Marymount Convent Elementary School - Singapore

Last Saturday (March 11,2011), Teachers and students from Singapore's Marymount Convent Elementary School, stayed at Toucheng Leisure Farm.





Look at the group picture below with the building where they spent the night, as background.











They had a chance to experience of building a kiln (an oven made of clay), BBQ party for dinner and the most-loved activity , the sky lantern making and releasing into the dark skies at night.







Here are some pictures taken during their tour around the Farm and the DIY activities the next day.

After asking for some comments about their stay, here are some responses I got:

" I have a lot of fun! I saw a real walking pig! There were many things I learned from the tour! I should live here! Our rooms are very nice! I've seen water buffaloes!

Would you like to have the same experience?

Come to Toucheng Farm, you will see more!

Some more pictures will be posted at our photo album. It's just a click away.

FTV host at Toucheng Farm

A host of the Formosa TV, in Taiwan, visited Toucheng Farm today for a recording of advertising sponsored by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.


It is indeed an honor for the Farm to be featured with its cultural, educational and touristic site.

Toucheng Farm has rice paddies especially made to teach the learner the rice culture and how rice is produced. Rice seedling are transplanted at the rice paddies actually in a hands-on- experience, so to really feel the hardships and joys of the Farmer as he produce rice for our tables daily.

Besides replanting the seedlings, one can feel the wet mud of the paddies, the minute seedlings, or positioning one's gum boots to balance or move backwards so as to keep your seedlings in a row.

Here is Jad, our host, explaining and also learning from our Farm's Teacher Kuo.

Besides the rice paddies they also visited the Farm's Winery. Here fruits are fermented into wine or vinegar. One can tour the wine cellar and learn the process of vinegar or wine making. The Winery is also a beautiful site of a restaurant on a mountain top. Here a simple but delicious meal for lunch or dinner is served. One can also spend an afternoon there for a cup of coffee or tea while crunching a homemade coffee with a close friend or family.

Hopefully, this recorded program will be aired in Asian countries like SIngapore and Malaysia to promote Taiwan as a prime tourism destination, particularly Toucheng Farm.

For more information, visit our website: www. tcfarm.com.tw/

Chinese New Year 2011 - day 5

We celebrate Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (because it always start at the beginning of spring) at Toucheng Farm joyfully.


This year 2011, the Chinese worldwide remembers the golden rabbit.

As usual, the most important holiday of the year is celebrated in fun, frolic, food, family and friends!

From today we continue the merriment until the 15Th day of the first month, which is also called the Lantern Festival.



Today, 3 young Malaysian women: Chue Ping, Sam and Karen (L to R) joined us to learn how to make plum jam DIY. Here they are with one of our teachers in the Farm.

They also participated in all the games and received gifts and prizes all along.

If you are looking for a relaxing place to stay, entertainment of various kind, or just to listen to the birds chirping or watching butterflies dancing, Toucheng Farm is the right place for you!

Visit our website: www.tcfarm.com.tw for more information.

Chinese New Year 2011 - day 3

Toucheng Farm is in full service and being kept alive by our very own Madame Cho. Without her the Farm could not have been born.


Now in its 20 years of existence, she will continue to keep on sharing its vast 110 hectares to the community of both local and foreign guests, who, like her loves nature and continue to fight for its preservation.


Here she is blowing the flaming charcoal to increase the temperature around to warm people during the cold winter.
Every dish served during the Chinese New Year has a significant meaning:

Nian Kao or big round cake symbolizes: going ever higher and higher every year!

Rice cake in a bowl symbolizes: prosperity.

Oranges are round: wholeness both for everyone and the family.

Turnip (good start in mandarin) : begin the year well and hopefully end well!

Here we have apples and oranges which are rounded and also symbolizes wholeness.

The Chinese has a very rich and lengthy tradition which is handed from generations to generations. Surely we will celebrate Chinese New Year for all ages!

Welcome to Toucheng Farm and celebrate with us these unique and rich customs and traditions.

Visit our website : www.tcfarm.com.tw/ for more information.

Chinese New Year 2011 - day 2

During the Chinese New year celebrations, the God of Wealth is always warmly welcomed.

Hoping that this year's riches, prosperity and wealth will accompany each one everyday.

Here at Toucheng Farm, he distributes candies and wishes all happiness and joy this year will bring.

You will see bunnies of all sorts: one you see below is made of wood, some are made of dried betel nut creation or golden bunny made of kumquats.

They are all Farm - themed creations.

Afternoons of the New Year are a reminiscence of the olden days, like games we used to play in the country when we were young, or tasting food we used to eat at grandmother's house.

These memories we share with our children and grandchildren, who will hand them on to the next generation.

Look at this grandma enjoying the games she used to play as a young girl!

Here is the huge bunny made of 600 kilos of ripe Kumquats!

It is 8 feet tall and 6 feet long. It could devour all the 20 kinds of vegetables and fruits around!

Come and see it actually!

The god of wealth is counting his riches for distribution!

That's what we did today, the second day of the New Year!

See you tomorrow!

Welcome to Toucheng Farm!

