Domestic water buffalo

Our domestic water buffaloes at Toucheng Farm has a "mansion" with a private pool, a large playground, a red buffalo cart, and pampered with their favorite snack - white sugar cane leaves!

Domestic water buffaloes (Bubalis bubalis carabanensis) are swamp buffaloes, different from the milking cows. In Asia, there are approximately 158 million or 97% of this bovine living in Asia. according to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization.

Buffaloes are used as drafts, meat and dairy. They are the source of the favorite mozzarella cheese and curd.

This year is the year of the Ox, how about a trip to Toucheng Farm, and watch this animal.

They are a Farmer's best friend and helper!

"white butterfly" flower

The aromatic ginger "white butterfly" flower (Hedychium coronarium) is in full bloom at Toucheng Farm. One can smell its fragrance anywhere in the Farm, as it is a favorite flower for arrangement.


Its beauty is comparable to a white flying butterfly, and the aroma is refreshing. If dried, its flower is mixed with warm water and its a perfect for an afternoon tea to share with a friend!

At Toucheng Farm we use its leaves to wrap the tzongdz, and gives this traditional delicacy its special flavoring.

This flower is a native of India.
























Here are the many photos in different angles to give you a full view of the flower. Even if you pass it at night, you can surely tell the difference and the site of this flower. They come in two attractive colors of white and pale orange.



Come to Toucheng Farm before the blooming and smelling ends!

Taipei European School Students

Sixteen students with their two teachers were guests at Toucheng Farm last June 20, 21, and 22. They are the 11Th grade students and different nationalities. From Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India,Italy, Japan, Singapore, the Kingdom of Swaziland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and USA.









These energetic, young students from 16 - 18 years old, experienced the real life of a farmer in the Farm, Imagine them planting seedlings at the rice paddies, threshing, drying, pounding rice.etc... and of course tasting the finished product!


The challenging activities like chasing and catching two chickens, besides slaughtering, dressing and stuffing it with vegetables was the most welcomed experience. They prepared the kiln (a traditional oven) themselves. , grilled the stuffed chicken , and savored the delicious whole chicken at dinnertime.

At the kilning area





At the rice paddies and rice stone grinder area .
. At the rice paddies area.


Prizes for the winners!


The nearby creek had an abundant water level, so we were able to go river trekking which ended with a cool dip at one of the fresh water pools. See the photos taken while trekking, and well vested, too.! That was fun!


Taken while they printed leaves, flowers, etc on their T-shirts.
Barbecue time!

While playing at the beach, near the Toucheng Farm (Waiao) Beach house.



And the fun at Toucheng Farm is incomplete without making and flying the heavenly lanterns.
See you next time, and share with us those happy, challenging but memorable moments!

Passion Fruit

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is one of the favorite fruits during summer. It has a high vitamin A content, with potassium and dietary fiber, besides a good source of vitamin C or ascorbic acid.

Toucheng Farm's passion fruit orchard has abundant fruits ready for guests to come and harvest.

Toucheng Farm's passion fruit is the purple one, other varieties includes pink and blue passion fruits.

It has a unique flower structure, plastic looking, intricate and scented flowers, which requires bees or hummingbirds to pollinate.

Welcome to Toucheng Farm and enjoy the sweet and sour taste of this special fruit.

Handwritten memories at Toucheng Farm

At the entrance of Toucheng Farm, is a welcoming sight: a wood carved image of an ox. Down below this towering symbol, hang numerous bamboo chips, with written inscriptions of the thousands visitors, expressing their gratitude, memories, petitions, dreams or just a souvenir.

Toucheng Farm is more than one hundred hectares of lush mountainous area, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Half of this vast land, grows the bamboo - phyllostacys makinoi hayata. Our ancestors used bamboo chips to write their ideas or stories and handed on to us... How smart they were! Now we make use of them right here at Toucheng Farm. Guests are just as glad to write on them and hang it even to the top!

Who cares if it is day or night, I can still hang them right.

It could be a romantic site for this couple sitting near the tree overlooking the lighted fish pond.

Golden Shower Tree

Toucheng Farm's Golden Shower Tree is blooming. If you pass by the Farm animal's section you will have a full glimpse of this attractive tree.

Golden Shower Tree's (Cassia fistula) flower is five petals of equal size and shape. It's fruit is a legume with a pungent odor and has several poisonous seeds. It blooms profusely and covers the whole tree leaving no leaf left, a spectacular sight indeed!

Other parts of this tree like its fruit pulp or roots are medicinal.

It is the national flower of Thailand, which symbolizes Thai royalty. Last time some Thai nationals visited Toucheng Farm and I told them this is "dok khuen", they understood and you could have seen the smile on their faces!

Welcome to Toucheng Farm and enjoy the sight.

The "summer " winter melon

Feeling so hot these days? How about a nice cold winter melon tea? Cheap and tasty!

Do you know where this cooling drink come from? Let me tell you!

This fascinating plant grows as a vine, and produces very big (not sweet) fruits, but eaten as a vegetable! It has a frizzed hair when young, but losses its hair when mature and develops a waxy coating. It has a long shelf life up to 12 months.

Toucheng Farm's winter melon is in full bloom and also has mature fruits for guests to collect. Its shoots, tendrils and leaves are also edible and can serve as greens.

Here at the Farm we prepare it as pickles with other ingredients and eaten as appetizer.

Winter melon is multi-useful and multi-named fruit - white gourd, winter gourd, wax gourd, or ash gourd or green pumpkin.

Winter gourd belongs to the cucurbitaceae family of the B. hispida specie.