Get out of the city

I’m meeting yet another couple who wish to try tilling the soil, grow mushrooms and put up a small villa in a dream farm. And I will be giving them a sneak peek of how it can be both a fun and a challenging endeavor.

My family and I started our journey in farming when I was little, with my mother and aunt tagging us along to what is now Novaliches but what used to be a drive to farmlands called Paradise Farm. Mom grew santol, camote and other native fruits and we just practically played in the farm. But, for her and my auntie, it was indeed a little paradise – away from the city.

Then in 2005, we started an Adopt a Farm project in Amadeo with then young mayor OJ Ambagan and, as we should “walk the talk,” my brother and I adopted three hectares in Pangil, Amadeo and planted coffee. It would also be the destination for our coffee farm tours back then and my first adult experience of watching stuff grow in the soil – peanuts, along with coffee and papaya. Alas, the mayor soon retired (read: did not win another term) and we lost the farm to its new owners. It was then that we decided to buy a small farm lot in another barangay –  Bgy. Maymangga, Amadeo – to make sure we would never lose it again involuntarily.

We also found an opportunity to develop a small property on the roadside to plant organic vegetables and set up a coffee mill. Yes, they are my two favorites –coffee and organic vegetables.

During the pandemic, with our streetside and mall-based cafés closed, there was no instant market for our vegetables. We had to think of another use for the land and got inspired by herb gardens or what they call Potagers gardens. We called on our friend Nicolo Aberasturi of Down to Earth and started the project:

Build the soil. Even if we grew organic vegetables for ten years already, Nicolo wanted us to build more new living soil.

Think regenerative agriculture. We wanted to learn how to make Nature do the work. Well, almost all the work.

Think natural. We used old cartons, animal manure, other organic matter to enrich the soil.

Six months later, we started to enjoy the herb garden with daily pickings of mint leaves, tarragon and basil, for herbal teas and other uses. On another corner we planted lemongrass, pandan and other fragrant grasses. We also have a small patch of kamote and alugbati growing with a malunggay tree we did not want to uproot.

It’s not a business as a farm right now but the joy you get from smelling and touching the herbs gives you a high that is priceless. Rather it is a paradise for those who love to cook, experiment and maybe some culinary hobbyists, and just about anyone who wants the full sensory experience of being immersed in a labyrinth of Nature.

Nicolo also indulged us with our favorite rosemary, oregano and peppermint which needed a different approach to make them grow in a lush manner. And just checking on them every week and taking photos of their dramatic growth is already a reward in itself. Different soil media for other plants. Some herbs grow well in our farm when they struggle in warmer places. That is yet another Aha! moment for me and our team.

And it does not stop there. Over at the coffee farm we also are blessed with bushes of pandan grass and you must experience walking by these gifts of Nature. It’s like you are in a bakeshop where a pandan cake is being made, except there is no oven – just Mother Nature and the scents of pandan.

We also tour the guests to appreciate native trees and many fruit trees which city dwellers have not seen for a long time – guyabano, guava and langka or jackfruit.

So what’s the joy of having a farm? It’s inexplicable until you experience a full year of changing seasons, appreciating the timing of Nature and the gifts we so take for granted. While organic farming is not for everyone yet, we are joyful that more people are getting interested in farming as a hobby without forcing it to produce yields to compete with cheap imported vegetables and fruits. Another couple who recently bought a property in Laguna posted their photo with their first papaya harvest – I feel their joy.

So, if you are looking towards a sustainable future, start to think of a farm. A family farm that can contribute to environmental protection because you will surely plant trees, a farm that will provide you with enough vegetables for your weekly supply, fruits in season that you pick yourselves and communing with Nature that beats any malling trip or binging on Netflix on your couch.

If more people went back to farming, what a wonderful sustainable world we will have. Just in the past two years, I have met many families wanting a way out of the city. This is why we encourage those whose minds are ready for the shift to explore what they can already shed of city life. Start to go out and take in some fresh air.

Our business partner Jeannie also developed a nature resort in Banahaw and has been at it for the same past two years – working with the local community and her group of friends who have decided to make the shift towards Nature.

Two weeks ago we visited a chef who now makes Cavite her home because she can grow vegetables, entertain, cook for her family and enjoy the space she otherwise does not have in the city.

So why are people going back to the farm? Because it is the best way to enjoy Mother Nature’s gifts and a way to toss your masks as you breathe fresh air. It’s also a way to feed not only your stomach but most specially your soul.