Melon Picking Tourism in Trenggalek is a Hot Spot for Residents for Fresh Takjil

JAKARTA - Fruit picking tourism is now increasingly popular as a recreational choice as well as a way to get fresh harvests directly from the garden. One of the most popular is melon picking tourism, where visitors can choose and harvest the ripe fruit from the plants themselves.

In addition to providing a different experience, this activity also makes visitors more confident about the quality of the fruit to be consumed.

In Trenggalek Regency, East Java, this tourism concept is also used by residents to hunt for fresh fruit during the month of Ramadan. Sweet and juicy melons are often chosen as a menu for breaking the fast.

One of the busy locations to visit is the Sorsow Garden melon garden in Parakan Village, Trenggalek District. This place offers the experience of picking melons directly from the tree.

The owner of Sorsow Garden, Ubay Mustaqim, said the garden planted three premium melon varieties that visitors can choose, namely Petravany, The Blues, and Sunny or Sunnydew.

"Each type has a different character, both from the color of the skin and the texture of the fruit flesh. But for taste, it is relatively sweet," said Ubay.

He explained, Petravany melon has a yellow skin with orange flesh. Meanwhile, The Blues are green with orange flesh. As for Sunny or Sunnydew, it has a white bone skin with orange flesh.

According to Ubay, the sweetness level of melons from his garden reaches an average of more than 14 degrees brix. This figure is considered high compared to melons commonly sold in the market which are usually in the range of 9 to 10 degrees brix.

"If it hasn't reached 14 degrees brix, we usually postpone the harvest for a few days to a week so that the sweetness is maximum," he said.

Melon from the garden is a premium category that is usually marketed to a number of supermarkets at a price of around IDR 45 thousand to IDR 50 thousand per kilogram. However, for visitors who come directly to the garden, the fruit is sold at a more affordable price, around IDR 25 thousand per kilogram.

Melon harvest in the garden takes place every three months. Before harvest time, the manager usually announces it through social media so that customers can make reservations early.

Visitors are also allowed to mark the melons they choose before the harvest season arrives. Later, the fruit can be picked by themselves when it is ripe.

In addition to providing the experience of harvesting directly, the melon picked with its stem also has a long shelf life.

"If picked with the stem, melons can last up to about 30 days at room temperature. If stored in the refrigerator, it can last longer," said Ubay.

One of the visitors, Tamara Anisah Zain, admitted that she had come to the garden several times with her colleagues to pick melons directly from the plants.

According to him, this way makes buyers more confident in the quality of the fruit they bring home.

"If in the market we sometimes don't know the quality. Here you can see it directly from the tree so it's more sure," he said.

He added that melons are often chosen as a menu for breaking the fast because they are fresh and can help relieve thirst after fasting all day.

"In addition to takjil, we also often buy melons for treats during Eid or as souvenirs," he said.