Sugar apples are a local specialty of Gueiren. 歸仁的特產 釋迦

I heard that there's an expert of sugar apples here. 聽說這裡有一位釋迦達人

He grows sugar apples without pesticides! 他種的釋迦還是沒有使用農藥的喔

Let's go check it out! 跟我去看看吧！

This is the owner, A-fu. 這位是老闆阿富

Hello, everyone. 大家好

Mr. Li, can take me to your orchard? 老闆 可以帶我去參觀你的果園嗎？

Of course! 可以啊

You can even enjoy kongyao (cooking with an earth oven) in the orchard! 我們的果園還可以焢窯喔

Wow! That's so cool! 哇 這麼酷

Follow me! 跟我們去看一看

Wait! Mr. Li, I came here for the sugar apples, 咦 老闆 我差一點忘了我是來找釋迦的

but we're doing kongyao now. 怎麼變成焢窯了

The sugar apple trees are just in front of you! 你前面那一片就是釋迦啊

In addition to growing sugar apples, 我這裡除了種釋迦

the orchard is also open for people who want to enjoy kongyao 平常也提供朋友預約焢窯

or for kindergarten students to learn food and farming. 或者提供幼兒園做食農教育的場所

Come on, let's go brew some tea! 走 我們去泡茶

Have a try. I grew the herbs myself for the tea. 你喝喝看 我自己種的香草茶

This orchard is different from the ones we usually know. 這裡跟一般的果園有點不太一樣

It feels just like visiting your grandpa's old house. 感覺很像回家到爺爺的家

There are plenty of fruit trees here, 有一片果樹

and you can sit here and brew tea or chat with friends. 還有大家可以坐下來喝茶聊天的地方

Also, this place is suitable for barbecue and kongyao. 這裡很適合烤肉或焢窯

You can get the soil you need to make the earth oven right here. 而且焢窯的土是就地取材

It's a place to experience an authentic rural life 來這裡可以體驗道地的農村生活

John, have a sugar apple. 小瓚 請你吃釋迦

Wow! It's sweet! It's really tasty! 哇 好甜喔 很好吃

Mr. Li, how do we tell if a sugar apple is tasty? 李大哥 要怎麼挑選好吃的釋迦啊

Pick sugar apples with rounder knobby segments 你要挑選釋迦麟目飽滿

and a large, flat bottom. 底部較寬的

The heavier a sugar apple is, the sweeter it tastes. 拿起來越有份量的越甜

Oh! I got it! 喔 原來如此

Next time when I go to the market, I know how to pick perfect sugar apples! 那下次我去市場就知道怎麼挑選釋迦了

By the way, I know that pomelos are tastier 對了 像文旦要種五年

if they are from trees over 5 years of age. 長出來的果實才會好吃

How long should we wait before a sugar apple tree is old enough? 釋迦大概要多久呢？

We need to wait at least three years before the tree is old enough. 釋迦至少要三年

Here, let me show you the sugar apple trees. 來 我帶你去看果樹

Here we grow two kinds of sugar apples. 這裡種植的釋迦品種有兩種

One is sugar apples with larger knobby segments, 一種是大目釋迦

and the other one is native sugar apples. 另一種是原生種

Sugar apples with larger knobby segments 比較特別的是大目釋迦

need reproduce by hand pollination. 需要人工授粉

It's the first time I see hand pollination in person. 這是我第一次看到人工授粉

It's a special experience. 真的非常特別

Look at this beautiful grassland. 你看這裡的草地也很漂亮

The owner here adopted sod cultivation to help the trees grow. 老闆是用草生栽培的概念來種植果樹

You know what? 你知道嗎

The grass here is the same one that is used to cover a golf course. 這種草皮是高爾夫球場常用的那種喔

The sod here helps prevent weeds from growing 種植草皮後 壓縮了雜草的生存空間

and makes the orchard more beautiful. 果園看起來也更漂亮

Sugar apples are harvested twice a year 釋迦一年的產季有兩期

during summer and the Chinese New Year. 分別在夏天及農曆過年時

Sugar apples in Gueiren are primarily harvested in summer 歸仁釋迦的主要產季是夏天

between July and September. 大約在七月到九月

As farmers pick sugar apples, they touch the fruits to check the hardness 採收時果農會摸摸看果實的硬度

or knock on the fruits with their knuckles to check the sound. 或者敲敲看釋迦的聲音

Sugar apples at 80% to 90% ripeness are ready for harvest. 大概八至九分熟才可以採收

The fruits here look ordinary, 這裡的果實樣貌較平凡

but they are very tasty, and you can feel the love of the farmers. 但是很美味也很有愛

When Mr. Li took over the orchard, he told himself that 老闆在接手果園時告訴自己

he would safeguard the health of his customers, 為了讓大家吃了身體健康

so he never uses pesticides 絕對不用農藥

or chemical fertilizers. 也不用化學肥料

It's really difficult to get rid of pests without using pesticides. 不用農藥要對抗蟲害真的非常困難

Mr. Li tried many methods that were eco-friendly. 老闆也不斷嘗試各種天然的方法

He even grew herbs around the trees. 甚至在果樹下種植香草類的植物

Although it was not very effective, 雖然效果不是很理想

he was inspired by the attempt. 卻開啟了新的想法

I plan to build a vegetable garden here 我這裡打算規劃菜園

for people to grow their own vegetables. 讓一些朋友可以來這裡種菜

At the orchard, you can adopt sugar apple trees, 這裡可以認養果樹

grow your own vegetables, 也可以來這裡種菜

and enjoy kongyao. 也可以在這裡焢窯

Wow! The food has a very special taste. 哇 這味道真的很特別

There a lot of delicious dishes and funs. 好好吃也很有趣

My first kongyao experience was so cool! 這是我第一次焢窯真的非常酷

It's a great place for friends and families. 很適合一群朋友或家人一起來玩

Furtermore, you can even fill water into the soil to get crickets out of it. 而且 這裡還可以「灌蟋蟀」

It's so interesting! 這真的太有趣了！

If you ever visit Gueiren, 有機會來歸仁

make sure you come here for the sugar apples, 要記得來採釋迦

kongyao, and the cricket trick! 焢窯還可以灌蟋蟀喔