Our Experiments: Cooking The Stuff We Grow

Recipe for Success

You know, I believe the real test of how good our products is not in the “looking” but rather in the “cooking”. No matter how well they look, if they are not good to eat, it makes no sense. Of course, there is some truth in the saying that what is good for you is generally not good to eat! Well, I hope we can be different in our farm.

To tell you the truth, I am not a cook at all, but after seeing the vegetables grow so well, I am inspired to at least try. Right now, I am still at the theoretical stages of my emerging career as a cook. It is really hard going. I keep trying to figure out what would be a good formula, convince some team member to cook it, only to find out that real cooking just does not work that way. Ah well, great cooks do not think like engineers I guess.

MUSHROOM SASHIMI, anyone?

Today, I had a great idea. I love sashimi and I love wasabi sauce with pickled ginger. Problem is that if I eat too much raw fish, my stomach is set free. Not a nice event. I found out that if I blanch a fresh mushroom slice (cut to that approximate shape of a sashimi) in boiling water that is slightly salted, it tastes like sashimi – smooth and slippery. Being the great engineer that I am, I decided that blanching in slightly salted boiling water is just too much work for just a small plate of sashimi mushrooms, so I slightly salt the mushroom slices, wet them and put them into a microwave oven set at medium power for a minute or so. Presto, mushroom sashimi!

Next I prepare some wasabi and mix it into the required soy sauce. Place some pickled ginger and we are ready - a healthy, protein rich, organic dish, ready in minutes.

Take a look at this picture.

My next challenge - to create a range of different sauces. I’ll keep you posted.

Experiencing Our Farm

I am quite excited to show you our farm. If any of your organic buffs are interested, I will be happy to host a visit for you so that you and your friends will fully understand what this organic movement is all about.

Going ORGANIC - a holistic concept

First of all, before I describe what it is like on a farm like ours, I will need to take a short detour to explain what organic farming is about. Actually, this is a very holistic concept. It is not only about the absence of chemicals and in its place are piles of dung and other smelly stuff. To some people, the smellier and basic a farm, the more organic it is. This is totally wrong. Organic farming is about sustainability and responsibility not only to the consumers, but also to the way we use the land, proper hygiene and pollution control. It is also about treating each other on the farm, including our employees and suppliers with respect. Finally, it is about how we treat other living things (including pests) by refraining to kill indiscriminately.

A NEVER-ENDING journey

In truth, these lofty goals are much easier to write down than to achieve. The journey and challenges to achieve each of these goals are both difficult as well as testing. We may, at any one time, not fulfill some of these objectives, but we should never stop trying. That is part of the fun – to do something meaningful.

Our farm is still on this never ending journey. We think we have come quite a long way compared to traditional farming methods, but we still have a very long way to go.

at the foot of Gunung Jerai

A WELCOME SIGHT

The first thing you will see and feel when you first arrive at the farm is the peaceful natural setting. At this altitude (1300 meters), the air is cool and fresh. For the luckier ones, a fresh breeze, rustling through the forest enthusiastically welcomes your arrival. Perched on top of a small hillock is a rustic farmhouse that is surrounded by a small vegetable plot. You walk through the gate and walk up the steps towards the farmhouse. You start to notice just how healthy and fresh the vegetables look. You start to identify what kinds of vegetables each are and there will be many that you just cannot name or have seen before. There are lettuces, broccolis, zucchinis, cabbages, radish and many others.

You look around and take in a panoramic view of the farm setting. The first thing you will notice is the difference this farms looks compared to what you are used to in places such as in the Cameron Highlands. This is a place where the forest blends nicely with the farm. Green houses, vegetable plots and forest merge into each other in a seamless way.

ORGANIC products that look BETTER and HEALTHIER...

fresh iceberg lettuce

For most visitors, the first question is whether these are actually grown organically. To many, their perception of organic produce is that they normally look less impressive than their chemically grown counterparts. They should look thinner, smaller and weaker. The ones they are looking at now are large, full of vitality, and consistent from plant to plant. Visitors generally comment that it is hard to believe that these naturally grown vegetables can actually look better and healthier than non-organic versions. But that is what it is.

baby cos lettuce

The next thing you will start noticing after the initial excitement is over is the absence of the characteristic “pastoral” smell associated with vegetable farms. Generally such smells are associated with animal dung, rotting materials etc. Since we are strictly compost based, there should be no such smells. Well developed compost should only exude an earthy, natural smell. Anything less will indicate a poor composting process. Associated with this lack of bad smells, is the lack of flies for the same reason. Flies generally do their buzzing around food or rotting materials. Good compost offers no such great attraction to these pesky insects.

Come, enjoy a CUPPA on us ...

If you have made an earlier appointment, farmer Ooi or a member of his family will come and greet you and invite you for a cup of tea in our very simple showroom to explain to you how the farm works. By the end of the briefing, you will be raring to go to the tour to experience for yourself how a sustainable farming actually works.

Part 4: Reviving Gunung Jerai - a second chance

In 2003, Mr Ooi and I started a plan to revive the farm, but this time using truly organic and sustainable principles. This is to be our attempt to breathe a new lease of life into the dying mushroom farm.

