NGHE AN – People of Ky Son district go into the forest to split bamboo and cork to get the bamboo shoots inside and take it home as a dish, or sell it to traders for more than 500,000 VND per day.
On the morning of the end of December, Mr. Ho Nhia Xong, 50 years old, residing in Huoi Tu commune, Ky Son district, and three neighbors carried baskets and knives and walked into the mountains 5 km from his home to hunt bamboo shoot worms. This is a seasonal job for people in the highlands of Nghe An at the end of the year.
Bamboo forests covering hundreds of hectares in the communes of Huoi Tu, Tay Son, Muong Long, Huu Kiem, Nhon Mai… in Ky Son district are in the bamboo harvest season. In addition to producing bamboo shoots, bamboo plants also contain larvae (called bamboo shoot worms). The worm is one centimeter in diameter, 3-5 centimeters long, milky white. They often burrow into the stems of bamboo trees to grow, and when mature, they make holes to escape.
Mr. Xong said that when the bamboo trees are still young, the worms are eating and scattering on the tops. In winter, when the tree gets bigger, the larvae begin to nest in the joints at the base of the tree. Therefore, this is the largest and fattest stage of the worm.
The bamboo shoot worm season starts from October of the previous year until the end of January of the following year. In the past two months, every time he went up the mountain, Mr. Xong always brought rice balls and drinking water to work through lunch. Selecting bamboo trees that are slightly crooked, have dark bark, withered tips, and tumor-shaped eyes, Mr. Xong used a sharp knife to split the stems to get the larvae.
When splitting the tree trunk, workers must be careful, otherwise the blade will cut the bamboo shoots located inside the hollow core. With cork, each tree only produces one larva. Bamboo is more numerous, with dozens of roots. Splitting a tree takes about 2-5 minutes. One day, each person gets 2-3 kg of bamboo shoot worms.
“Bamboo trees that are eaten by bamboo shoot worms will mostly be damaged. Therefore, cutting down trees to get larvae does not affect the surrounding ecological environment. To have an abundant and regular source of bamboo shoot worms, we always remind each other to protect natural forests,” Mr. Xong said.
In addition to local people, some families in districts such as Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Anh Son, Que Phong… also took advantage of this opportunity to go to old forests in Ky Son district and neighboring areas to hunt bamboo shoot worms. People with close family come home the same day. If they live far away, each trip lasts 2-3 days, and at night they set up tents to sleep in the forest.
Bamboo shoot worms are always expensive. As soon as people carry their baskets down the mountain, there are traders waiting on the inter-village and inter-commune roads to buy them for 250,000-300,000 VND per kg. “Every day I get about 2 kg, earning more than 500,000 VND. Large families make a profit of 1-3 million VND. On average, each crop, people have an additional income of 10-15 million VND, in the villages. If the village does a good job of protecting the forest, the revenue will be higher,” said Mr. Ho Ba Xa, 56 years old, residing in Huoi Tu commune.
In addition to selling to traders, some people take about 5-7 ounces of bamboo shoot worms home and fry them crispy, roast them with lemon leaves, braise them with pickles, stir-fry bamboo shoots, grill them… This larvae species is considered a specialty of the highlands. Nghe An has a fatty and fleshy taste and is often used to entertain guests.
Hunting bamboo shoot worms brings high income, but workers also face many risks. Ky Son mountain and forest are 800-1,000 m high above sea level, with many steep rocky slopes and dense bushes, making it easy to slip and fall when it rains. People can also be attacked by snakes, snakes, and centipedes if they do not wear protective gear.
The leader of the Ky Son District Agricultural Service Center said that from a less popular dish, in the past 5 years, bamboo shoot worms have become a popular commodity, widely sold in markets. However, the center recommends that when splitting bamboo trees to get worms, you should pay attention to protecting the forest, only take larvae from trees that are bored by worms, and avoid widespread cutting that affects the ecosystem.
($1~24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)