Nestled in a Hakka village in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County, Weiweijia Persimmon Leisure Farm is one of Taiwan’s most famous persimmon farms that specialize in producing dried persimmons in traditional ways.
Please watch the video of “An Impressive Persimmon Leisure Farm in Taiwan.”
A unique persimmon leisure farm
Covering an area of 3 hectares (7.4 acres), Weiweijia Persimmon Farm is composed of a traditional Hakka three-section compound, a large wood-burning stove, a processing area, a persimmon drying area, an outdoor dining area, an indoor dining and DIY area, a vending area, a viewing platform, and some persimmon orchards.
The processing area
After the persimmons are hand-picked fresh from the orchards, they are washed and peeled in this area. They are peeled by a machine first, and then the remaining skin on both ends is removed manually. Once the peeling process is done, the peeled persimmons are placed in round steel baskets waiting for drying in the sun, which creates gorgeous geometric patterns.
The drying area
The drying area is in front of the processing area. The baskets with peeled persimmons are placed on the 200-cm-high (6.5-foot-high) bamboo racks for drying under the sun. With nearly one hundred round baskets placed orderly on the arbor, the golden peeled persimmons create a pleasant fragrance and magnificent sight. To facilitate visitors taking photos of the spectacular scenery, the farm especially prepares a wooden ladder in the center of the area.
In the meantime, many baskets full of peeled persimmons are also placed on the makeshift racks at the square in front of the traditional Hakka compound for drying under the sun. It is also a spectacular scene for photography.
The viewing platform
The platform is located on the top of the processing area. With many chairs and tables, the platform is a good location for rest and for appreciating the splendid view of the persimmons that are dried under the sun.
Moreover, there are a couple of persimmon trees loaded with orange-red fruit just outside the drying area. The viewing platform is thus one of the hot spots for taking photographs.
The persimmon orchard
There are over 200 persimmon trees in the orchard on the hill adjacent to the traditional Hakka three-section compound and the processing area. The orchard is covered with orange-red persimmons in round or oblong shapes every autumn when the fruits are ripe. Visitors are free to roam around the orchard and take photos under the beautiful persimmons, but it is forbidden to pick any persimmons on the trees.
The wood-burning stove
The stove is a large sauna-like baking chamber. Peeled persimmons are smoked there until their skin is both cured and hardened so that they can be sterilized. It can also accelerate the drying process to prevent the pulp from becoming black because of oxidation.
To make the dried persimmons more fragrant, the farm usually uses at least one longan log along with other kinds of logs to smoke the persimmons.
Dried persimmons
Dried persimmons are a popular delicacy in Taiwan. Among other factors, because the Jiujiangfeng (the September seasonal gales) and the sunshine in Hsinchu are perfect for drying the persimmons, the quality of dried persimmons produced in this vicinity is especially good. Moreover, as the persimmon products produced by this farm are smoked with longan logs and pressed by hand, they are particularly tasty and fragrant.
The beautiful scenery of the orchard brimming with orange-red persimmons, coupled with the magnificent scene of drying persimmons in the sun, makes Weiweijia Persimmon Leisure Farm a truly wonderful place to visit.
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