The apricots in the pasture are ripe
Because Yecheng No. 2 Ranch is rich in apricots, it also has a poetic name: Xinghua Town. The pasture is at an altitude of 2,200 meters, so the apricots naturally mature later than those down the mountain. Right now, it’s the season when the apricots from Erpaochao are ripe and on the market in large quantities.
The pure and natural environment contributes to the high quality of the apricots produced here. Every spring, when the apricot trees in Yilian and Silian bloom, the eyes are filled with pink, first-blooming apricot flowers, and the fragrance of apricot flowers hits you wherever you go. There are apricot trees on both sides of the channel in the field, apricot trees on the land boundaries of each household, and apricot trees on the green belt beside the road. There are also dozens or hundreds of acres of apricot trees, which is very spectacular. After fruiting, the apricot orchard and in front and back of the house are covered with red (yellow) apricots. In good years, the apricots can bend the branches, and the branches are full, dense and heavy, squeezing the green apricot leaves. To the side, it is common for a tree with many fruits to bear hundreds of kilograms of apricots.
The Second Pasture is located in a plateau mountainous area with high altitude, low temperature, and fragile ecology. The employees graze on the mountains and reclaim land on the flat areas. In addition to planting some wheat, corn, sunflowers, vegetables and other self-sufficient rations and livelihood In addition to other needs, what I love most is planting economic forests such as apricot trees and apple trees. The employees of the No. 2 Ranch worked hard for several years in a regimental spirit of fighting the "three nines" in winter and the "three volts" in summer, and finally developed a 10,000-acre apricot orchard with self-pressure sprinkler irrigation on the ancient plateau desert.
By mid-June, the apricots begin to color. In late June, after several summer rains, the stagnant apricot leaves became soft. The apricots were like drunken red-faced men, emerging from the green leaves. The bigger ones were like eggs, and some were as heavy as a single fruit. Up to 60 grams. This is the best time of the year at Yecheng No. 2 Ranch: crops are beginning to mature and harvest, the weather is cool and pleasant, the air is pure and fresh, and people’s faces are smiling.
Because it is located on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains, spring in Yecheng No. 2 Ranch does not arrive until the end of April, so the apricot flowers bloom nearly a month later than in other apricot-producing areas in southern Xinjiang. When all the apricots at the foot of the mountain have been eaten, the apricots from the Second Ranch have just begun to mature. This time difference brings business opportunities to the fruit merchants at the foot of the mountain: apricots from other apricot-producing areas have all gone out of the market, and the apricots from the Second Ranch have just matured, with high quality and low prices. Lian's big red apricots were brought to the city and were quite popular.
No, the apricots of the Fourth Company have also been contracted by fruit merchants from Urumqi. Starting from the beginning of July, the employees of the Fourth Company have to keep picking, packing and transporting them as fresh apricots in trucks. At the same time, handfuls of "tickets" also filled the pockets of fruit merchants.
Unfortunately, although the apricots from the Second Ranch are good, due to the long distance from the city, the short storage time of apricots, and the lack of large-scale production, the purchase price has never been able to increase, and the employees’ income from planting apricot trees has not been high. Not high. Last year, the purchase price of apricots was 1.5-1.8 yuan per kilogram. This year, the highest purchase price was 2 yuan. In the past two days, it has dropped to 1.5 yuan. Even so, there is no guarantee that all the apricots will be sold. The Uighur fellows in Erchangchang and neighboring places regard apricots as valuable as eggs and cherish them in every possible way. No matter how low the price is, as long as the apricots are not allowed to rot in the ground, the employees will sell them.
"Kezilang" (Uyghur: big red apricot) is suitable for eating fresh and packed for export; "Yupurmak" (Uyghur: big yellow apricot) apricot is suitable for making Dried fruits, put on the shelf to cool and dry. Whether you are eating fresh apricots or dried fruits, you must crack open the apricot core after eating the apricot flesh. The ripe almonds are sweet and fragrant. They not only have a unique taste, but also have high beauty, fitness and nutritional value. At this time, if the workers of the Second Ranch go to visit relatives and friends in other places and bring a few boxes of fresh apricots or dried apricots from the real estate, they will be very popular with relatives and friends.
Nowadays, because there is no economic benefit, all the apricot trees have been replanted into apple trees. In the future, it will be difficult to eat apricots in the Second Ranch