Taiwan – Pingtung – North Tai Wu Mountain Farm – Listening Intently

I went to the North Tai Wu Mountain Farm on Tai Wu Mountain in Pingtung County, south of Kaohsiung, Taiwan to tour an ecological organic farm and was moved by the care, attention and respect the farm owner, Mr. Kao, gave his plants.

Taiwan – Pingtung – North Tai Wu Mountain Farm

Mr. Kao is a native Taiwanese aborigine who grew up on Tai Wu Mountain.  He is intimately aware of all of the plants and herbs that grow on his mountain.  He took us around his farm and explained the different plants, their uses and their growing habits.  We sampled the fresh lemons, oranges, peppers and other spices right from vine as walked around the farm.  I can still recall the refreshing orange flavor bursting in my mouth.  I was amazed as the lemon loosened my mucus as soon as I swallowed it.

He told us about the two elders who started this farm and the knowledge they passed onto him.  He talked about the selection of the banana trees that were planted on holy ground so that they would filter the water as it flowed down from higher elevations.  There was so much to learn about on this farm that a single blog cannot do it justice.  Over the coming weeks I will present a series of blogs about this amazing organic farm.

Taiwan – Pingtung – North Tai Wu Mountain Farm – Mr. Kao and His Award Winning Coffee

I had a full and meaningful day on the mountain and was tired when I got home.  I tried some of the vegetables for dinner and woke up the next day bursting with energy from these healthy, organic vegetables.

Please check back soon for more installments on this enlightening experience at the North Tai Wu Mountain Farm.

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• Charcoal roasted sweet potato

Charcoal Roasted Sweet Potatoes

The Pizza Baker and His Wood Fired Pizza Oven

• Pizza with amazing flavor such as Satay chicken pizza

Two Delicious Pizzas

• Charcoal skewers with meat and seafood

Do You Want a Barbecue Skewer

• Stinky Tofu

Stinky Tofu

• Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs

Would You Like One Rice Stuffed Bamboo?

• Rice Stuffed Bamboo

Rice Stuffed Bamboo

The Soft Chewy Center

• Noodle Soup
• Endless selection of teas
• Dumplings
• Scallion pancakes

Hope you enjoy the colorful pictures and have a chance to visit and experience these treats first hand..

My Back After Cupping

Don’t be alarmed by the way my back looks.  I did not get injured or hurt, it is the result of an Ancient Chinese healing method called cupping.  Cupping is used to draw toxins out of the body by using vacuum cups.  The cups are placed on the body then the air is pumped out of them.  The resulting vacuum literally sucks the toxins out of the body.  It can be performed by itself or together with other healing methods such as Tui Na (therapeutic Chinese massage).

The difference between a regular massage or chiropractic treatment and Tui Na with cupping is it really heals the body.  Unlike a regular massage that just relaxes with most symptoms returning within 1-2 days, or sooner, a good Tui Na practitioner addresses the toxins and resulting pain in a much deeper level, keeping it from creeping back.  Instead a true release and healing of the body is achieved.

I met someone in the Zouying District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan who inherited these healing arts from her father.  She is a very petite Chinese woman weighing less than 110 pounds and under five feet tall.  Don’t be fooled by her size, she is strong and very skilled.  She can sense where the pain is, even discovering tight and sore areas that a person wasn’t even aware they had.  After getting a complete treatment of Tui Na and cupping, I never felt so free of aches and pains.  I felt so weightless I thought I could jump and fly away.  The aches and tension from all over my body are gone and have stayed away.

Drink lots of water after the treatment to flush away the toxins that were released from the body.  This will help diminish any short term soreness resulting from the treatment.  Due to the release of toxins, weakness and fatigue may be experienced afterwards.  Again, drinking lots of water will help reduce and shorten any periods of weakness and fatigue.  Remember to rest and relax after a Tui Na treatment to ensure the maximum benefit..

Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Organic Farm – Gold Silver Flower

I continue to enjoy my exploration of Taiwan.  While doing so I recently met an organic farmer at her shop in the local market in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung.  She and her brother took us to her farm where we met her husband and some volunteers on the property.  After retiring from the Navy her husband invested in a plot of land in Kaohsiung’s organic agriculture zone.  He proudly gave me a guided tour of his farm.  It was a real honor to learn about his techniques and the different plants grown on the farm.

Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Organic Farm – Picking My Veggies

While I have purchased vegetables from organic farms in the United States, this farm provides the widest range and varieties of plants by far.  There are beets, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, green peppers, mint, lemon verbena, chrysanthemum, gold silver flower, gourd, guava and a few others I can’t translate from Chinese.  I have drank many chrysanthemum teas over the years but never knew the flowers could smell so good.  The aroma from the chrysanthemum still lingered on my fingers well after I had gone home.

Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Organic Farm – Purple Broccoli

He has a sophisticated irrigation system that includes sprinklers, drip irrigation from the ground and flowing from the side ditches.

Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Organic Farm – Cabbage

He raises a few free range chickens for eggs.  Uses compost as fertilizers and neem oil as a natural pesticide.

The benefits from organic produce and fruit cannot be overstated.  The nutrient and mineral levels are much higher than traditional farming methods.  Before leaving I picked some purple broccoli and various leafy greens to try.  At home I made a salad from the greens and they were delicious.  The experiences energized me and I am thankful for the opportunity to meet these pioneering farmers..

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• Bone (cow bones, chicken bones or pig bones)
• Carrots
• Onion
• Ginger
• Celery
• Tomato

Put everything in a large pot with lots of water (fill to 80%) of the pot. Bring it to boil and lower flame to simmer for 2 hours. You will have delicious soup for days to come. You can add rice or pasta when you eat it to make a full meal. It is very satisfying and nourishing..

After years of sort of not being at my best, I finally realize that the essential role of Vitamin D. I was born and raised in a tropic climate, abundant sunshine was part of daily life. After moving to the North East of U.S. for decades, it has negative effects on my well-being. The dark and cold winter makes me feel unrest in the winter months. The coldness just envelopes all around me, I can’t describe the depress feeling I endure. I started taking liquid Vitamin D3, along with a balanced diet it has helped to lift my mood..