What is August melon?

It is a great pity that people who grew up in Qinba Mountain area have never tasted August melon. You may not believe that things like apples, bananas and lychees will inevitably feel ashamed and dwarfed in front of them. I remember when I was in middle school, I once read Su Dongpo's poem "300 lychees a day, I don't hesitate to grow up to be a Lingnan person" and Du Mu's poem "Riding a concubine and laughing in the world of mortals, no one knows it is lychee", thinking that lychee may be the best fruit, otherwise how could it attract the poet's praise and Yang Guifei's favor! I don't think it's great when I taste litchi. Compared with August melons in our mountains, they are still a little short! I don't know if Su Dongpo ever ate August melon, but I guess he must have never seen it. Otherwise, with his talent and interest, it would be strange not to write poems and praise! As for Yang Guifei, I dare say that she has never seen August melons in Qinba Mountain area, let alone enjoyed them. Otherwise, she must pester Tang to build a royal garden for her and plant dozens of acres for her to taste. In fact, when it comes to August melon, we all know that its origin is not noble, but it is just a vine growing in the jungle gully in Qinba Mountain area. It looks slightly bent and looks a bit like a banana or cucumber. It is six or seven inches long at most and weighs half a catty. Because it blooms in late spring and matures in August of the lunar calendar, it is named August melon. Before the August melon is immature, the color is generally green, and with the passage of time, the color gradually changes from green to purple (some are hemp yellow). The sign of judging maturity is to see if it is soft and open. Generally speaking, the maturity is comparable to that of rice and chestnut. When it matures, it will naturally open from the chest and abdomen, revealing white and delicious pulp, offering you an excellent meal, which is sweet, moist and wonderful. Mountain people regard it as delicious, regardless of adults and children, scrambling to eat it. Not only people like it, but also birds like it better, depending on who has the chance first. August melon is absolutely delicious, but you should pay attention to: first, you can't eat it until it matures naturally, otherwise it's really sweet. Second, don't talk about August melons in front of unfamiliar young women, otherwise it will cause misunderstanding and embarrassment. Maybe people will think that you are talking about kidnapping and want to take advantage of others. Maybe you don't know, mountain people compare August melon to a woman's "trick", so it is often regarded as a flirting topic by men. Some men full of "burning" energy often use this to "play tricks" in front of women, jokingly calling them "melons in August, chirping in September, and eldest sister-in-law eating tendons", which often makes people blush and feel embarrassed. In short, there are many jokes about August melons in the mountains (mainly between men and women). Although rude and indecent, it can reflect its influence on the lives of mountain people and its love. Strange to say, August melons look very rich, but in fact, they don't have high requirements for the living environment, and they can generally reproduce and grow in very harsh environments. It doesn't choose topography, like gullies and shallow thorns, but grows happily. August melon, like other vines, has strong vitality and is good at climbing. With the help of external forces, they often hang vines on branches or other objects, stretch their leaves to absorb sunlight, and hang fruits in strings, which looks charming. When I was a teenager, every August when I came home from school, I always took time to have a bite to satisfy my appetite. Almost all children in the mountains have had this experience. I remember once, my friends and I went to the mountains to play, and accidentally found a second-generation forest steak. There are strings of ripe August melons hanging everywhere on the treetops in the steak. Alas! But we are very happy. If we get the treasure, we will pick it hard. This meal is really round. If we can't finish eating, we will fold some palm leaves into baskets and pretend to take them home. Unfortunately, this opportunity is only once, and it will never happen again. Later, I went to work in the village, and occasionally tasted it several times, but I never satisfied my appetite. However, it is often at this time that the topic of August melon has become the mantra of people's gag and flirting. For a time, there were advertisements of "One Liu" on TV and newspapers every day. A joking leader said that it is better to eat more August melons and keep them, which is better than his "one Liu", but he is not famous in the mountains, no one is speculating, and he is not famous. Although this is a joke, it makes sense. If nothing else, this August melon has at least the effect of clearing mulberry and moistening lung, and its sugar content and vitamins are absolutely high. I think if someone takes it to the city to buy it, it will definitely fetch a good price. This is absolutely green and absolutely natural food.