On our second day in Tacloban, we requested our host to bring us to their local market. She told me there are two  markets to choose from: one is their public market in downtown Tacloban and the other one is a Saturday market called “Tabo” in Palo, a municipality about 12 kilometeres from Tacloban. Of course we chose the latter.

Palo is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 47,982 people in 9,272 households. Interestingly, Palo is a sister municipality of Palo Alto in California, USA. Because of this, the city of Palo Alto supports the development of Palo in Leyte. One of their grants was a children’s library. If you want to go to Tabo market, you can’t get lost because the children’s library is just right beside it.

There were several stalls surrounding the market so we decided to parked near the library. From afar, the market looked small. There were a few scattered vendors such as this “ginger man”.

After a few more stalls of vegetables, we turned right and was surprised to see this crowd in all directions. It was 7:30am.

It took us some time to find freshly harvested vegetables such as these carrots, which, according to the vendor, came from Davao.

Most vegetables sold in Tacloban are from Baguio, Davao and Cebu. Very few are locally grown in Leyte.

These tomatoes and cabbages were from Baguio.

We were cheered up by several rice cake vendors. One of them is this cassava cake vendor who grated cheese on top of her product with a big smile. Sarap!

By the way, please don’t leave without at least a box of this yummy delicacy called … yes, moron (Php5 each).

Beside the rice cake lane were seafood vendors. We spotted wild catfishes which were all sold in less than 15 minutes.

According to our hosts and some people we met, locals are not keen on farming. Their preferred livelihood is producing handicrafts such as mats, bags …

… and knives such as this long knife called ‘sundang’. Sundang is a multipurpose knife which is also used as a weapon. Farmers tie sundang around their waists (like a sword). We took this photo from afar. We’re wondering what the sundang vendor was saying to the young lady.

Even flowers are brought in from Cebu …

and of course, Baguio. Yes, all the way from Baguio. Vegetables and flowers are usually brought in to Manila first, then to Tacloban.

On our way back to our car, we passed the dry-goods section where we saw more animal feeds than rice for human consumption.

We found a locally-grown rice which we encouraged our accompanying host to try. It was sold at Php28 per kilo only.

Tapul or black rice was sold at Php70 per kilo.

Finally, we got out of the crowded market and was tempted to buy from this vendor.

Next time you’re in Leyte, visit Tabo Market. Try to be there around 6-6:30am to avoid the big crowd. If you’re staying in Palo, you can also ride their local trike or ‘sidecar’ at Php5 only (one-way).

Do you have a favorite provincial local market? If yes, why do you like it?

But there’s hope.

Here’s a video of Birke Baerh, an 11-year old homeschooled organic advocate. At age 9, while traveling with his family, Birke began studying sustainable and organic farming practices such as composting, vermiculture, canning and food preservation.

How about you? What is organic to you and your family?

Here are five bright green trends we expect to see this year:

1. ORGANIC WILL BE THE STANDARD

There will be a continued increase in everything and anything organic. We will see new products, new brands and innovative producers/manufacturers of organic products.

Filipinos will be conscious about their family’s health and wellness. This trend started in 2009 and it will remain the same – a slow yet steady uphill climb for the organic and health/wellness industries.

2. WOMEN WILL BE LEAD ORGANIC CONSUMERS

Not only will people become more conscious for the sake of fitness, but there will be an increase in number of organic consumers, especially women. Next in the lead pack are kids.

3. MORE LOCAL ORGANIC MARKETS AND CSAs

Gas prices are up. Not everybody can afford to travel from Fairview to Makati weekend markets every week. We see a trend of people setting up their own local community markets, CSA groups or similar efforts.

4. THE RISE OF FARM-TO-PLATE ADVOCATES

This year, Pinoys will go for greener options not only the foodies but the food industry as well. Culinary schools will add subjects related to organic agriculture. Chefs will be more innovative and creative in their use of local, fresh and organic ingredients.

