Breaktime

After the flurry of the 2nd INAHGEN, by 8pm we felt really drained. You can't speak because mouth is too dry, can't walk because legs hurt from all the standing, can't think because you are too sleepy.

Today, was no appointment day. No radio guesting, just rest. Well, rest meant going to the two locations of AANI at FTI and Circle to touch base with the clients there, lunch at Salcedo Weekend Market and having two cups of dirty ice cream. Incidentally, I had two huge glasses of Fruits in Cream Milkshakes last night...excuse for all the agri show work. Am so guilty after all the calories...but still tasted GOOD!

Tuesday, hopefully, we will be able to visit Sunshine Capon of Joey Rigor in Victoria, Tarlac. This early, his capons are gaining interest in the local market. Even the editor of Agriculture Magazine of Manila Bulletin, Zac Sarian, immediately set an interview with him when he heard about a Sunshine grower doing the capons.

By Wednesday, its off to Batangas to check out a project we have been invited to go look into. Training in agriculture. There will be different modules. End goal is to make it profitable for farmers. We had been asked to give the training on raising our Sunshines :) I guess it won't be different from what we are really doing already.

Ilocos Norte Goes To Salcedo Market

ILOCOS NORTE COMES TO SALCEDO MARKET



The Salcedo Community Market and the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte will
host an Ilocos food and crafts fair on December 15, 2007, showcasing the finest
fresh produce, specialty food items and indigenous crafts from the Ilocos region.



Entitled “Panaggapas: The Ilocano Harvest,” the day-long event was organized by
the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office in cooperation with the Museo Ilocos Norte, the
Gameng Foundation.



The festival is the first time the Salcedo Community Market – Manila’s most
popular weekend market – will host a fair of regional Filipino specialty food
items and traditional crafts.



Specialty items on sale will include popular products such as Ilocos garlic,
shallots, cornick, linga (sesame seeds), miki and tupig, sugarcane wine (basi) and
sugarcane vinegar (sukang Iloko) – all of which will be on sale from 7:00 am to
4:00 pm.



Other items on sale will also include Ilocano delicacies such as bagnet, empanada
and longganiza. Among the non-food items are woven textiles and cotton fabric, as
well as dried tobacco leaves – a traditional household insect-repellant and garden
pesticide.



Newly-elected Gov. Michael M. Keon describes the special event as "a showcase of
Ilocano talent, creativity, and industry," while Cong. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
(2nd District) invites everyone “who appreciates good, honest food, and hand-made
quality products” to the fair.



“Panaggapas” – or “harvest season,” in the local language – is the traditional
highlight of the year's efforts, when the hardworking farmers give thanks for the
blessings they have received and rest after another year of work.


Salcedo’s “Panaggapas” Festival will also include a cooking demonstration of
traditional Ilocos food by authentic cooks brought in specially for the event, as
well as representatives from the province’s hotels and resorts.



Also on sale at the event are traditional Abel Iloko – or woven cotton fabrics –
as blankets, runners and napkins. Included among the regional crafts are
handcrafted baskets and mats that are renowned for their tight, intricate weaves.



“The Ilocos harvest festival not only showcases the produce of one of the
country’s oldest regions, but also highlights the Salcedo Market’s commitment to
promote the Philippines as a whole,” said Women of Bel-Air Foundation, Inc.
Chairperson Constancia Q. Lichauco.



The Women of Bel-Air Foundation, Inc. will take over the operations of the market
beginning January 2008 and has promised to upgrade services at Manila’s most
popular market for the past three and a half years.

Lifted from a press release circulated by email by Le Club. Have you been to Salcedo Weekend Market? If not, GO! I enjoy this weekend thing. Food is great. You get shopping pushcarts for convenience. Meeting the bakers, cooks and farmers upfront and personal gives a country fair atmosphere.