Comments on: If You Start With Produce Like This…

By: marilou

marilou — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 12:38:43 +0000

I have a lemongrass plantation in Northern Samar,Republic of the Philippines. I can provide to Metro Manila. My email: lycean_125@yahoo.com.au

By: EJ

EJ — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 19:13:57 +0000

Re dill, one of my uncles used to supply a major airline with boneless bangus stuffed with dill. Simply delicious.

By: Kasseopeia

Kasseopeia — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 13:35:30 +0000

Oh, that rainbow chard! Those lovely young spinach leaves. The juicy tomatoes.

As for those radishes – I’d make mul kimchi out of them. Or kilawing labanos. Produce is love!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 02:12:19 +0000

Betchay, photos taken outdoors in overcast conditions. I find fresh produce to be incredibly photogenic on its own, without any help from the photographer… :)

By: Betchay

Betchay — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:43:07 +0000

The colors are so vibrant! Photographer ka na MM! Did you take the picture outside or inside the house?

By: Marketman

Marketman — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 13:09:48 +0000

Marixie, Mindanao (Davao, Bukidnon, CDO, Gen San) are now the source of things as varied as fantastic Malagos Farm artisanal cheeses, smoked salmon (salmon from NZ, processed in Gen San), superb tuna, wagyu beef, organically raised pork and beef, and spectacular vegetables including the most amazing leeks, frissee, heirloom tomatoes, etc… so while nascent and still erratic, things are changing for the better… :)

By: Marixie

Marixie — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 12:15:15 +0000

P.S. MM the lemongrass/lime/mint drink you serve at your store sounds like a MOJITO (sans the liquor)!!! Now that truly is something so refreshing to have in a humid and hot climate. I wish more restaurateurs in Davao are as savvy as you!!!!

By: Marixie

Marixie — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 12:07:43 +0000

MM thank you for the comprehensive info!!! I would love for the Phil to engage in the production and sale of these products for the international market to boost Filipino economy.Indeed Phil climate is best suited to grow all of these products year round. I have indeed not been to Manila itself for a long time, since each time I visit I only stay in Davao where my family is. I will definitely visit your store in Cebu next time I’m home and indulge in your culinary delights!!!!

By: corrine

corrine — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 06:28:53 +0000

Exactly, MM, a lot of things have changed in recent years. I don’t think these are uncommon (fresh oregano, basil, italian parsley, sawtooth coriander). I have all these in my greenhouse. Sawtooth coriander is super easy to grow. My existing ones came from seeds of my other flowering coriander. With ASEAN integration 2015, we see more products from other ASEAN countries in supermarket shelves. So will more Filipino products be made available in other ASEAN countries. Nice!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 04:00:04 +0000

marixie, much of this produce ends up at hotels, restaurants, airlines, resorts and even cruise lines that serve millions of people every year… so while many of these items aren’t a “common thing” — they represent a huge market potential. In addition, the Philippines, could, in theory supply fresh herbs and greens and micro greens to Hong Kong and Taiwan, who would fly them in and pay the prices… Also, if you have been to weekend farmer’s markets in Manila, this kind of produce is increasingly becoming available.

Lemongrass is used in a binakol or even a tinola in quite a few parts of the country, so its use is fairly common and not limited to chicken or lechon as you suggest. In our own restaurants in Cebu, we use a PHENOMENAL amount of lemongrass, not just for our lechons, but for a lime/lemongrass drink we sell by the pitcher. We also have a pineapple mint drink that has us buying lots and lots of fresh mint every week. Of course these are in addition to using kamias/iba and other more common ingredients. I don’t know then you were last in Manila groceries and markets assuming you don’t live here, but availability of these kinds of ingredients are really growing robustly. When even SM groceries have a selection of 10-12 “unusual” foreign herbs such as fresh oregano, basil, italian parsley, sawtooth coriander, etc. you know things are changing…

If just five airlines decide to offer an appetizer of smoked tanguigue or salmon with a dill mustard sauce, and have say 2,000 meals ex-Manila per day, there is but one customer (the catering company) for fresh dill that will make one farmer pretty happy. I know of chefs at 5-star hotels that even contract growers such as Gejo to raise swiss chard, knowing that say 10-20 kilos every couple of days can easily be used in their kitchens to serve local and foreign guests. It’s a niche market in these vegetables, but a potentially lucrative one.

The proliferation of Thai, Vietnamese and other Asian restaurants as well as Italian places makes demand for their specific types of herbs quite robust as well. And we are not just talking gentlemen farmers here. Beets, fennel, romaine lettuce, herbs, large non-Asian eggplants, broccoli, etc. are huge crops out of the Mt. Province as well.