Royal Melon Yubari

The Japanese are great masters in growing vegetables. They are skilled breeders and have brought out many rarities, famous all over the world not only for their amazing taste, but also for their exorbitant price. Such is the Yubari melon.

Description of Japanese melon Yubari

The Japanese believe that the real King Yubari should be:

• perfectly round;
• have a well-defined mesh pattern and resemble ancient Japanese porcelain vases;
• have tender orange pulp, very juicy.

The taste combines pungency and sweetness, spice of cantaloupe, juiciness and sugar content of watermelon pulp, light but long pineapple aftertaste.

Melon King Yubari is a hybrid of two cantaloupes, they are otherwise called musk melons:

• English Earl’s Favorite;
• American Spicy.

From each of them, the hybrid variety, bred in 1961, took the best. The weight of melons is small – from 600 g to 1,5 kg.

This is a powerful plant, the stems and leaves of which do not differ in appearance from other cantaloupes.

Peculiarities of growing

The growing area of ​​​​the delicacy is very limited: the small city of Yubari, located near Sapporo (Hokkaido Island). The Japanese, famous for their high technology, have organized ideal conditions for its cultivation:

• special greenhouses;
• automatically regulated humidity of air and soil, which varies depending on the stage of vegetation of plants;
• optimal watering, taking into account all the features of the development of Yubari melon;
• feeding, correlated with the requirements of the melon at different stages of growth.

But the main condition that gives the Yubari melon an unforgettable taste, the Japanese consider special soils in the place of its growth – they have a high content of volcanic ash.

In Our Country, such soils can only be found in Kamchatka. But you can still try to grow Yubari melon on your site. The taste, most likely, will differ from the original, since it is impossible to achieve careful adherence to the cultivation technology in a conventional greenhouse.

Seeds can be bought in foreign online stores and from collectors of rare varieties in Our Country.

Growing recommendations:

1. This variety ripens late, so it is grown through seedlings. In the southern regions, it is possible to sow directly into the greenhouse. Yubari melon seeds are sown a month before they are planted in separate cups filled with fertile loose soil. Conditions for keeping seedlings: temperature about + 24 ° C, watering with warm water, good lighting and 2 top dressings with a weak solution of fertilizer with trace elements.
   Advice! Experienced gardeners advise soaking melon seeds for 24 hours before sowing in sweetened wine – the taste of the fruit will improve.

   

2. The soil for growing Yubari melon should be rich in nutrients, be loose and have a reaction close to neutral. It is fertilized by applying per 1 sq. m bucket of humus and 1 tbsp. l. complex mineral fertilizer. But best of all, this plant will feel on a pre-prepared warm bed. For a heat-loving southerner, full lighting throughout the day is very important. When choosing a landing site, this must be taken into account.
3. Seedlings are planted when the soil warms up to + 18 ° C, the distance between plants is about 60 cm. They are first hardened for a week, gradually accustoming them to fresh air. This technique is also necessary when growing a plant in a greenhouse. Melon does not like damage to the root system, so planting is carried out by transshipment. Planted plants are watered and shaded until they take root.
4. If the Yubari melon is planned to be grown on a trellis, care must be taken to tie it to stretched ropes or pegs. If it is grown in spreading, a piece of plastic or plywood is placed under each resulting fruit to protect it from damage and possible rot.
   Important! The planted seedlings are pinched over the 4th leaf and only the 2 strongest shoots are left for growth.
5. Water the plants with warm water as the topsoil dries. After the formation of fruits, watering is stopped, otherwise they will be watery. Overflow should not be allowed – the melon root system is prone to decay. When grown outdoors during this period, it is necessary to protect plants from precipitation by constructing temporary film shelters.
6. At the beginning of growth, the cantaloupe needs one top dressing with nitrogen fertilizers; during flowering, phosphorus and potassium will be required.
7. In cool regions, the formation of plants is necessary. After the formation of 2-3 ovaries, the Yubari melon whips are pinched, stepping back 1-2 sheets. They are also formed in open ground.

Melons are harvested when they are fully ripe. The signal is a change in color, the appearance of a mesh on the peel, an intensified aroma.

Yubari melon price

Among all the delicacies, King Yubari is in first place in terms of cost, overtaking black watermelon and ruby ​​grapes. Even the insanely expensive white truffle cannot be compared with it in these indicators. The reason for such a high price is the peculiarities of the mentality and lifestyle of the Japanese. They are accustomed to appreciate everything perfect and beautiful, and Yubari melon in this sense is the standard. An important role is played by an unusual taste and a small growing region. In other places, it is simply impossible to grow it: it does not reach the original in terms of taste. The delivery of ripened melons to other parts of Japan has appeared quite recently. Prior to this, exotic fruit could only be bought where it was grown – on the island of Hokkaido.

In Japan, it is customary to give delicacies for various holidays. Such a royal gift testifies to the material well-being of the giver, which is important for the Japanese. Usually melons go on sale in 2 pieces, with a part of the stem that is not cut off completely.

Yubari melons begin to ripen in early May. The price of the first fruits is the highest. They are sold at auctions, which makes it possible to raise their value literally to heaven. So, in 2017, a pair of melons was bought for almost $28000. From year to year, the price of them only increases: limited production, which employs only 150 people, creates an insurmountable shortage. Thanks to the cultivation of this exotic berry, the economy of Hokkaido is stable. It gives 97% of the profit received from the agricultural sector.

All ripe melons are quickly bought up by wholesalers, and already from them they go to retail. But even in an ordinary store, not every Japanese can afford this delicacy: the price for 1 piece can range from 50 to 200 dollars.

Those who certainly want to try King Yubari, but do not have the money to buy a whole berry, can go to the market. A cut slice of goodies is much cheaper.

Such an expensive product is simply a sin to recycle. However, the Japanese make ice cream and caramel candies from Yubari melon, and use it to make sushi.

Conclusion

Yubari melon is the first in a series of exotic delicacies that are distinguished by a high price. Not everyone will be lucky enough to get to Hokkaido during the harvest season and try this exotic fruit. But those who have their own plot can try to grow Japanese sissy on it and compare its taste with other melons.