Ximafang guagua

Walking into Ximafang Village, Dongmajuan Town, there are bursts of melon fragrance floating in the breeze, and the fields are melons lying on the ground and green seedlings. The melon farmers are busy collecting and loading the ripe melons this season and selling them to the surrounding areas. "Guagua is one of the varieties of watermelon. The fruit is small, the taste is sweet, the melon seeds are many and big, the shell is thin and fragrant, and the melon pulp is divided into three colors: yellow and white. Because it is opened directly by hand when eating, it is called melon. " Liu Baogang, director of Ximafang Village Committee, introduced the situation and took us into the village. Ximafang Village is located in the southeast of Dongmaquan Town, with more than 260 households and a melon planting area of more than 600 mu. Liu Baogang said that villagers have a long history of planting melons, which can be traced back to hundreds of years ago. According to legend, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Song and Liao confronted each other. At that time, Ximafang Village was located on the east side of Xiao Taihou Grain River. Because of sparsely populated, fertile water plants and vast territory, Xiao Taihou ordered the establishment of a horse ranch here, and most of the horses raised were used by cavalry. In the Ming dynasty, the number of horses raised by the government gradually increased, and the scale of Ximafang village also increased. The officers and men began to plant melons in the fields for military supplies. In August, 1675, Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty visited Dongmajuan town incognito and stayed overnight at Nu Song's home in Wangfu Banner. The Song family specially sent people to Ximafang village to pick fresh and delicious melons for the emperor to eat. Kangxi was so pleased with his food that he was full of praise for melons. He encouraged local farmers to grow melons and let more people taste them. Since then, watermelon cultivation in Ximafang has become more and more common. According to reports, melon is the "baby" in fruit, which is rich in cellulose, unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients. The phytosterol it contains can reduce the low-density cholesterol content in blood and is suitable for people with hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Not only that, but also playing melon is a kind of melon with high utilization value. The pulp can be eaten directly, the melon seeds can be fried and eaten, and the peel can be used for cooking and pickling melon strips. Liu Baogang said: "At present, the yield of watermelon in Ximafang is about 1,700 kilograms per mu, and when there are many, it can be 2,000 kilograms, with an average income of 3,000 yuan per mu. In places such as Wuqing and Langfang, Ximafang has become well-known and attracted a large number of merchants to order. At present, the Dongmaquan Town Government is applying for a geographical indication certification trademark for' Ximafang Guagua' to further explore the market and brand, effectively promoting farmers' income. " Watermelon in Ximafang is a geographical indication certification trademark.
Reprinted with attribution： https://cnlocality.com/(Chinese Specialty Products)