One Year Old

I like Chinese New Year! What a treat it is to leave behind the hustle and bustle city life in Taipei for a week of New Year holidays to embrace the farm life in sunny southern Taiwan. On my way home from Taipei to Chia-yi on the highway, I thought of the old days visiting friends afar for Christmas in the US.

After marrying my husband from Po-tzu, a small town in Chia-yi county, for 26 years, I feel excited to go home to see my parents-in-laws, my extended relatives, and to see what happened to two jars of star fruits I preserved at the beginning of Year of Rabbit.

The star fruit tree in the front yard grows many star fruits in winter, too many to be absorbed by the family members. As the star fruit juice is good for the vocal cord and throat of a singer like me, I collected all green star fruits on the tree, sliced them, preserved them with sugar in two big jars.

The star fruit juice turned into star fruit wine, to my delight. My friends will be happy about it, because I shall bring three bottles of star fruit wine to the Spring Wine gatherings with Toastmasters and friends. The star fruit slices from the jars are dried in the sun to make star fruit jerky for desserts.

Before the end of New Year holidays, I shall collect the star fruits on the tree, make another big jar of star fruit juice and wait the magic to happen in 365 days at the end of Year of Dragon.