PinoyEcoFarmer

Throughout the tropics people grow fruit and vegetables in their own vegetable gardens. Why do they keep a garden?

• It assures them good food at low cost. Fruit and vegetables are necessary for the good health of children and adults. They make their diet more balanced and tastier. By keeping a garden people are less dependent on shops and markets, where supplies are often irregular and prices are high. You Want More? Continue Reading……..

Our backyard garden may be small but nothing compares to the simple joys of harvesting something from it. We gathered the first fruits of our pipinitos (mini cucumbers) after just barely two months after we first sowed the seeds.

For breakfast, we  sliced the pipinitos into thin pieces as salad and it was great with rice, sardines and scrambled eggs. We also prepared a blended pipinito smoothie out of our harvest. All we did was mix some calamansi juice, add honey to sweeten and some crushed ice. The result was a refreshing and delicious drink.

Growing pipinitos is easy. Sow the seeds directly and put a trellis near it (a tree branch will do), water regularly and wait for nature to run its course. We did not put any fertilizers nor applied pesticides but we got good results. Imagine doing this in your own yards.

My son often teases me that if I really want to be a farmer then I should start farming.  A recent meet with fellow farming practitioners and enthusiasts further inspired me to go for it. So I hatched a little plan and I am taking the challenge. I know that this will pale in comparison to what my farmer friends have but it is a start.

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The Sorsogon City Plant Nursery is just a walking distance away from our home in Sorsogon but I have yet to visit it until my recent trip home. The city nursery sits on a vacant lot at the Sts. Peter and Paul Subdivision near Gate 3.  I went there a day before going home back to Cavite.

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Balai Buhay is nestled on the slopes of Mt. Bulusan in the province of Sorsogon. The farm is in Baranggay San Roque just a few meters away from the chapel. There is a sloping access road from the main highway leading to the parking area. My brother told me about this place two years ago but I have not had a chance to visit it. Finally, we decided to drop by on our way back from a kayaking trip at the Bulusan Lake.

The farm doubles as a resort complete with a function hall and accommodation that can house about 40 guests. A room costs P1,000 for an overnight stay. A day tour will cost P80 per person with a complimentary drink of cold calamansi juice.

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I spotted these bananas during a trip to Bulusan, Sorsogon. It was my first time to see bananas these big so I asked the name of variety from the lady selling it. She told me that it is the “Tindok” variety. A piece sells for P10 pesos.

I doubt it if anyone can even eat a single banana by himself/herself.  My mother later told me that they slice the banana into pieces and fry them just like those done in the “Saba” variety.

Above: The Tindok bananas (I put my camera cap on top as reference) I am sure Kingkong will be happy to have some of these.

My trips to my home province of Sorsogon will not be complete without visiting the Our Lady of Penafrancia Seminary which is my highschool alma mater. The visit this time was doubly satisfying because it gave me an opportunity to see and admire the Sustainable Agriculture Center (SAC). The SAC manages the greenhouses on the seminary grounds in front of the Home for the Clergy and the open field farm at the back part.

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Mama has always been into gardening ever since I was a young boy. It is no wonder that I have a fascination with gardening as well. I recently had a chance to see her garden again when I went home to our province in Sorsogon for a brief vacation.

There is  really nothing extraordinary about her garden but I think what is more important is that it serves the purpose of providing them with some common everyday vegetables which otherwise would have been bought from the market.

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