Trang, Farmers in Huai Yot District, Trang Province, are growing 'sour melon' or 'eggplant', a new and popular cash crop. It takes only 30 days to grow and can be harvested and sold for 30 baht per kilogram, generating hundreds of thousands of baht in income per month. It tastes like eating cucumbers and melons and can be used in a variety of dishes. The ripe fruit is orange-yellow and is popularly used as an offering to the Buddha during festivals. Mrs. Payom, 57 years old, a farmer in Village No. 6, Tambon Thangiew, Amphoe Huai Yot, Trang Province, uses the vacant area between the furrows of her young oil palm plantation, covering an area of ??6 rai, to plant more than 220 orange melons, or eggplants, or melons. It takes only 30 days to plant them before they can be harvested and sold for 30 baht per kilogram. When ripe, the fruits will be orange-yellow, looking beautiful all over the furrows. They are also easy to plant, using seeds from the mother plant that can be planted further. They are resistant to diseases and insects. They are considered a new economic crop that has no competitors and are safe from the use of chemicals. In one plant, it can grow into a vine that can be several meters long. Each vine will have melon fruits at almost every node, resulting in a lot of production. Just over 200 plants can harvest 4-5 tons of melons, generating an income of over 130,000 baht/month. It is also popularly used to worship Buddha during festivals because of its auspicious golden yellow color. However, since it is still a new cash crop, it is not well-known in the market yet, so farmers have to cut it into pieces for people to try before buying. The taste is like eating cucumbers. If it is fully ripe, it will have a mild aroma similar to Thai melons. It can also be used in a variety of dishes, including sour curry, clear soup, stir-fry, spicy salad, boiled and dipped in chili paste, and as a side dish instead of cucumbers. Source: Thai News Agency