Also, restaurants and hotels will partner with organic producers, and will choose organic over non-organic vegetables. Are you a restaurant owner or an F&B director? Want to be stand out? Go organic then innovate.

5. RENEWED INTEREST IN THE NEXT GENERATION TO LEARN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

As demand for organic produce slowly increases, more and more traditional farmers and producers will start growing organically. More old and new agricultural businessmen would give organic a shot this year.

Here’s the good-to-great catch: this includes children and grandchildren of traditional farm owners initiating the conversion of their land to organic. With the next generation with us, our future looks brighter and greener! Go green, Philippines!

These are just some of our green “predictions” this year. As consumers, we encourage you to patronize your local market and farmers. Get to know them. Build a relationship with your CSA provider. Whatever you do, when possible, go local and choose organic.

Happy new year everyone and we wish you and your family a greener and healthier 2012!

Can you add at least one green prediction for 2012?

Photo Credit: (2012 Image) vectorstock.com

This is one of our favorite salads. It’s easy to prepare, very tasty and healthy, too. We just thrown in whatever salad greens and vegetables that’s in our refrigerator. Balsamic vinaegrette goes well with almost any salad greens. Add feta, pecorino or parmesan cheese  – that’s it!

Ingredients:

1 medium American cucumbers, sliced

1  medium Salad tomatoes, sliced

1 medium White onions, sliced

250g Romaine

125g any colored lettuce

few stems of Arugula (optional)

hardboiled egg, sliced

fresh local cheese

Dressing

¼ Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp coco sugar

1 tbsp garlic, chopped

½ tsp sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Juice of one lemon

¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Basil or your favorite herbs (optional)

Here is our simple, no brainer, Garden Salad recipe:

Wash all greens and vegetables. Pat dry with a paper towel and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Get your prettiest and biggest ceramic bowl (presentation matters!) then mix and layer all salad greens (lettuce, arugula) with vegetables. You can add the salad dressing right before you serve it or serve it in a separate container. Top your salad with the cheese.

Best if your greens are freshly harvested and ingredients are organically-grown.

For the salad dressing, beat the vinegar in a bowl with the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Add the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. Add lemon juice and herbs. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Do you love salads?

Here in the Philippines, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but about ten years ago, we started our own version of Thanksgiving celebration that is focused on gratefulness more than anything else. We usually invite close family and friends to a simple dinner and do our “Faith Goal List”. Each family member and guest writes on a blank sheet of paper his/her faith goals for the following year. We put it in a box, seal it and open it next Thanksgiving Day.

This week, we look forward to Thursday as we open our gold box and read our probably forgotten faith goals we wrote last year. It is just amazing how God answers everybody’s list – some usually have half of their list answered, others have a few, and some have their whole list answered! For the past 10 years, not a single person was left without even one unanswered faith goal.

Today, we thought of preparing for Thursday’s dinner. Here’s our draft menu, incorporating local ingredients to each dish:

Garden Salad

Cream of Squash & Zucchini

Baked Chicken

Arugula & Tomatoes Spaghetti

Organic Heritage  Rice

Piyaya by Fresh Organics

La Moderna Bakery of Guagua Artisan Pastries

Non-Dairy Ice Cream with Cacao Shavings

Lemongrass Iced Tea

Organic Coffee

Will finalize our recipes for these dishes and will share some with you. Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone!

Do you celebrate Thanksgiving Day, too?

We met Edilee during Agrilink 2009. Back then, her concentration was only personal care under the brands Milea Bath & Body Wellness Essentials and All Organics. Last year, she expanded and developed another specialty product line, Milea Baby.

Early this year, Edilee got into organic and natural farming, not only of fresh produce but wild Giant Asian Honeybees (Apis dorsata) as well. That’s why in the recent Agrilink 2011, we were excited to see her booth and the new products from Milea Orchard and Bee Farm.

Organic Honey

BENEFITS OF HONEY

Honey is one of the best of all nutritive sweeteners. Taking a spoonful of honey in the morning helps dissolve phlegm, gently warms up the stomach, strengthens it, washes away stomach viscidity and eliminates its sluggishness.

