It’s your friend David here, 我是大衛

and it’s another beautiful day in beautiful Tainan. 又是臺南美好的一天

I’m now in Meiling, 我現在在梅嶺

which is a place famous 而這裡的梅子果園

for its plum plantation. 非常的有名。

But, I’m not really sure where it’s at. 但我不是很清楚確切的地點在哪裡

I think it’s up there somewhere, 也許就在上面吧

so, let’s go find it! 我們去找找看吧!

The time of the year in which plum trees blossom 梅子盛開的季節

coincides with the firefly-watching season. 也是賞螢的好時光

When you come to Meiling, you must try the plum chicken here, 來梅嶺一定會品嚐道地的梅子雞料理

as well as other delicious plum-infused dishes, 和其他美味的梅子料理

or the ever so popular crunchy pickled plums. 或是做成脆梅也很受歡迎

Let’s go harvest some plums! 一起來體驗採梅子吧!

Now, we know Meiling, or “Plum Mountain” is famous for its... 梅嶺聽名字就知道它有名的是……

What else? Plums! 還能有什麼呢? 當然是梅子!

But how are they planted, and how are they cultivated? 但它們是如何種植的呢? 究竟是如何培育的?

Let’s ask the manager! 我們來問問經理!

Basically, when planting plums, 梅子的栽種基本上

you must take care of the seedlings for two years. 就是我們小苗需要兩年的育苗

Once that’s done, 育苗完成之後

we would graft the saplings for cultivar improvement. 我們就要嫁接 做品種的改良

It takes another three to four years 嫁接之後大概要三到四年

until the they are matured enough to flower and bear fruits. 就是讓它成熟一點才會開花跟結果

It takes about six years before you can harvest the plums, 大約6年之後才開始收成

and 15 years for them to reach maximum yield. 要到15年以上才有高收成率

Plums are harvested about two weeks prior 梅子的採收期大約

and after Qingming Festival 在清明節前後兩週

Most of the plums are meant to be processed further, 梅子大部分是做成加工品

and they are picked at various stages of maturity depending 會依據不同的需求

on what they are to be made into. 採收不同階段的果實

For example, crunchy pickled plums and plum essence 例如脆梅或梅精所需要的梅子

require fruits that are about 70% ripe, 大約是7分熟

which should be harvested before Qingming Festival. 會在清明節前採收

Fully ripe plums are good for making 熟梅則可以拿來做

pickled chewy plums, plum wine and plum vinegar. Q梅、梅酒、梅子醋

Jams could be made from plums 更成熟的梅子

that have been matured even further. 則拿來做果醬

We are in the middle of an organic plum orchard. 我們在有機梅園中間

I know it looks like the middle of a forest, 我知道看起來就像在森林裡

but that’s the secret. 但這就是它的秘密

By keeping this place very primitive and all-natural like this, 讓環境延續原始的自然風貌

nature actually looks after the plum trees. 大自然就會用自己的方式照顧梅樹

You know thing that sets this orchard apart from the others, 你知道嗎 這座梅園跟其他梅園不太一樣的地方

is the fact that they don’t artificially shorten their trees. 就是 他們不會刻意以人工矮化果樹

In most orchards, they keep the trees very short. 在大多數果園裡 果樹都很矮小

But, this one is allowed to grow super tall. 但這一棵 可以長到非常高大

In fact, this one is already 60 years old! 其實 這棵樹有60歲了!

The plum trees in this area are quite tall, 這區的梅子樹比較高

so, a hook is required 所以採收時需要

to pull the branches down for easier harvesting. 用鉤子把樹枝往下拉 方便採收

Plums are really easy to pick. 梅子很好採收

You can simply pluck it off the branch, 直接採下就可以了

but you still have to make sure not to 但是要注意不要

pull off the adjacent fruits. 拉扯到旁邊的果實

Usually as a rule of thumb, 一般來說

when picking plums, 採梅子的準則

you would want to look for these really plump fruits 是要找這種很飽滿的果實

with a shiny exterior, 外表要光滑

and a bit of yellow coloration around the stem. 而蒂頭周圍要帶點黃色

These guys here are not ready. 這些還無法採收

They are still a little bit too fuzzy on the outside. 它們的外表還有絨毛

But then again, 但話又說回來

it depends entirely on your use case. 一切還是取決於最後的加工性質

These guys are good for making stuff like wines, 這些很適合拿來釀酒

and these guys…you can still pick them… 而這些呢...其實還是可以採收...

but they are good for making 但它們比較適合

picked plums for example. 拿來醃製

Just pop it off like that. 直接把它拔下來

Nice and easy. 很簡單的

One last one. 再一顆

Man, its hard work! 哇 好辛苦啊!

Picking plums is definitely not a stroll in the park. 採梅子可不是一件容易的事

In fact, you’ve got to scale these really steep cliffs. 你還需要攀爬這陡峭的山壁

But, I think I’m up for the challenge. 但我想我可以接受挑戰

You know, I see you guys have a lot of plum related products. 我看到你們有好多種梅子的相關產品喔

How are they made? 它們都是如何製作的呢?

Normally speaking, we categorized them as snack products. 一般來講我們都是把它定位在休閒食品

There are tons of plum-derived products. 梅子的周邊商品真的非常多

We’ve got crunchy pickled plums, sweet plums, 有脆梅 、甘甜梅、

plum enzyme, plum vinegar and plum essence. 梅子酵素、梅子醋及梅精等

Plum essence is all the rage these days. 像現在流行的梅精

It’s made by boiling green plum juice 就是青梅的原汁下去熬煮

into a paste. 成為膏狀

Summer calls for a cup of 夏天真的非常需要一杯

icy and zesty beverage 冰冰涼涼酸酸甜甜的飲品

to cool down the heat. 來消暑

Plum vinegar and plum enzyme are both great options! 梅子醋或梅子酵素都是不錯的選擇喔

Meiling is famous for its plum chicken as well, 梅嶺的梅子雞也很有名

but are the plums used in the plum chicken any different? 但裡面的梅子有什麼不同嗎

If a dish calls for plums in its ingredient, 如果說要料理用的梅子

then you basically would need to use plums that are 80%-90% ripe. 基本上大概要八九分熟的梅子來做

First, the fruits would be plump, 第一點它果肉比較飽滿

and the taste would be less astringent. 再來它的苦澀味會比較輕

This way, the final product would be much more palatable. 做出來的梅子就會比較順口

These plums are inherently sour, 梅子本身非常酸

so, they are not suitable for direct consumption, 不適合直接食用

but need to be processed to become more palatable. 還是加工醃製過比較順口

Many people buy plums 很多朋友會自己買梅子

to make their own plum vinegar or wine. 回來做梅子醋或梅子酒

When picking plums, 在挑選梅子方面

avoid the ones covered in white powder or 盡量避免選到 表面有白色粉末

the ones with streak marks. 或是有水滴滴痕的梅子

Hey, if you folks are craving for plums, 嘿 如果大家突然嘴饞想吃梅子

you know where to look for them. 你們知道該去哪裡找了

This is Meiling, 這裡是梅嶺

and Meiling is the “Plum Mountain” after all. 而梅嶺顧名思義就是有梅子的山嶺

I think after a day’s hard work, 我想在經過一天的辛勞後

I’m really going to enjoy this pickled crunchy plum. 我會好好地來享用一點脆梅

It’s the fruit of my labor after all! 畢竟這是我辛苦過後的成果!

So good! 好好吃啊!