Read more

At www.wackyecofarm.wordpress.com

Chook pens

I never expected that a farm is like a continuous development. This week, the flying pens were constructed. These flying pens are for the game fowl breeds. After the buyer purchase fighting cocks, the chickens will be kept inside these pens before the big fight. These pens will serve as their “hotel room” where they can rest and energize.

We also had a “chook pen” for the organic chicks. The chicks need a big space where they can play and scratch. But they also need to be protected from any risks on their lives such as snakes, rats, or even dogs. I also planted cucumbers that will crawl on the chicken wires.

We also planted the seed of the avocado Susan Hassig of Viuex Chalet gave me. Weekly, I would buy this fruit in the groceries but it doesn’t taste as delicious as the ones she gave. You can really taste the difference between organic fruits than the ones bought in the market: organic ones are just tastier.

I also had a my first client inquiry on my organic chickens (check WE-CAFE). She’s not a relative or a friend, she just came across my blog. She’s planning to buy an organic chicken, as well as chicken binakol. The inquiry is such a lovely surprise!

I really hope more and more people would go organic – it’s just healthier and lowers the risks of any disease or even cancer that one may acquire as we age

Plotting Hill

Do you still remember The Parable of the Sower? The plots are up, but not all my seeds made it alive. Some seeds were eaten by the birds, others drowned due to too much water, while others survived.

These are pechays that survived, and they have started to grow bigger.

And new hatchlings greeted us when we arrived. It’s like we have new chikitings weekly, it’s crazy! I never expected that chickens can multiply that fast!

I am also putting a chicken wire gate around the vegetables. It’s Joel’s suggestion. I don’t know why we had to gate the vegetables, but maybe the eggplants can crawl on the chicken wire.

I am having a trellis constructed for the WE-Cafe. The WE-Cafe is rustic farm cafe for our enjoyment. Also for my father’s clients who would come to the farm to purchase chickens. More importantly, I want a place to celebrate our family parties. I can already imagine my son’s
(2-years) Old McWacky has a farm birthday theme. WE-Cafe’s specialty is Chicken Binakol. For orders, check WE-Cafe

When lola Basyang howled

When typhoon Basyang swiped into Manila on July 13, I didn’t expect the winds would be that strong. My baby woke-up at midnight because of the howling winds, minutes later the power lines were immediately cut-off. We turned on the battery desk lamp, and to appease my son, I played videos in my cellphone for him to watch.

The next day, neighbors were cleaning their gardens. Like a true farmer, I was worried on the damage brought by the typhoon on Wacky Eco-farm.

Our beloved mango tree was uprooted by the strong winds

Imagine that tree can produce this many firewood.

The branches were cut into pieces to become firewood

Our sunflowers, forget-me-nots, and pansies did not make it – too much rainwater drowned the seedlings. The green ones you see are weeds.

good bye flowers

But it took me awhile to believe Joel, one of our caretakers. I insisted that the green sprouts were flowers. So he dug into the soil and showed me that the flowers have longer roots than weeds.

Death of a budding flower

But on the lighter side of the damage, my veggies started to sprout.

sproutlings

As they say, there’s always a rainbow after the storm.

Raw, raw on the plate

One of the main reasons why I am going organic is because I’m prone to breast cancer (read here) .

I had my first Mammogram last may, then an ultrasound which showed several fibrocystic cysts. My doctor advice me that I have to get an ultrasound thrice a year just to monitor if it’s multiplying.

Of course, I got scared. I want to live longer and be healthy for my family. For early prevention, I’m taking organic living up a notch: I’m trying out this raw food diet.

I am not a foodie – we hardly eat out in restaurants. But I like to cook and prepare food- i love the whole serenity to it.

The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods.According to altmedicine.about.com (http://bit.ly/qcbnL) eating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food.

Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw. Let’s see if I can handle it.

carrot and tomatoes drizzled with pesto sauce and lemon juice

Lunch

banana, papaya drizzled with honey and crushed nuts

Dinner

capreze with carrots and homemade kesong puti drizzled with olive oil infused in herbs

*clause: an option is to have a 1 week monthly raw food diet for detox.

Kesong Puti in three

I’m so proud, I made fresh kesong puti in three different flavors: plain, rosemary and basil, and marinated one! I used the freshest ingredients, and organic herbs from Mima’s garden.

boil fresh cow's milk

I mixed some rosemary, basil, onion, and garlic for the gourmet cheese.

salt bath

plain kesong puti

rosemary and basil kesong puti

Marinated kesong puti in olive oil and herbs

Bok, bok, bok to Wacky Eco-farm

My son thinks he’s a chicken! He always likes to say “bok, bok, bok” even imitating the wings with his arms. So I have decided to bring him to Tatay’s farm. I hardly go there because it’s a macho place, but since he’s abroad, I am mandated to visit monthly.

I never really cared about farming until I became a mom. I am mainly inspired by my son Joachim. I spent my childhood in Iloilo – the beach was just walking distance away from our house, my playground was our neighbors fish pond and rice field, and I trek a palm forest at the back of our house. When we transferred to Manila, I became an urbanite. But now, I want my son to experience the joy I felt when I was a kid.

To be inspired, I turned a 30 sq. m piece of land of my father’s poultry farm in Rizal, into an organic little garden-farm. As much as i want to bring in other animals in tatay’s farm: goat, pig, or just African love birds – I can’t! The farm has to be protected from diseases of other animals. So i have to stick with chickens and plants lang talaga. But it’s fun, either way. Now I can’t wait to visit it weekly.

Join our journey in taking care of an organic farm garden.

Welcome to “Wacky Eco-farm!”

My little monarch went crazy when he saw the chickens

Running after a rooster!

Planting Pansies and forget-me-nots in little pots first.

We’re adding color to the very macho farm.

Forget-me-nots are deadly to cats and dogs. When eaten, it can cause convulsions.

I love kangkong, but when we eat out, i would always wonder where they were harvested – sana hindi sa Pasig river. These are organic kangkong that covered the whole 20sqm. We use chicken poop as its fertilizer. Will clean half of this land to pave way for the “wacky eco-farm ” =)

Don’t you think it looks greener than the ones you see in the groceries?

They need warmth without the mother hen

Some of these hatch-lings will become “Schwarzeneggers” for my dad, while others will become “monks” or organic chickens.

A chick introduces himself to his youngmaster Wackee

Native chicken in iloilo are called “bisaya”

they will be fed with palay, and corn…