Drinking an infusion of honey and calamansi in the morning is healthier than most drinks that are sweetened with sugar, and is certainly better than artificially sweetened drinks. Honey strengthens the body, preserves its youth, as well as refreshes the spirit, stimulates the liver, and finally, honey stimulates the heart, and provides it with much needed energy and balance. When the heart is healthy, the vessels pump the blood easily, and the arteries carry the blood that is rich in nutrients to all parts of the body.

We tasted three variants of honey: narra, organic raw and combination of coconut, banana, acacia and bagrass. We liked the variant with banana and was happy to bring home a bottle for our multigrain pancakes!

THE WONDERS OF BEE POLLEN

Bee pollen has over 96 different nutrients and has been used in traditional Chinese and Ancient Egyptian herbal medicine for thousands of years. It contains every nutrient that is required to sustain human life and all the main antioxidants that have been discovered to date making it one of the most nutritionally complete natural substances we know of.

Bee Pollen

Bee pollen from coconut flowers increases stamina, heightens alertness, boosts mental capacity, burns and metabolizes fats, eliminates fatigue, eases hypertension, alleviates impotency, prevents prostate cancer, improves digestion and can combat depression. This is helpful and can be taken at night by students reviewing for exams or professionals who work at BPO/Call Center industry.

Bee Pollen may be taken before meals to help lose weight, during meals to maintain weight and after meals to gain weight. Just melt 1/2 teaspoon of bee pollen under your tongue 30 minutes before breakfast. You can double this dosage on strenuous or stressful days and prior to athletic activities. It is suggested to drink alkaline water with your daily bee pollen intake.

We brought home their 20gms bottle which is good for 15 days.

If you are a fan or have used honey and/or bee pollen, can you share with us a testimonial how it has benefited you?

Last Friday, we managed to squeeze in our busy schedule to drop by Agrilink 2011. This year, top of our must-see list was invitation by Sandy Celi of Spread Organic Agriculture in the Philippines (SOAP) for Perrine Collin‘s workshop, “Growing Kamote as an Alternative Staple”. We got a text that her workshop will be at 10am in Seminar Room C.

As we were looking for the seminar rooms, we spotted two booths selling open-pollinated (OP) seeds: Allied Botanical Corporation and East West. We bought some sprouting seeds as our next urban gardening project.

We found the venue and as we were registering, the workshop was just about to start. We found one last seat in the front row which was perfect.

Perrine is a Belgian agricultural engineer. She graduated from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 2008 with a major in Tropical Agronomy. She is currently working as a Marketing Manager for Cabiokid Foundation, a permaculture farm in Nueva Ecija. She is particularly interested in sustainable development, desertification and development cooperation.

During the workshop, Perrine showed us that staring a “Kamote Tower” is both easy and inexpensive. All you need are 4-5 camote to germinate, a recyclable container such as old rubber tires, soil and a bit of space.

The Kamote Tower is low maintenance and if done properly, may yield for you at least 40 kilos per tower!

Perrine’s talk was followed by one of the best and most comprehensive and easy-to-understand presentation about sustainable organic and vermiculture by Pam Henares. The seminar room was packed and most of the attendees were farmers.

Pam is an organic farming advocate and currently the foremost resource speaker about Vermiculture in the Philippines. She has given presentations on this subject during the 2008 International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM ) World Congress held in Modena, Italy. She was also a resource speaker during the 2009 IFOAM Southeast Asian Conference in Kuching, Malaysia. She has travelled to most of the archipelago teaching the benefits of sustainable farming methods and the wonders of Vemiculture. A retired CEO of Riverside Medical Center, she holds a Masters Degree in Hospital Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University. She is married to Jose Henares, Sr. and currently resides in Bacolod City. Largely responsible for the technology research and development work of Buro Buro Springs Vermi Farm, she has attended various fora around the world on sustainable organic farming both as delegate and speaker. She is a member of the National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB),  sits as a trustee of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation (NISARD) and is also a consultant for GTZ, a German government cooperation agency with considerable presence in the Philippines. She has also represented the country in various conferences and trade missions around Asia, Europe and the Middle East for the organic agriculture sector.

