Breakfast at the Farm

Entering the gate of the farm, we go by fruit trees. The one that we had been waiting for excitedly is the Duhat at this is very sweet and meaty. Doc Rey just had to stop and get some. You think we can wait to eat it?

As soon as he got off the car and put some on his cowboy hat, I got off too and we both enjoyed the sweet and juicy Duhat. We got all that we can reach out to. Whewhhhh...that was a lot of exercising as we stretched up our arms to pluck the coveted fruits.

You think that was enough? Nope. He had to climb and I was there acting as his arm's GPS...navigating and steering as he can't see where the fruits were. Even while peeking around, we really got good exercise here.

See how good my vantage point was :)

By the time we were done walking around the farm, we sat down to a heavenly meal that was from the farm. Naturally farmed fish, kamatis, manggang hilaw, dayap with bagoong, wild ampalaya, boiled talong, okra and kamote. We ended that breakfast with Suha we picked off our tree too!

All in Santiago City, Isabela. We hope more people here see the importance of safe food on the table and do natural farming.

Last Early Morning Dew

It rained hard here in Santiago City, Isabela last night.  Such a relief from the heat that the news on the radio and TV had been blurting out on the air.

This morning a batch has to be slaughtered and we walk to the pen quietly. It was so nippy cool and fresh after the rain.  They had not been fed anymore as they are going to be dressed today.  They greet you as they think you are there to give them food.

As I am typing now, there are several around me and literally pecking at my legs and pulling my skirt.  Then giving a look and pointing their beak to crates of food nearby.

Water Lily, Quiapo and Azolla

I got a call yesterday asking if what he has in his pond, that looks like small flowers, are Azolla?

Promised I will post a photo here soon so he can distinguish.  Fate had it that when we parked at our farm in Santiago, Isabela this morning, they were all there....

Water Lily, Quiapo and Azolla :)

Good Start, Pay Forward

January 2 2011, Panorama of the Manila Bulletin had a two page spread on our pasturing white chickens. January 7 2011, Mag Agri Tayo (Every Saturday, 9am, Channel 4) set an appointment for another shoot next week covering Azolla, fPJ and OHN....this was just after they featured us on white pastured chickens in their December 25 2010 episode.   January 8 2011, Agripage of Manila Bulletin played up the use of Azolla as an alternative feeds for animals.  By mid morning, Channel 5 did a chance interview on us at Mercato Centrale for the Sunshine Chicken and we had another chance to highlight Azolla.

Today, I was also asked how much would Azolla cost?  "It multiplies so fast that I think it is a sin to sell it...besides, we were taught and given time and Azolla, it has to be paid forward to others".

These were the two photos that were used by Mr. Zac Sarian's Agripage, Jan 8, 2011:

AZOLLA IS CHEAP CHICKEN FEED - If you want to economize on feeds for your free range chicken, you should try growing Azolla even if you have just a small fishpond.  Just like what Dr. Rey Itchon is doing in their farm in Santiago City, Isabela.  They raise Azolla in their Tilapia ponds and harvest the water plant for feeding their white chickens which are raised as free range chickens.  The Itchons say that the chickens just love to eat Azolla which is rich in protein.  They only feed their chickens once a day with commercial feeds that is without any antibiotics.  Instead, they enhance the health of their fowls by adding fermented plant juice, which they themselves make, in their drinking water.  Photo above shows the Itchons' pond full of Azolla while at the lower photo, the chickens are relishing the Azolla given them.

Close up of Azolla:

We are now harvesting 50kgs a day, that translates to savings of PHP1500 a day.  That is what we feed the Sunshines.  We haven't even counted our Pangasius and Tilapia that live on Azolla alone.  We did a sampling recently and the growth is comparable to commercial fishponds that are fed with commercial feeds.   

Setting up additional holding areas to bring up the harvest to 100kgs a day :)

Creatures Of Habit

After we opened the cage for the 14days to start ranging, we passed by this 49days range area.  

This batch is the one that holds my spot for my favorite Aratiles tree.  "My Spot" had fallen too from the ravage of Juan, together with almost 99% of our fruit trees.  As they went out to hunt for food today after the storm had left, in groups, they find their regular joints.