The birth of Agro Bio-Future

With this partnership, we picked a suitable name for the company – “Agro Bio-Future Sdn Bhd” with a new and more exciting mission – to set up an experimental farm to develop a way to make commercial viable farming truly organic and sustainable.

No easy way out - but giving up is not an option

We think our name is very appropriate – Merging Agriculture with Biology to create a great future for us. But let me tell you this, organic and sustainable farming is a very difficult thing to achieve. I cannot even count how many times we failed and felt like giving up and spraying everything with chemicals to get the crops to grow. During the initial years, nothing seemed to work. We had to keep investing, with no end in sight. Fortunately our higher ideals and vision kept us going. I was the accountant/engineer; he was the agriculturalist/farmer. Those were difficult and heart- breaking times.

However, we persevered with our ideal that we will find the formula to grow crops in the total absence of poisonous chemicals and maintain the land such that if we ever leave, we would have left it much ecologically enriched instead of being devastated and sterile, like many commercial farms do today.

A farm where nothing goes to waste

Today, we have managed to create a farm, albeit on an experimental commercial scale that has the potential to be fully organic and sustainable. By this, we mean starting with mostly waste materials, grow highly desired produce and then re-use the resultant waste by making organic fertilizers out of them. Also, we are proving that it is possible to preserve the natural environment and eliminate the necessity to destroy trees, dig up the land and cause erosion and pollution. This is exciting and meaningful stuff.


Of course we will have to make some profits on the way or we will not be able to carry on.

Part 3: Mr Ooi, the mushroom man from Gunung Jerai

About 5 years ago, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Mr Ooi, who operated a very small mushroom farm on top of Gunung Jerai. At that point, his business was in a desperate condition. But his passion for farming, especially organically was extremely high. I can see it in his eyes. He was very sad that he may have to stop doing what he loved most.

The mushroom farm started about 15 years ago as a joint venture between investors from China and Malaysian entrepreneurs. Gunung Jerai was selected after 2 years of study of the climate conditions there which fulfilled the requirements for growing Shiitake mushrooms. Organic and sustainable farming was not on the agenda then. Commercial success was the main priority. The enterprise had since failed due to lack of knowledge for growing in a tropical mountain environment. With the departure of the foreign investors, Mr Ooi was left with keeping the farm operating on his own.

It was then that our partnership began. The plan? To review the farm but this time using truly organic and sustainable principles.

Final Part of The Beginning: Reviving Gunung Jerai - a 2nd chance

Part 2: The beginning of our journey

Putting the funding engine in place

I believe that in order to do something significant, one must first have a funding engine. My training in business during my past job made me take a more realistic view as idealism can only go so far.

I started investing and mentoring some small startups in the hope that they will be successful so that my share of these profits can be used to move my post retirement objectives forward. Initially, my plan was to contribute towards helping the poor and less fortunate. However, something happened along this journey that modified my thinking. I realized that helping the less fortunate, although a good thing, especially if others in the same situation as me are also galvanized, is not enough.

But what good is giving charity when our life support system is dying? It is a protracted losing battle at best.

Hence, began my journey into realizing my passion for not just farming but sustainable farming. It began with that ‘fated’ introduction to Mr Ooi, the mushroom man.

Part 3: Mr Ooi, the Mushroom Man from Gunung Jerai

Part 1: Mankind's modern tragedy

I am frankly quite proud of our little experimental organic farm high up on Gunung Jerai. What started as a challenge to prove that it is possible to grow commercially viable Shiitake mushroom in a tropical setting has turned into a passion for sustainable farming.

What price progress?

While I am awed by the speed and brilliance of mankind’s technological progress that has resulted in the rise of the standard of living, I am at the same time, appalled by the way we are poisoning our planet and ourselves.

But what choice do we have? The world is not in good shape and although as individuals, we can only do so much, it is not an excuse to do nothing at all.

Exploitation and more exploitation

Population is growing at a tremendous rate. We need to accelerate the exploitation of our planet’s resources to keep all of us happy and comfortable. Food production becomes a problem as we eat more and waste more. The air we breathe is getting poisoned and climate getting warmer and less predictable. To grow more food in an environment where arable land is getting scarce and climate becoming increasingly hostile, we start relying more and more on artificial means. Chemicals are synthesized to fertilize our land, pesticides developed to kill pests, herbicides to kill unwanted plants and fungicides to kill microscopic organizations at bay. Actually, a lot of things get killed just to get our food on the table in a form that we like. It seems we like to believe that the things that we use to kill other creatures and vegetation will not also kill us. Maybe we do not have a choice, so we just sweep this under the table and hope that we do not get sick.

A matter of priority or apathy?

In the course of my work, I come into contact with people from all walks of life. Most times, I make it a point to ask what they think of this large scale poisoning of our natural habitat. What scares me most is that most people do not care, don’t know or are resigned to let others worry about it. The pursuit of fame and wealth takes a far higher priority than this minor issue of poisoning the very place we live in. For example, people will only switch to smaller cars when fuel cost gets too high, not because smaller cars pollute less. Scary isn’t it? This, in my mind, is the tragedy of our modern times.

Part 2 - The Beginning of Our Journey