Buzz
The speaker mentioned that this season is a bit late for harvesting peanuts as most of the fields have already been cleared. The intense sunlight has taken away the green hue from the peanuts. In the early months, around February and March, passing through this region, one can witness locals diligently uprooting, selecting, and collecting peanuts in the vast fields.
In the fields, strong men efficiently uproot the peanuts and neatly arrange them on the ridges. Women, on the other hand, shell the peanuts, depositing the seeds into baskets and the stems to the side. The stems left on the field are meant for the tethered cattle nearby to graze on, while the remaining part is taken to the sheds near the houses for the cattle to consume later, as an additional feed.
Even the children, after returning from school, often venture into the fields to collect leftover peanuts scattered on the ridges.
On a small piece of farmland, while other women are seated, shelling peanuts with gloves and sunshades, there is a lady of a certain age shelling peanuts with bare hands. The area where she sits is not covered, except for three bundled bamboo sticks, and above are the peanut plants.
The cheerful lady explains, “I'm used to shelling peanuts with my bare hands. Wearing gloves feels strange. As for the sunshade, it tends to get blown away by the wind. Setting up a cool shelter like this makes everything convenient for me to move around.”
Sitting down beside her, observing the lady at work, she kindly instructs, “These peanuts are left to dry; only the seeds are taken for oil extraction, roasting, and seasoning. For boiled peanuts, you have to uproot them while the plant is still fresh with leaves. Uproot, wash, boil immediately for the peanuts to be tender and sweet.”
Engaging in a conversation with the field owner, he mentions that due to excessive sunlight this year, the peanuts have uneven and abundant seeds. The selling price at the field is 15,000 VND per kilogram, but after deducting the expenses for electricity to pump irrigation water, there is not much profit.
After harvesting the peanuts, the fields are left fallow to benefit from rainwater for the rice cultivation. Whether to continue planting or not, the farmer contemplates, saying, “It depends on the weather. We could also consider cultivating colorful vegetables. Đức Hòa is renowned for peanuts, but if the yearly outcome remains uncertain, we might need to reconsider our approach.”
Leaving the generous farmer's peanut field, we stop by the roadside eatery owned by Aunt Năm, a lively and cheerful woman. She shares that the land around here is all occupied, with children either starting families or engaging in various ventures, including peanut harvesting. If not on this land, then on some other. It's all within the family.
Being on her own, Aunt Năm runs the eatery for enjoyment. The bags of roasted peanuts displayed in front of the eatery are also sold to her grandchildren, ensuring they have money to buy school supplies.
Then Aunt takes out a bag of boiled peanuts, saying, “My daughter-in-law harvested them in the morning, boiled them, and brought them over. Fresh peanuts are like this. The shells may not look great, but the kernels are sweet right away. I dare not say it's a sin, but those peanuts with beautiful white shells are often boiled with alkaline water. Eating too many is not good for health.”
Parting ways with Aunt Năm, full of joy, she nostalgically remarks, “When it rains, come down again. Rain makes everything green. And if you want to capture the golden bloom of peanut flowers, note down my phone number. I remind my grandchildren that if they see the beautiful blooms, give me a call.”
Leaving the region renowned for the specialty of peanuts in Đức Hòa, our companion walks in a contemplative group, praying for favorable rain and harmonious winds. The hope is for the farmers to sow any seed into the earth and reap abundance, alleviating the struggles in their lives.
Source: Tuổi Trẻ
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Reference: Travel guide Mytour
MytourMarch 23, 2016