This group obviously loves Aratiles too.  They were just attracted and concentrated on the fruits they have enjoyed on the ground daily.  They must have not noticed that the source of those fruits are no longer standing there.  Nor that the Mango tree that used to give them shade while they scout for their fruits, are now at their eye level.

That was the side story....

I was trying to point out that they are willing and able to to take care of themselves!

Basyang Led Us Here

News of Basyang hitting Isabela made us decide to make a quick trip to the farm in Isabela. Not because of the ranging chickens, as they will surely be able to stand and fend for themselves. It was for the 100 fruit trees we just replanted in the new area being developed.

Yesterday, all was quiet here in Santiago....

The visit allowed us to eat freshly harvested fruits....the Santol was really good and sweet. I have to give it to freshness and chemical free farming :)

On the way out, we saw our Sampalok Tree. Doc Rey took out his hat and gathered our souring ingredient. Sinampalukang Manok is best when you use a lot of young leaves and flowers!

Let's Play

The cages are opened up early in the morning for the chicks to catch the coolness of the previous night, with the dew drops everywhere, before the heat of the day dries them up.

We try to catch that time too, as it is a joy to see the different ranges liven up with the chicks like preschool children during recess time. There is one range that was quiet... shouldn't be as it was a large area and had a lot of trees where they can play around and scout for insects.

Closer look...and see they were all playing and burying themselves in the mounds of ricehull! Looks like their beddings are scheduled to be turned and changed. They decided to smell the sheets first :) They have the same color and you don't see them from afar.

That is not just playground for them...there is food almost everywhere. One functions best in their natural habitats and ways.

Incidentally, we are based in Santiago City, Isabela.

Manamoc Rimas, I Will Call It

The moment we went inside the field office of Andres Soriano Foundation in Manamoc, we were offered these fried Rimas.

I love these fried varieties that was introduced to me by Tita and Pol Rubia of AANI. But these ones today were so different. Deep yellow sunset in color, they were very sweet, creamy like Durian and big like Melon slices. We can't have enough of it that we asked for it all the time.

These Rimas fruits are abundant on this island. You see the trees everywhere. The fruits will be mistaken as Jackfruits (Langka) to the uninitiated. So abundant they are, that they are fed to the pigs...and now to the Sunshines :)

We asked for some planting materials and hopefully in our farm they will grow well. Expecting to have some Manamoc Rimas in Santiago City, Isabela in 2 1/2 years :)

Make Way

Went to the farm after office. I was just left in the car, as Doc Rey was viewing the concrete posts buried on the new area we were developing.

Still caught the last rays of the Sun, excitedly took out my camera to practice. It was after I was downloading to my "practice" album, that limited spaces and drought may have been captured subjects in some photos I took. Looking through the lens, the aim then was to get comfortable with my camera. The pictures taken, showed me a different focus :)

In this dry season, when you can't plant rice due to the fact that your water is dependent on irrigation that they cut off...you should have planned or at the very worst, be planning what to do. Problems are no reason to stop moving and working :)

We are based in Isabela, where I will say 90% of farming is Rice and Corn. So I will talk from my vantage point.

You know the passages in rice paddies? Pilapil...am not sure how they are called in English. It doesn't have to be just that...a passage or border. Put it into good use. Widen it and you can use it to plant vegetables, fruit trees...and yes, even use for ranging of Sunshines.

Want to raise Sunshine but no space?

If you have a fishpond, you may set part or the whole house on top of the pond, on stilts. The Sunshine's waste will go to the pond and the fishes may feed on them.

Okey, no fishpond...then just build the housing on the widened pilapil. Let them range there too. Of course, don't forget to plant fast shading trees. We did plant a lot of Sugarcane, Bamboo, Aratiles, Papaya etc.

My Dampa

Who hasn't been to Dampa? The strips of wetmarket, where you point to what you want and it is cooked for you.

Better for me...it is pointed while still in the plant, picked off fresh, and steamed for a few minutes. Even our drinking water! It is taken from the well and boiled. By the time we are done with breakfast, we are able to drink warm water to wash it down.

