First Kilning Experience

Today I got to experience first hand how to make a kiln (natural oven made out of mud rocks). The process is called kilning and visitors at the farm can experience it in one of they activities.

Never ending of white radishes

Yesterday I helped out with the kitchen department in washing tons & tons of white radishes. The farm ordered many boxes that I didn't have the chance to count.

"Good Man Good Food 好男人.好料理" in Toucheng Leisure Farm!

This morning, I was brought along to the Cang Jiu Winery to witnessed a cooking variety show done by 2 singaporean artist under Mediacorp Pte Ltd. The name of this show was "Good Man Good Food
好男人.好料理"

Beauty within the family.

The tea plant (Camellia Sinensis) is part of a family called Camellia. But in this family there is another member whose beauty draws attention from the crowd.
It also known as the Rose of Winter, ladies and gentlemen, the Camellia Japonica!

Butterfly, Butterfly, We were meant to FLY!

Toucheng Leisure Farm is home to the Rice paper butterfly or the Giant wood nymph butterfly. TLF specially prepared an environment where these butterflies make their humble home.

Visitors from Home!

Today, a group of Malaysian Visitors!! Hearing them speak brings me back home. They are from a company called MAEPS Management which is a government link company with the Ministry of Agriculture of Malaysia. Their visit to Toucheng Leisure Farm was for a business trip whereby they came to get some ideas to bring back and develop their agro exposition park in Serdang, Malaysia.

Sugar, Vinegar and Whole lot of Kumquats!

This morning I get to see how TLF make their signature kumquat vinegar or kumquat preserved in a bottle filled with sugar and vinegar. Unlike the Kumquat Marmalade, the procedures to make this kumquat vinegar is much more simpler and takes a shorter duration of time.

Money, Money, Money

"Money, money, money
  Must be funny
  In the rich man's world"

Not for long, if you have have the Money Tree at your backyard. The Malabar Tree ( 馬拉巴栗) a.k.a the Money Tree (發財樹) is grown around  Toucheng Leisure Farm. The scientific name is Pachira aquatica but the local usually called it the Malabar chestnut tree. 

The Taiwanese believe the Malabar Tree brings fortune and prosperity therefore during the Lunar New Year, many Chinese will bring back these trees to place in their entrance way symbolically luring more wealth into their bank account.

Though the nuts are often eaten raw, their taste is more like a chestnut when they are roasted or fried in oil.

Legend has it, a poor Taiwanese farmer first started to plant the Money Tree after he come across this strange tree in his field and believe is a gift from God to help him. The tree grew and the farmer started  the nuts and seeds. From the seed, the farmer grew more of the Money Tree and soon he prosper in his sales. The farmer became a wealthy man. Thus, the tree was name the Money Tree.

Today, we when to picked the fallen seeds of the Money Tree and germinated them for an upcoming event whereby the farm will teach a group of children coming in next month how to grow these trees.

More on the Money Tree can be found by clicking the links below
http://www.ehow.com/about_6763878_history-pachira-money-tree.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira_aquatica

These purple sweet potatoes (Ipomea Batatas) are grown in the farm. These sweet potatoes contain anthocyanins that served as natural colorant because of their high heat and light stability and are commonly used in juices, alcoholic beverages, jams, confectioneries, bread, snacks and noodles. 

Recently, Toucheng Leisure Farm have incorporated the leaves of these sweet potatoes into their bread. And the result, DELICIOUS!
 

Blooming of the Kumquat Tree