum products contains no artificial flavorings or preservatives, only the abundant care of the tribe's Dama and Gina (the fathers and mothers) and the dedication of insisting on handiwork. (Image source / Taiwan Rural Front, Chen Fen-yu)
Ordering contact: Wu Qiufen 0955-115-782 [email protected]