We went home to Isabela, amidst reports of calamity area because of the drought. True it is soooo hot here. But, because of natural farming and open housing and free ranging chickens...we are OK!

More so that we encourage everyone to grow your own food. You can do it in containers in your backyard, frontyard, rooftops or hang containers in walls. That way, whatever flood, power outages or whatever comes our way...you may atl east feed yourselves.

Go back to basics :)

Laughter

It is different when shared with friends....and you really have a good, loud, laughs about an incident that you all find funny. It may be a silly thing, but it is funny when woven with other experiences as a group.

When not in a gelled group...your smiles or sneers are exaggerated to assimilate laughter ahahahhah.

We have in our company Andry and Jojie Lim :) Doc Rey was tasked yesterday to introduce Andry as main speaker. Geez.....Doc Rey went on and on...I guess that is how it is when introducing a friend as you know a lot about the person! He went beyond that...he started talking about IMO, FPJ etc. Maybe the audience didn't notice it, but Doc Rey may have forgotten that he wasn't the speaker but just the introducer.

Much later in the day, after the seminar, the moment we got inside the car.....we all had to have our boisterous laughs about that incident.

We proceeded to our farm and since it is their first time to come to Santiago, it was again another healthy exchange of info and insights. Both Andry and Doc Rey are brooding batches now and they were comparing growths since they are adapting different brooding styles.

Doc Rey is based on scientific poultry management for free range...while Andry uses the Korean technology.

Three full days with friends...tomorrow we all travel back to Manila. Long trips are enjoyable when laughs are shared.

With people you are comfortable with, you are not ashamed to ask seemingly dumb questions. The Northern Luzon and Mindanao offer different foods and sceneries. What one takes for granted, awes the other.

They can't over the fact that on the road to Isabela, they met unending number of trailer trucks, hauling rice to go to Manila.Andry and Jojie are so captured by the vastness of the rice fields all around....as far as your eyes can see :) Over dinner, when we brought them to Generao's Bangus Grill that serves Sunshine in their menu...they never had Sinampalukang Manok, chicken in soup soured by Tamarind. I suggested to them to try to use Batuan to sour their soup. It is abundant in the Visayas.

Natural Farming In Santiago

Region 2 will be lucky for the opportunity to have Andry and Jojie Lim, advocates of the Korean technology of natural farming.

WHAT: Seminar of Natural Farming (rice, vegetables, pigs and chickens)
WHEN: Jan 26 and 27, 8am-5pm, two (2) day seminar
WHERE: Northeastern College, Santiago City, Isabela
WHO: Andry Lim
FEE: PHP500 for two (2) days

I have sat in several seminars of Andry and he is most entertaining and educating. Very charismatic speaker and thinks from a layman's point of view as he is not an agriculturist too by education :)

In their farm in Davao, Andry and Jojie raises Sunshine Chicken on a regular basis, supplying family, friends and a NCCC Mall's supermarket. Aside from the chickens, they supply vegetables and pork.

Farm visits in Santiago City are being scheduled too in relation to the seminar.

Very good value for you to join. See you there.

So Sage, Sausage

So sensible, so wise.

It was a perfect time to bring out the sausage platters that we had developed from the Sunshine Chickens.

Why so? We were in the company of family and friends.

1st stop: In Santiago City, Isabela. Family on Doc Rey's side had the usual Christmas party. Served on the drinking table for pulutan. I didn't think it will be rated well and delicious as we centered on taste buds of the Metro folks. The men liked it.

Next stop: Last night's Cheese and Wine with my forever friends from Maryknoll high school yet. For a cross section, we invited my mother's best friend in her 70s, and Mr. Zac Sarian of Agriculture Magazine. It rated very well with Tita Pilar and Zac. I gifted Father Mon, our parish priest, some sauasages and fresh eggs last week, and Tita Pilar said that Father Mon raved about it infront of other parishioners.

My 20yr old son, Rocky, also joined the group. He is a health buff and watches his diet so well. His likes was taken into consideration when we developed this.

