To promote persimmon cakes, which are being produced early this year due to a plentiful harvest, the Sinpu Farmers’ Association is to host a persimmon-themed hiking tour in Hsinchu County’s Sinpu Township (新埔) tomorrow.
About 1,000 people are expected to take part in the hike, which is to begin at Sinpu Art Square (新埔藝文廣場) at 7am and continue to the Jinhan Persimmon Education Park (金漢柿餅教育園區), where participants are to learn about the plant and how to make persimmon products.
The 5.6km-long walk is to take participants through 13 persimmon processing factories, as well as a persimmon-themed studio, an organic bookstore and a traditional market that has more than a century of history.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
Although the tour was planned for 1,000 people, everyone is welcome to join, association head Tseng Ting-hsi (曾庭熙) said.
The township’s Hankeng Borough (旱坑) has the nation’s largest persimmon industry and every year, its 13 processing factories turn 1.2 million kilograms of persimmons into 420,000kg of cakes worth NT$100 million (US$3.24 million), he said.
This year’s harvest has been particularly fruitful due to little rain, so the factories have begun making cakes earlier than usual and are to sell them for longer, he added.
A persimmon festival is also scheduled to be held next weekend in the township.
The festival is to include a fashion show of persimmon-dyed clothing and the launch of a new persimmon-flavored ice cream, among other events.
Visitors would also be able to purchase other persimmon products, such as bread and tea.
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