My "SOAP" Experience

SOAP tagline and  mantra

SOAP (Spread Organic Agriculture in the Philippines), aims to link people and informations on evrything, everyone and anything under organic agriculture,  led by Ms Sandra Celi of Solraya Chicken (the chicken I recommend to a friend after her children developed allergies to regular chickens in the market):
CP: (0917) 847-2639
Web: solraya.com
Blog: solraya.blogspot.com
Free Ranged, Grass Fed, Pastured Colored Chickens: Raised with a lot of sunshine, fresh air, supplemented with probiotics and unmedicated feeds.(yes, this kind of chickens do exists!)

I joined this activity (SOAP) because it aims at making organic agriculture tangible, sustainable and feasible, by having more organic farmers and producers,  organic produce will be cheaper and there will be no hunger and malnutrition and filipinos will be safe from what they are eating and the food will be their medicine. Our country will be no longer dependent on imported chemical products like fertilizers and pesticide that is detrimental to our health.

The Joy of Organic farming:
http://bridgetoselfhealing.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-joy-of-organic-farming.html

SOAP collaborates with Deparatment of Agriculture (DAR), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI),  Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), Agribusiness Development Center (ADC)

SOAP collaborates with DAR and other government agencies

I am not actively involved in agriculture but organic producers have my support since I love everything organic, I also support LOCAVORE movement, which is also a form of organic living and advocate natural living and healthy lifestyle as my mission while still have remaining existence in this planet. I am happy that many of our people are responding to the call of saving our  planet by doing their own little way and contribution, SOAP/ SOAPers is one of them, they are actively involved in promotions, marketing and making organic markets and suppliers available, they are a hard working group that help one another, sharing tips, markets, farm tours, education, those starting up their organic farms, a wide network of organic farmers, producers, aquaculture etc etc, I learned so much from their threads and conversations and inputs, very educational, now I am dreaming of my own big organic farm someday! hope to visit more of their organic markets and exhibits, seminars and workshops and farm tours.

On Locavore: http://bridgetoselfhealing.blogspot.com/2012/10/locavore.html

SOAP/SOAPers booth @ Chefs on Parade, SMX Mall of Asia

I excitedly visited exhibits at Chefs on Parade event in held last March 3, 2013 at  SMX Mall of Asia (MOA), Roxas Blvd, PH. An event of culinary feasts, feats, showdown and exhibitions, a visual delight for a foodie like me. I am glad that SOAP is there, to represent and offer organic lifestyle to our chefs and foodies, many people are into delicious and healthy cooking these days and SOAP and Chefs can work hand in hand in delivering this needs and lifestyle change that people want to embrace, Many chefs and food industry key persons check out SOAP exhibits and was given SOAP directory, a directory of all organic producers and supplier all over the country.

With Ms. Sandra Celi and my SOAP Directory

Some of the SOAP exhibitors are:

Costales Nature Farms
Bgy. Gagalot, Majayjay Laguna
Contact details: 0917-544-2023/0927-321-6205

Certified organic vegetables and fruitsproduced without using harmful chemicals, certified organic, they use kitchen waste composter for turning your kitchen wastes into fertilizer in the shortest time possible whithout flies and foul odor.

Milea BEE Farm:
Balagtasin, San Jose Batangas
0917-8888-438

Milea hold a bee keeping seminar for SOAP and organize Bee farm tour, they also teach how to make healthy products from bees like honey, bee sting, pollen, beeswax etc..

We owe big time to these "pollinators" and we should not kill them, for they make our trees and other plants to bear more fruits by cross-pollinating flowers. Milea has a wide array of bee products that guarantees quality, pure, unprocessed honey, bee polen, unpasturized honey vinegar, propolis extracts, balms, sugar bags from native stingless bees. it practices natural and organic farming method.

a sample of a bee colonies, Italian Honeybees (Apis Mellifera) and
 the Native Honey bees ( Apis Cerana)

Bee keepers

Milea's array of  Bee products

Department of Agriculture Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS)-Agribusiness Development Center (ADC):

AMAS-ADC Office: DAR Office of the Secretary
Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City
Tel: (02)928-8751 to 65

AMAS-ADC booth

Got this materials for free at AMAS-ADC booth

Agribusiness center of AMAS-ADC

 SOAP (Spread Organic Agriculture in the Philippines):

e-mail: spreadorganicagriculture@yahoo.com

website: www.spreadorganicagriculture.blogspot.com

Tel.: (02) 216-7018 or 0917-847-2639

SOAPers exhibit/products

Organic Goat's milk and cheese

Personal care products from Goat's milk

Goat's Milk Pastillas 

A Tele-Magazine campaign for SOAP, "OA" (Organic agriculture) ako

Congratulations Ms. Sandra Celi, SOAP team and core group, OA team for a job well done, keep up the good work and may your tribe increase.

After all we don't want Organic foods to be a history...

LOCAVORE (Natural Living)

Go Local, Go Locavore! grow your own food as much as you can and possible. Many foods available are not produced organically, some are GMO's, and highly processed. Basically this idea of Localvore is also one of the foundation of the Macrobiotic teachings. I have written in this blog many articles why you should grow and cook you own food or support your local farmers that way, support local economy, also it will lessen the carbon impact ( good for the environment) by lessening use of transportation system and keeping food  fresh and longer life span( iwas lamog) here are some reason why we should grow our own food:

Supermarket shelf poisons:

Secret Ingredients found in your food:

Meriam and Webster define Locavore as : one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible, origin: local+-vore (as in carnivore), first known use in 2005.

