桷(ずみ)の実が 明るく灯す 夕べ道

On the way home after the light mountain climbing, there is a tree that is about twice as tall as the height of my height, which is full of red fruits.  If you take a closer look, you will see a small apple-like fruit in the shape of a bell.  Immediately take a picture with my smartphone and check it with Google Lens, it says “Zumi”.  From April to June, flowers that look exactly like apples bloom, and it seems that they will bear fruit by this time.  “桷” is also written as “酸実”, and when the fruit is ripe, it has a strong acidity, but when it frosts, it has a slight sweetness.  And so when I put it in my mouth and chew it, it was sour and sour, and I spit it out of my mouth.  However, it seems that it becomes sweeter when it is more ripe, and it can be jammed.  Also, it seems that yellow dye can be produced from the bark, so it was a great learning experience.

軽登山を終えての帰り道、少し日が翳り始めた里道に赤い実をいっぱい付けた、背の丈の2倍ほどある木が立っています。近付いて良く見ると、小さな小さなリンゴの様な実が鈴なりになっています。早速スマホで写真に撮り、グーグル・レンズで調べたら「ズミ」とあります。4月から6月頃にかけてリンゴとそっくりな花が咲き、今頃に実がなるそうです。桷は酸実とも書き、実が熟すと、酸味が強いものの、霜が降りるころになれば多少の甘味が出るというので、一粒口に入れて噛むと酸っぱい酸っぱい、思わず口から吐き出しました。しかし、もっと熟すと甘くなるそうで、ジャムにもできるそうです。また樹皮からは黄色の染料ができるそうですから、とても勉強になりました。