My friends...oh they will always be critical to a fault...but its always for the good of everyone :) They all said it was great, but lacking in blah blah black sheep hahahhahha. But, no negative reactions...,.,which means it was so good already, knowing them!

I was prepared with my camera, but as always in good times, I forget to take photos!

Discussion centered on the reasons for developing the product. It started with planning for value added products aside from the dressed chickens. Brainstorming about other business ideas, beyond the raising...where else and who else can earn from the endeavors? The clamor for healthy products. The segment of the ready to cook food had to be looked into.

Repeat. We had APDC of BAI develop these so sage sausages for us. We were both equally ecstatic about reinventing meat processing without preservatives.

I texted Salve of APDC first thing this morning to congratulate her as it met the taste buds of the cross section of our target market. It faired well with all ages and cultural slices.

So sage...it has a nice ring! I should use it as branding! ...what do you think?

Busy Chicks

We are looking forward to having Jojie and Andry Lim (natural farming in the Philippines fame) in Santiago City, Isabela end of January.

Perfect that we are fixing a new location of 3hectares. Good time for them to comment as it won't be just Sunshines there. We will integrate farming to feed ourselves in the coming days, from rice to fruits.

Andry will do seminars and I will post details here.

Expansion

Made a quick trip to Isabela to assess movements of ranging areas in farm.

Our present location of 1 hectare for chickens is now old and has to be left for a while to rest....we mean really rest. Not just rest for 2months but like deep massage and laser treatments :) With all the fertilizers that the Sunshines have scattered there for about 2yrs now, our caretaker is raking and allowing the land to aerate and breathe.... uuhhmmmmmmm....

We are acquiring a similar area right beside us. Since we have shades and trees in our present location, we can build houses and ranges asap, like a back to back to our present set up.

Today, another 3 hectares have been acquired about two (2) stones throw away. Near but far, perfect. This will take time and planning as we want to build canals around and within...to make small fishponds and default barriers amongst ranges. Planting live fence all around for wind breakers. Installing the combat wire we have taken down from Fairview. When the combat wires are laid on the perimeter, soon after grass will grow around it, and not even cattle can push it down.

Meantime, planning and developing takes time....just like why we like our chickens...slow developed and full bodied taste. Planting materials to be gathered for live fence, and fruit trees that will keep us busy as we get older. Of course, vegetable plots for the food we grow ourselves.

Size

It is in the taste..that Sunshine is bought :)

When we started started our Sunny Rotisserie, we were doing the mid-sized chickens. Not ready for the response and the snowballing of the sales, by end October we ran out of that size. The next batch was ranging and will take two (2) more weeks.

Because we were growing for the dressed Sunshine market for Metro Manila for marketing purposes, we had available the large sized chickens. Wary how the market will take it as they were used to the mid-sized one already. So relieved and surprised that the sales didn't skip a beat, nor a note :) Prices had to be increased because of the size difference. It was OK for the market!

Last night saw Sunny roasting again the mid-sized ones. Clients didn't complain as the price of course was commensurate.

Proof of the reason for their coming...the taste!

The more we are excited to open in Metro Manila, after trying the Santiago City Isabela market.

In Pairs

I don't know why, but my mother's instruction to me in planting in pairs stuck to me. Wonder if she took the "two's company, three's a crowd"!

As a young girl, I remember asking her why that was so...and hopefully I recall right, she answered:

1) It balances landscape outcome. Maybe that is why 2s, pairs are synonymous to Even Numbers...it balances. Left and right. Back and front.

2) We were such fruit lovers, that produce from one (1) tree will not be enough ahahhahah

3) If one (1) tree doesn't fruit well, you still have another

4) If one (1) is damaged by a storm, you still have another

I may be blabbing here now if I go on. I think the only real logical answers were the ones stated. But that 2s carried on to me..really! I buy trees in 2s and in several varieties. Actually, in almost everything, I panic buy and get all colors when I like something.

When I get the chance to do tree shopping, I cart a loot. I got these from Teresa Orchard of Zac Sarian.

That must have been about two (2) months from now. They are all settled now, in Isabela soil.

Do...if you can..plant everyday. Before you know it, you are reaping the sweetest and the freshest of them all! Remember....no chemicals please.