Wiki describe it as: a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. The Locavore movement in the United States and elsewhere was spawned as interest in sustainability and eco-consciousness became more prevalent.

here are example of Locavore food in the Philippines, utilizing homegrown vegetables, fresh as it can be, not necessarily vegetarian, just make sure your fish, chickens, meats are organic and naturally raised and fed:

Steamed Okra

Banana hearts salad

"Laing", Taro leaves cooked with coconut milk

Free-range, native, organic Chicken Adobo

Tanglad (lemongrass) and Camote tops (sweet yam) Juice

I love the Idea of Locavore for its practical and economic reasons, eco-friendly and people learn to cultivate plants which is also very therapeutic, for those who do not have vast land or space and no time may buy the locally produced crops and organic markets that is a fad today even in the Philippines, were home-made and home-grown still exist. This way food spoilage is minimize, developed sense of bonding and community  and lessen the carbon impact which is good for the environment and climate change.

In the Philippines, Nipa Hut is a common example of a house made of  indigenous materials (Locavore house)

I am actually a fan of Locavore and trying to start a movement in the Philippines. It is the natural living way for Filipinos in the provinces which is beginning to fade due to changing times, fast-paced lifestyle and development happening, but I wish people try to bring back this old lifestyle and still embrace it and be more appreciative of our local culture. Before the West discover Locavore that is our lifestyle already and Filipino folks during those times and in the provinces are healthier and live longer.   

Natural fish pond with free- flowing water from a trail way spring, the fishes are fed with azola (mosquito fern) and duck weeds.

Photo Credits: All pictures used are from the author

To know more about the Locavore I just found this links: 

10 steps to be a Locavore by Jennifer Maiser

10 Reasons to Eat Local Food by Jennifer Maiser

Locavore in local news ( GMA Network)

What is Locavore?

  

The Joy of Organic Farming

When we say Organic farming, it is farming without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and GMO seeds. I love to have  my own farm someday and still dreaming of it, I will make a compost that we used to do and learned from High School, I will plant vegetables and medicinal herbs  that we usually do during elementary days in practical education, in Bulacan, PH.  

I will plant only non-GMO crops and the best variety of trees and plants, all edible and fruit bearing, they say If only Filipinos know how to plant, there will be no hunger in the country because Philippines has a very rich soil, anything you throw on it, it will grow, not only that we are very rich in indigenous medicinal herbs and vegetables, we have so many edible plants that some of us doesn't even know! I learned during a farm visits and tours so many things about our indigenous herbs and vegetables, feels like going back to my Botany class in College, by planting trees we protect the environment, we purify the air and environment by producing our own crops and vegetables we fight hunger and malnutrition, no one will be hungry and malnourished anymore, only healthy, nourished, vibrant, intelligent and strong Filipinos.

There is no reason not to plant because you don't have a piece of land. I will show you how my brother-in-law and sister grew a farm in their rooftop, all organically grown plants using organic fertilizers and non-gmo and indigenous crops, like pandan, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger, calamansi, malunggay, papaya, eggplant, tomotaoes, patola, ampalaya, chickens, spices like chili, sage, rosemary, basil and so on..I posted some pictures to share and this is one of the area I love to stay when visiting her home, I called it farmville on the roof:

Grapes

Calamansi

Native chickens are raised under the roof, eggs harvested fertilized, not hormone induced, next is the turmeric plant, easily grow and still harvest root crops even potted. Who could imagine they can grow a grapevine that stand the test of summer heat in the rooftop and look bear fruits too.

Pandan (great for cooking rice), onion chives, papaya, calamansi (PH lemon), lemongrass or tanglad, malunggay, eggplant, bell peppers and tomatoes and different herbs such as basil, rosemary and mint etc.

Lemongrass

Papaya

I learned much in organic farming, sustainable agriculture and eco-waste management during Farm visits, one of them is the Flor's Garden in Antipolo, Rizal. Ms. Flor is a retired bank executive and used a vast land inherited from parents into an organic farm sanctuary, she is a jolly, young looking for her age and very practical woman and have passion for organic farming, sustainable agriculture, eco-waste management and natural health , I will share some pictures I took during a visit to her farm:

We are served fresh organic vegetables and edible flowers salad as appetizer, noticed the oregano plant in the table setting, it serves a purpose to drive away mosquitos and other insects such as flies.

The infinity pool is made of fresh water from a natural spring, non-treated, no chlorine and free flowing. Ms. Flor gave us a lecture on eco-waste management such as using garbage (like eggshells) as fertilizers, she even collected garbages from restaurants and converted it into organic fertilizers. She only serves fresh fish, meats, juices and vegetables from her own farm that is organically grown, Everything is fresh, the freshly squeezed balimbing juice is a hit as a refreshment. She also talk of medicinal properties of our indigenous herbs and plants. 

Her chickens are free-range native organically grown, fed with chopped vegetables and whole grains, no hormones and antibiotics or synthetic vitamins. Noticed also recycled old CD's hanging in her garden, it is not a decorative pieces but to drive away insects and pests, she doesn't use pesticides and chemical fertilizers, she makes her own fertilizers (compost).

She only has native pigs, organically grown as well, raised in a no smell pens, she used charcoal and coconut husk underneath the pen to make it "no smell".

A health farm in San Mateo Rizal also has his own farm and sanctuary, pictures was on old one and during the time the farm is still  work in progress, it is now a beautiful, Bali style spa, organic farm,  and retreat farm.  

The water from the farm is also natural free flowing spring water, where tilapia raised organically by feeding only Azola (Mosquito fern) and duckweed,  many medicinal herbs and indigenous plants were also planted. 

Native Nipa huts serves as guest rooms and spa, nipa huts are the natural and native habitat of Filipinos.

Hope to visit more exciting farms, truly an enjoyable and educational experience, much more If we could have our own. Enjoy farming!