Dugua is a very intelligent plant, like knowing that people are counting its roots, so it hides under the roots of the wall, between the rubble, next to the roots of the trees, making it difficult to be excavated.
Dugua is the Chestnut Tower. Dugua is the common name of my hometown. It has different names depending on the region, and there are many kinds of melons, hanging melons, persimmon melons and so on. There are so many nicknames, which shows that its planting is extensive.
It is a perennial plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. The vines are as delicate as loofah vines, climbing on shrubs and trees with the help of force, reaching more than ten meters high. It is in my hometown, and in the past it was wild, and it was mostly found in deserted villages and fences and high trees. That has to be in the winter and summer when the dugua fruit is ripe and orange-red. Previously, although its vine leaves clinged to the surface of other objects, they were nothing special and not easy to perceive. At that time, there were farmers who specialized in digging dugua roots in the early winter, as long as they saw the eye-catching dugua fruit in the distance, they looked for it. But that's not rushing to the dugua fruit, it's for the dugua root that grows underground.
Dugua is a very intelligent plant, like knowing that people are counting its roots, so it hides under the roots of the wall, between the rubble, next to the roots of the trees, making it difficult to be excavated. However, the peasant who digs the root of Dugua, with a shovel more than a ruler long, no matter how narrow it grows, must also spend a lot of effort to dig it out. How persistent are farmers? Because dugua root is rich in starch, it can be used as a supplement to food and a tonic medicinal effect, mainly the former.
Du gua root is not like yam, straight like the overlord whip, but like kudzu root, He Shou Wu. Because of its location, roots are also shaped with things. It is like a dragon, like a spindle. Its length is more than one foot, and there are many people who cross the shoulders. If you dig like this, isn't it true? Anyway. The next year, its inexhaustible roots will still grow new vines, and in the summer, it will already bear fruit. Not to mention the fruits hanging in the treetops, the birds and finches are brought to it after the belly, and they take root on the ground and live endlessly!
On winter days, its nutrients converge on the roots. At that time, there was a lot of tuberculosis, and its roots had the effect of moisturizing the lungs and clearing the fire.
However, it is mainly full of hunger. People wash, peel, dry their roots, slice them into powder and then dry them, which is dugua powder. It should be stored for a long time. Scoop a spoon into a bowl and stir in boiling water. But ten seconds, that is, a thick bowl. It is shaped like lotus powder and resembles jade in color. Put a little sugar and eat it, moisturizing and refreshing. Wouldn't it be worth it to have a little less spice powder and even swell into a big bowl? Its color is similar to West Lake lotus powder, but it is mellow and has a faint medicinal fragrance. However, because of its limited number, it is not owned by ordinary people. Even if there is, it is often enjoyed by the elderly and children, showing a small luxury. Those who eat dugua powder will have more eyesight and less boils in the coming year.
In fact, Dugua is a treasure. In winter, its roots were dug up by farmers. The rootless stems, leaves, and fruits are hanging on the long forest shoots. The leaves tend to wither and the fruit is yellowish in color. After picking, the fruit is cut and the seed skin is taken. In addition to dugua powder, its seeds are dried and then medicated to facilitate ventilation and laxative, reduce swelling and moisturize the lungs. Medicinal value and skin, etc., can be pressed oil, but also dried and fried to eat, such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. The taste is unique, oily and slightly bitter. Its grains are fragile and hulled less than the former two.
Nowadays, there are few wild people in Dugua, and most of them are cultivated for trellises. In winter, the fruits are abundant and magnificent. Contrary to that year, nowadays, the main thing is to eat peels and grains. Supermarkets have fried dugua seeds (hanging melon seeds) for sale, which are derived from large-scale planting and make it possible to have a scale effect.
If so, Dugua is a thing, you can also know! (Shuomei)