Her 45-minute talk was remarkable. Here are some of our favorite slides which were taken during her presentation:

Principles of Organic Agriculture

Organic vs. Sustainable Agriculture

After the two seminars, we were able to hurriedly scan the retail area for another fifteen minutes before our ride back to Makati arrived.

Straight from the farm – carrots from Costales

We were able to spot our partner farmers and producers from Costales Nature Farms, San Benito Farms, Melendres Farms and Milea.

It was good to see (and chat) with Milea‘s Wonder Woman Edilee Omoyon and Goody-Kefir‘s Jeren Cabral. Edilee shared with us their new products which we will review soon.

We wished we had more time to visit all the booths but we had to leave around 3pm. It was good to see more and more people, especially farmers, interested to go organic and natural in their farms.

We also spotted a booth on renewable energy targeting farmers as users. This is a good sign we Filipinos are slowly getting the idea that organics, natural and green should be our standard even in agriculture.

Can you guess what this green thing is? 13th comment with correct answer gets a prize.

More admired for its ornamental than its edible value, the mabolo has appeared in literature for many years under the illegitimate binomial Diospyros discolor Willd. In 1968, Dr. Richard Howard, Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, proposed the adoption of D. blancoi A. DC., and this is now regarded as the correct botanical designation for this species. The fruit is called peach bloom in India and buah mantega (butter fruit) in Malaysia – a term now often applied to the avocado–, or buah sakhlat, or sagalat (scarlet fruit). Mabolo (or mabulo) is the most common of the several Philippine dialectal names. Kamagong usually refers to the entire tree, and mabolo is applied to the fruit.

Origin and Distribution

The mabolo is indigenous to the low and medium altitude forests of the Philippine Islands, from the island of Luzon to the southernmost of the Sulu Islands, and is commonly cultivated for its fruit and even more as a shade tree for roadsides. The tree was introduced into Indonesia and Malaysia, and, in 1881, into Calcutta and the Botanical Garden in Singapore, though it existed in Singapore before that date. In recent times, it has been decreasing in numbers in Malaysia. It is only occasionally planted in India and then mainly as an ornamental because of the attractiveness of the foliage and the fruits.

Seeds were sent to the United States Department of Agriculture by W.S. Lyon, of the Philippine Bureau of Agriculture, in 1906, with a note of admiration for the tree and the exterior of the fruit but not the interior; still, more seeds were sent in 1909 and the seedlings thrived at the Plant Introduction Station in Miami. There are occasional specimens grown elsewhere in southern Florida and some scattered around the Caribbean area, in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Trinidad and the Lancetilla Experimental Garden in Honduras where plants were received from the Philippines in 1926 and seeds from Cuba in 1927. There are a few in Bermuda and in Hawaii where the mabolo first fruited in 1928.

Cultivation

Male trees must be planted near the female trees for effective pollination and fruit production. The tree does best in loam but flourishes very well in almost any soil with little care. It is rarely fertilized and seems to need no protective spraying.

Mabolo is easy to grow organically and we hope that this fruit will gain popularity again. Its current conservation status is ‘vulnerable’ and we hope farmers will continue to plant more mabolo trees for the next generation.

Season

In the Philippines, the main season is June until September but occasional fruits may be found on the tree at almost any time of the year.

How To Eat Mabolo

The surface fuzz adheres tightly even when the fruit is ripe. Also, the skin, though thin and pliable, is tough and papery when chewed. Therefore, the fruit should be peeled before eating, and then kept in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. Then the odor, which is mainly in the skin, will have largely dissipated.

Some people slice or quarter the flesh, season with lime or lemon juice or syrup and serve fresh as dessert. The flesh is also diced and combined with that of other fruits in salads. If stewed in syrup, the flesh becomes fibrous and tough. Cut into strips and fried in butter, it is crisp and fairly agreeable as a vegetable of the dasheen or taro type appropriate for serving with ham, sausage or other spicy meat.

