An Introduction to Dongtai Watermelons
Dongtai Watermelons have a planting history of over 800 years. With their unique geographical location, excellent soil conditions and rich planting experience, they have formed their own flavor characteristics. The special Xiaofeng and Early Spring Red Jade varieties are well suited to market demand, and the products are very popular, particularly their sweetness which is highly praised. The crystal yellow pulp Dongtai Watermelon varieties, such as Xiaofeng and Xiaolan, have a delicate and juicy taste, making them an excellent way to cool down and quench thirst.
What are the Product Features of Dongtai Watermelons?
Dongtai Watermelons have formed their own flavor characteristics with their unique geographical location, excellent soil conditions and rich planting experience. They have become an advantage industry and are increasingly popular with consumers. The taste of these watermelons is excellent, particularly the yellow pulp Xiaofeng which has a delicate and juicy taste, making it an excellent way to cool down and quench thirst. The red pulp Early Spring Red Jade watermelon has a high sugar content and less fiber, and is loved for its sweet and juicy flavor, and abundant nutrition.
What is the History Behind Dongtai Watermelons?
Since ancient times, Dongtai has been emerging from the sea towards the east, and becoming a land at a faster rate. The tidal flats and grasslands have gradually been utilized, and the countryside has developed two major industries: salt and agriculture. The area of Dongtai is bounded by Fanguo Embankment, with the east side being a plain area formed by the mud and sand of the Yangtze River and Huai River rising and falling with the tide, gradually extending to the east, and the terrain becoming higher and higher (the highest elevation on the east side is up to 5.1 meters above ground, which is 2-3 meters higher than the western area). Watermelons prefer drought-resistant crops, especially suitable for planting on sandy loam soil in this region. According to historical records, when the famous historical figure, Fan Zhongyan, served as the West Creek Salt Warehouse Monitor in Dongtai in 1023 AD, many farmers had already planted watermelons and there were watermelon markets in the city. Due to the high and low terrain of Dongtai, the historical farmland was all high and low, large and small, and different from each other. The western area of the embankment is "high horizontal fields, low horizontal navigation"; while the eastern area is "high fields for growing melons, low fields for crowing crows". From 1917 to 1940, Dongtai began to cultivate wasteland, build embankments to prevent tides, open up rivers, and basically achieved the goal of having rivers in each district, modules in modules, rivers in each module, and ditches in each lane. They combined with leveling the land and started to establish strip fields, providing basic farmland facilities to resist saltwater intrusion and prevent tidal flooding, and gradually forming a regional planting pattern for watermelon crops.
Honors and Awards of Dongtai Watermelons
In 1999, Dongtai Watermelons became famous for their "Jiami" green food label. In 2002, they were awarded the Famous Brand Product of Jiangsu Province. In September 2003, the Dongtai Watermelon Production and Sales Association applied for the "Dongtai Watermelon" trademark, which was formally accepted by the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. This has further enhanced the reputation of Dongtai's characteristic watermelon products.
