Although you might have already succumbed to the delights of organic produce, skincare and clothing, here at Asian Palate we ask, are you ready to take it to the next stage of organic living? On your mark, ponder on handpicking organic ingredients for your plate. Set, visit organic farms now and then and bite into their fresh and sumptuous produce on the spot. Go, take off your tie, get your hands into the mud and start being your own organic farmer.
With 73 officially recognised organic farms by 2010 in Hong Kong, it seems that organic farming is becoming a quietly rising force in the diminishing rural scene of this populous metropolis. Apart from selling a wide range of organic produce, the many organic farms in Hong Kong have shouldered the responsibility of promoting green awareness in Hong Kong through waving a friendly hand at us urban snails and inviting us to their organic sanctuary.
For a city dweller, a day at the farm can lead you down the path of making your own organic bread and soy milk. It is enticing to anyone, as who can say no to wafts of freshly made good food and the natural aroma of the lush countryside? If you are in for getting your hands dirty, for what it’s worth go into the farm and do the whole farming aerobic routine: Plough, Fertilise, Seed, Water, and… the most gratifying part of all – Harvest! Note though like all things in life, in a farm it’s “No Pain, No Gain!”situation. Harvest in Hong Kong has been enticing so many people away from their day-jobs, that people are now going as far as renting their own plot of land and farming it every week. However deep you like to dig your own organic “well”-ness, rest assured there are simply endless choices:
1. Produce Green Foundation – Located at Fanling, N.T., it is one of the longest organic farm establishments in Hong Kong. Go drop by and pay a visit, or have one of those Organic bread and soy milk DIY sessions, to s tarting your own Happy Farm (not just on Facebook anymore!) in real life.
2. YMCA Tung Chung Green Organic Farm – So you prefer going West instead of North? Try this location-friendly farm at Tung Chung. Get farming-savvy by making your mind over going box planting or having your own mini greenhouse .
3. Herboland – Island anyone? Located at Lamma Island, Herboland is Hong Kong’s first organic herbs farm. So if you have acquired the taste for herbs (we’re talking thyme and coriander), feel free to drop by and learn a few tricks about organic herb farming over a few cups of organic herbal tea served at the café there.
4. If your tired from a day of back-breaking labour in the onion fields, take a trip to the Wing Wo Bee Farm in Sha Tin . Divulge in deliciously sweet local honey, before it hits the supermarket shelves.
Running your own farm? Let us know.