Taste of the Mountain
Our orchard sits on a hillside in Tai'an. We don't spray, and we don't hurry the trees — the fruit is sweet when the mountain says so. Here is everything the orchard gives us, and how to have it sent to your door.
How we grow
No sprays, no weedkiller. The grass gets cut; the bugs get eaten by birds. A scar on the skin now and then is simply the mountain's mark.
Every fruit stays on the tree until it's fully ripe. So we don't stockpile: picked, sorted, boxed, and on its way.
A mountain harvest depends on the sky. We'll tell you honestly on LINE how much each season gives — sometimes less, sometimes later.
From the orchard
Our signatures are the early-summer red-flesh plum and the winter kumquat. The rest come when the weather says so — ask us, and we'll tell you what's ripe that day.
Early summer · around May–June
Deep red skin, flesh red to the heart, and a fragrance inside the sweet-and-sour. Tree-ripened, so no two are quite the same firmness — that's what real fruit is like.
Winter · around December–February
In winter the mountain keeps its sunshine in the kumquats: thin-skinned, fragrant, a little bittersweet, eaten skin and all.
Shoot season
Dug at dawn in the bamboo grove and carried down still wet with dew — sweet, with none of the bitterness.
How to eatBest cooked the same day: blanched, in a cold salad, or in soup. Shoots don't keep, so in season ask us on LINE what's been dug that morning.
When the weather says
Pink inside, and sweeter than it looks.
How to eatThin-skinned — rinse and eat it whole, seeds and all.
Still growing
Our papaya trees are still young, their palm-shaped leaves only just reaching for the sky. When they've grown, fruited and ripened on the tree to exactly the right softness, we'll let you know.
How to eatTree-ripened papaya, chilled and eaten as it is.
When the weather says
A small red berry. Eat one, and for a while everything sour turns sweet — the mountain's little magic.
How to eatHold one in your mouth for a moment, then bite into a lemon.
When the weather says
Mountain chilies: a clean, bright heat.
How to eatChop them fresh into a dish; dried and ground, they keep for months.
Summer · in bud
Picked before the bud opens — for soup or a quick stir-fry. The ones that bloom, we leave for the mountain.
How to eatFresh daylily buds must always be cooked before eating; they're lovely in soup or stir-fried with pork.
Season calendar
Seasons shift a little with each year's weather. For exact opening dates, go by our LINE announcements.
Plum blossomFor looking, not picking. The hillside turns white.
Red-flesh plumPre-order in spring; shipped in picking order.
Green bamboo shootsDug at dawn; ask the same day.
DaylilyPicked before the buds open.
KumquatSunshine, saved for winter.
Pink guava · Miracle fruit · ChiliesWe'll tell you when there are some. Papaya: when the trees have grown.
How to order
One account for visits and orders alike. When a season opens, you'll be the first to know.
Which fruit, how much, and where to send it. We'll reply with how the orchard is doing this year, plus prices and shipping.
Once harvest opens, orders are picked, boxed and shipped in turn. You'll hear from us on LINE when yours is on its way.
How it arrives
Picked, sorted, boxed, and out the door — no stops in between. Now and then there'll be one or two that are especially soft: those are the sweetest. Eat them first.
Prices and shipping depend on the season and are confirmed with you on LINE. There's no online cart yet — we do this one conversation at a time.
Book & order
Visits, fruit orders and language lessons all begin in the same LINE account. We'll chat one-to-one, at your pace, and you'll be the first to hear when each season opens.
Our LINE official account is being set up — once it's live, these buttons will take you straight there.
