Making Durian a Heavenly Fruit for all Filipinos
By pinoyfarmer | March 17, 2010
“IT smells like hell, but tastes like heaven.”
That’s one way the durian fruit has been curiously described by some. But think about it: Does hell have any smell? And for that matter, does heaven have any taste?
For first-timers, the stink usually overpowers the fruit’s heavenly taste, making it difficult for ordinary gastronomists to ingest.
The durian’s smell has been a major setback in marketing the fruit among Luzon and Visayas consumers. But those who have been to Davao and tasted the fruit have overcome the stink, they now love to eat the fruit and look forward to another delightful durian-eating experience.
There is an art to eating durian. It entails gradually tasting the fruit, getting used to the smell and, eventually, becoming fond of it.
“First-timers are advised to begin eating durian in processed form and to eat the fresh fruit in stages,” said Ceasar Falcatan of Dalisay Sweets International, one of the country’s leading fruit processors.
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Topics: News & Updates | 1 Comment »
El Niño good for mango industry, says Yap
By pinoyfarmer | March 17, 2010
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – After enduring a huge production slump last year, the country’s mango industry is expected to bounce back this year because of the lingering dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon, says Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
In a prepared speech at the opening of the 12th National Mango Congress here on Wednesday, Yap says the weather anomaly is good for the flowering of mango trees.
“Last year, the national mango harvest in the country reached 771,200 metric tons, which is lower by 13 percent compared to what we produced in 2008,” he says in a speech read by Rene Rafael Espino, national coordinator of the Department of Agriculture’ s high value commercial crops program.
Despite this, he says, the mango industry still managed to contribute some P18.1 billion to the country’s total agricultural value.
“Of this volume, some 30,200 tons of fresh, processed and dried mangoes worth $34.6 million were exported to about 50 countries worldwide from January to October [last year],”
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USDA turns over P1.5-M post-harvest equipment to Mindanao cacao farmer-coops
By pinoyfarmer | March 15, 2010
March 2, 2010 10:57 pm
DAVAO CITY, March 2 – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently turned over post-harvest equipment worth P1.5 million to small cacao enterprises and cooperatives from different parts of Mindanao.
The turnover of the facility was held during the seminar and workshop on “Cacao Bean Grading Assessment” by the USDA here through the initiative of Agricultural Cooperative Development International/ Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI-VOCA), a non-profit private, international development nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
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BPRE recommends chlorine to control mango disease
By pinoyfarmer | March 15, 2010
March 11, 2010 10:40 pm
By Danny O. Calleja
LEGAZPI CITY, March 11 – One way of eradicating anthracnose disease in mango fruits is the application of chlorine, according to the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE), a satellite organization under the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Anthracnose, also called black spots is caused by a fungus known as Colletotrichum gleosporioides and is considered a very serious disease that infects all parts of mango, including flower panicles, twigs, leaves and fruits of both mature and immature trees.
BPRE director Ricardo Cachuela, in a statement this week said his bureau has been conducting studies on the application of non-chemical treatment of mangoes as well as fresh banana fruits through hot water treatment (HTW).
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Mango picking, anyone? Agri-tourism takes root in Zambales
By pinoyfarmer | March 15, 2010
By Jaymee T. Gamil
Philippine Daily Inquirer
March 11, 2010
CLIMBING trees, plucking mangoes, peeling the fruits and dipping them in “bagoong” (fish sauce) on hot summer days spell fun for those living in the countryside.
And that tasty, pleasurable pastime may soon be enjoyed even by those unfortunate enough to be living in cities.
In a bid to promote agricultural tourism in the country, the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) and the Philippine Tour Agencies Association launched the Super Mango Agricultural Tour on March 4 during the Zambales Dinamulag mango festival.
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How to Grow Potatoes in a Garbage Can
By pinoyfarmer | March 14, 2010
Why in the world would anyone want to grow a crop of potatoes in a plastic garbage can? Well let me tell you, potatoes grow deep, and it’s hard to dig them all out! Plus, they like soft, well prepared soil that’s easy for them to root in. Then of course, they’re space hogs, eating up precious planting room in the veggie garden. Last, but not least, potatoes should never be planted in the same place year after year, because they infect their own soil and cause next years crops to get blight (anyone remember a little potato famine that knocked down the population of Ireland?).
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Topics: Crops & Vegetables, Farming Methods | 1 Comment »
How to Sprout Sweet Potato Vines
By pinoyfarmer | March 14, 2010
The sweet potato (lpomoea batatas) is a native plant to Central and South America. Growing a sweet potato vine is a wonderful project for you and the kids. People have been doing it for years as an easy and cheap way to propagate a house plant. The leaves are purplish-green that emerge from the top of the plant. Sometimes the plant will produce lilac-colored blooms. You can begin to grow your own plant any time of the year.
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Medicinal Plants: Bayabas or Guava (Psidium guajava)
By pinoyfarmer | March 14, 2010
Bayabas or guava is a tropical plant, which is locally known for its edible fruit. In the backyards of Filipino homes in the country, this plant is commonly seen, and grown because of its many uses as fruit and as traditional remedy to treat various ailments. As shown by many research studies, almost all of the parts of this plant have medicinal qualities and value, and thus, making it as one of the most popular therapeutic plants in the Philippines. Bayabas is a small tree that can grow up to 3 meters tall with greenish-brownish smooth bark. The round globular bayabas fruit starts as a flower and is usually harvested and eaten while still green. The fruit turns yellowish-green and soft when ripe.
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Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | No Comments »
Medicinal Plants: Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
By pinoyfarmer | March 13, 2010
Lagerstroemia speciosa (Giant Crape-myrtle, Queen’s Crape-myrtle, Banabá Plant for Philippines, or Pride of India) is a species of Lagerstroemia native to tropical southern Asia.
Banaba, the scientific name of which is Lagerstroemia speciosa, is a tropical flowery tree. It grows to a height as high as 20 meters. Its leaves are large, and ranges from the shape of elliptical-ovate to oblong. These leaves are shed by the plant during the first months of the year, and are bright orange or red during these times. Various research on Banaba conducted in Japan prove true the belief that this plant contains high levels of corosilic acid, a substance known as one of the many treatments for diabetes mellitus. Besides its medicinal value, banaba is also cultivated and known for its beautiful flowers.
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Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot) | 1 Comment »
Tilapia Freshwater Fishpond
By pinoyfarmer | March 13, 2010
Site Selection and Engineering
The success of freshwater fishpond farming depends on the selection of ideal fishpon site, proper planning and layout design, proper construction and appropriate pond management.
Considering the expenses involved in pond construction, freshwater fishponds smaller than half a hectare are not commercially viable. This technoguide is designed for freshwater fishponds with an area of one-half hectare or more.
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Topics: Aquaculture, Farming Methods | 4 Comments »