The fruit is considered a fairly good source of iron, calcium and a good source of vitamin B.

We chanced upon this interesting use of mabolo as an appetizer. We will definitely try the recipe in the near future.

Can you share another recipe using mabolo as one of the ingredients?

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF OUR SPECIAL SERIES ON RARE PHILIPPINE FRUITS.

The idea came about after Le Bistro Vert owner Reena Francisco hosted an intimate cheese tasting event last May which was a hit amongst friends. To further promote locavorism, Reena, along with partners Chit and Jeannie Javelosa decided to invite friends, who are also chefs with their own restaurants outside Metro Manila to be paired off with a farmer or producer, challenging them both to offer a new dining experience to guests of the bistro.

The first of the series, Men and their Passions, kicked off last month through a special organic rice menu by Manny Torrejon, chef and owner of Manolo’s located in Paranaque; alongside the organic rice produce of Carlo Calma-Lorenzana from Davao City.

Rice and cooking, coffee and wine-pairing are the passion of these two men who agreed to come together and collaborate in this first time experience.

True to the intro of Manny, we were served about seven kinds of dishes:

The first plate had a piece each of Paella Sushi and Paella Ball. The sushi was stuffed with Spanish traditional ingredients, such as rice, mussels and shrimps, and rolled in nori. The ball had Manchego and Jamon Serrano. These bite-sized appetizers were beautifully paired with a glass of chilled 2009 Finca de los Andes Sauvignon Blanc.

Caldero is a Spanish fish soup with rice. This time, it was served with 2009 Finca de los Andes Malbec.

Manny surprised all of us when he announced that he will be serving Porchetta, Manolos’ bestseller, with his two signature paellas:

Paella Negra, which is a Spanish black rice (ink from the squid) with assorted meats and seafood, was paired with 2009 Altas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon,

and, Paella Valencia, which is a traditional Spanish rice with assorted meats and shellfish, was paired with 2009 Altas Cumbres Malbec.

To cap our rice-overload-lunch, we were served La Flor de las Cordilleras Coffee and Manny’s version of biko or rice cake, Pulot Ini.

If you want to try these local food, wine and coffee pairing experience, visit Le Bistro Vert all Wednesdays of September and October.

Have you tried pairing your favorite home-cooked Filipino dish with wine?

Natural sea salt comes from evaporated seawater and is harvested all over the world. Unprocessed sea salt is often grayish-white, sometimes pink or orange. These salts can be washed, re-evaporated or roasted. We use locally-produced natural sea salt, which we prefer to commercial salts that often have additives.

One of the best Philippine natural sea salt is produced in the southernmost tip of the Island of Mindoro and is harvested by hand from clay-lined salt beds fed by the sun and sea.

Natural Sea Salt vs. Processed Salts

Most consumers are familiar only with the refined, processed and white iodized salt found in supermarkets. Filipinos have the impression that the rock salt in public markets are all-natural. They’re not. It was only recently that we discovered that all salts sold in the Philippines are iodized (FVR law). Non-iodized salt is only available in health shops and from suppliers of raw materials for spas.

It is almost impossible to spot the difference between iodized rock salt and natural sea salt, but here are some tips to guide you. Natural sea salt have the following characteristics:

1. Most are light grayish white in color. In Pangasinan, they also produce “pink salt” which is very popular with chefs and gourmands in New York.

2. It is moist to the touch and retains moisture even when kept in storage for long periods.

3. It is formed of small cubic crystals.

These three characteristics not only prove the natural sea salt’s integrity and wholeness but also guarantees its effectiveness in building, maintaining or restoring optimum health.

So, how is natural sea salt produced here in the Philippines?

Below is our interview with siblings Arnold and Joanne Duque, producers of Mina de Oro Philippine Sea Salt:

Have you tried adding a pinch of natural sea salt to your coffee? Try it and let us know what you think.