The Year of the Rabbit - 2011

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Kung Hsi Fa Tsai! ( in Mandarin).

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important celebration among the Chinese around the world every year.

Here in Taiwan, at Toucheng Leisure Farm, we welcome the year of the rabbit in a festive mood, and in a Farm -motiff.

Look at this huge rabbit! Do you know how and what it is made of?

You got it right! The Farm has kumquat orchard and it took 3 days to make the foundation so

that 600 kilos of ripe kumquats was inserted in each hole of the foundation.

This huge golden rabbit is 8 feet high and 6 feet long!

To make it more farm-like style, it was decorated with fruits, vegetables and many other farm products.

You should see and marvel for yourself this amazing creation!

There is still time to spend. Today is the second day of the Chinese New Year, Come, see and taste the sweet taste of the kumquat!

Welcome to Toucheng Farm!

Visit our website:www.tcfarm.com.tw/

ITE - West College of Singapore

Twenty seven Students and Teachers visited Toucheng Farm yesterday (Jan. 21) for a 2 days and 1 night stay


.



Theyall came from Singapore and study at ITE-West College, Culinary Skills.

They are here in Taiwan for cultural exchange, educational tour and learn the basic understanding of Taiwanese pastry, how to prepare and cook it to its most delicious taste.

What was their response to the question, how was your stay?

Perfect! Natural! Ecological world! Delicious! When I am coming back?

That will give you an idea what is Toucheng Farm is all about and much more!

Please click our website's photo album for more pictures. Thanks

What are you waiting for? Come and visit us especially this Chinese New Year!

Chinese New year activities

Chinese New Year celebrations at Toucheng Farm was a memorable success !





Guests were entertained with various games and activities planned especially for the occasion.



To give you an idea of what happened, here I prepared some photos for your consideration. You should have been here to celebrate with us!









Those wearing pink are employees of the Farm. See, how busy they are and how happy the guests were, too!

Games they used to play for years are played again with their children or grandchildren! Ice cream or cotton candies are served, grilling corn on the cob, or sausages, etc....



Memories are recalled by the guests and their families, all are here at Toucheng Farm celebrating the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival this year 2011!

Festivities of the New year are celebrated until the 15Th day of the first month.

We go on our daily lives and look forward to this year of the Rabbit, hoping for a prosperous and joyful year!

Come and celebrate with us at Toucheng Farm!

Visit our website: www.tcfarm.com.tw/

Tree fern - Cyatheaceae

My attention was caught by the intricate beauty of this fern tree.



While walking around Toucheng Farm ,looking for some images for my blog, I stopped and focus my camera to this marvelous scene. It is indeed a cure for sore eyes! Look closer, you will notice the scaly , hairy curly new leaf!



They had been here growing around us since the Jurassic era! This very ancient tree fern can grow up to 20 meters high! Their erect-truck like stem is very prominent and attention -getting spot.

They usually live in the tropical wet forest.
.

Next time you visit and tour Toucheng Farm, take notice of this fern standing strong and erect. Maybe you'll discover something different, They are one of the mystical objects of creation.

Welcome!

Kumquat - Fortunella margarita

As the Chinese New Year is two-weeks away, the fruit orchard is very colorful with the ripening of the kumquat. This "little gems of the citrus family" is an oval-shaped fruit with a shape and size of an olive.



Their sweet edible rind can be eaten raw or preserved into marmalade, jam, jelly or candy..



With a cup of warm water mix a spoonful of a candied kumquat and you can drink the mixture like a warm orange-juice. Spread its jam on a white bread or toast, you can taste the delicious flavor of a sweet kumquat for a snack!

Here are some of Toucheng Farm's guests who had a bountiful harvest of Kumquats during their visit and tour of the Farm!

The joy of picking and tasting the fruits right from the tree is a satisfying experience. Much more bringing some home to share with your family and friends this fresh fruits.

Many use the fresh and colorful kumquat to decorate their dining tables for the Chinese new year holidays.

Come to Toucheng Farm and gather some during this season. They are in abundance!

Butterflies at Toucheng Farm

Butterflies are spectacular creatures which dances and flutters around flowers and aids pollination.


Here at Toucheng Farm, they decorate and gives meaning to this vast area. Watching them fly
high or low is a fascinating experience.

Here, I have a collection of butterflies living here at Toucheng Farm, follow me as I introduce you their names and some characteristics:


Here is the Jamides alecto dromicus, a small butterfly which is from India. It is also called a metallic cerulean.

This common bluebottle or blue triangle butterfly belongs to the swallowtail butterfly can you see the blue colored triangle on its wings?

And here is the Great Mormon butterfly, a large kind of the swallowtail butterflies. They usually have a contrasting and stunning colors on its wings. It looks just perfect on the red flowers on its background. Do you think so?

This black Common mormon butterly, also belonging to the swallowtail family, will keep your eyes awake, its black wings are so fragile as it dances around the Farm.

Many other butterflies are sipping the nectar of the numerous flowers at the Farm, these are just a few.

Come to Toucheng Farm and you will discover so many others.

Welcome and fill your eyes with these fascinating and colorful creatures.


Visit our website for more information: www.tcfarm.com.tw