Reason To Smile

We are so happy that slowly, more and more rice farmers are converting to organic fertilizers. Now that they have seen that by just using a commerical bio-organic fertilizer, they have increased their yield from last cropping.

It is so hard to explain to farmers who got the bad ends of deals when buying so called organic fertilizers. You have to be an example and show your own yield.

The photo above, taken at Brgy Salvador, Santiago City Isabela, shows the fields that used plainly Durabloom Bio-Organic Fertilizers. Just that simple. They didn't even follow instructions well.

Computing yields last night showed that even without following instructions...and nature related disaster...the yield was better than last cropping.

Now, we can talk about asking them to attend Natural Farming seminar on rice production by Andry Lim. I was telling them last night about low farm inputs following the Korean principles.

Now they ask Where and When! Makes us smile....We hope to encourage more.

Oh yes, you can use the manure from your free ranging Sunshines.

You Will Meet Sunny Soon

Last night we had a soft opening of the rotisserie chicken outlet in Santiago City, Isabela.

No signs yet, as we just thought about opening two nights ago. Yes, read right. Two (2) nights ago, we decided to open the box of rotisserie oven, had electricals installed pronto and just did a salt and pepper rub on some of our chickens. Tasted good...so we decided to roast some more last night.

Yesterday, we ran live ads on the radio. By the time we were cooking, we got inquiries already from drive bys! The few we roasted gone :)

Today, we finalized our radio ads and had it voiced over. Gave a GO on the outdoor signages.

Deliberated last night on initial taglines to be used for the radio and outdoor ads....came up for our intial outings:

1) Meet Sunny :)

2) gala sa damuhan

3) walang anibiotiko

4) pinasarap ng panahon

Come to think of it. We really had Sunny all the time. We called our small truck wrapped chickvan as Sunny, if you remember our previous posts wayback 2007! We've always said our Sunshines do range on living grass (gala sa damuhan), no antibiotics, and had been using the tag "pinasarap ng panahon" in our long standing brochure.

We have just recycled ideas? Nope. We are just doing our step by step outings in marketing...to always give you something new and better.

This morning, we had our fill of high spirits from the wonderful comments we got on Sunny. From people who knew and loved their food.

Doc Rey just showed me what he had been working on since lunch time. A more cheery area :) Last night we had no signage at all, we were close to invisible and lighting was bad. What sold us were our uniformed personel outside and the radio live ads.

I will let you meet Sunny when they put up the signs. It will be up before the week ends. Things is, I don't think I might be around to take photos.

Oh...the place is nothing fancy. It was all do-with and diskarte.

Simply....Its just down to earth real good tasting chicken.

Genaro's Bangus Grill

If you see our growers featured in agriculture magazines, you may want to know that we equally market the restaurants that use our chickens :)

For the Jan-Feb 2009 issue of F&B World, when we were interviewed and featured, we invited the crew to sample Sunshines at Zucchini's restaurant. F&B World mentioned them in that issue and the next issue of March-April had Zucchini's featured too :)

Now to Genaro's.... they are based in Santiago City, Isabela where we are based too. Having lunch by drive thru, at their gate side grill, is normal for us. I always ordered fish as the name connotes, is supposed to be their specialty.

Sometime ago, rare time that we go there for dinner and decided to dine in. Oh they have native chicken and Monterey pork too. I order for Sinampalukang Manok, only to be told that the supply is very erratic. Hmmmmm.....small talks that led me to talk about Sunshines. And yes, send her 10 chickens the next day for testing.

That is history. They had been ordering consistently.

About 2weeks ago, I thought of making "Sunshine Chicken is being served at Genaro's Bangus Grill" as our tagline for the radio ads for Region2. Really worked! The sales have doubled. And Grace the owner, appreciated the fact that we made effort to look after marketing too. Obviously, she makes good, I do too :)

Last night, brainstorming about employees handling tips and how to cut down on workload as Grace did the cooking...we brought up the idea of new recipes, ones that stir far from the inasal every corner available. Oh yes, keep the classic tinola and sinampalukan...but get going with offerings that only you have, at least for the moment. Offering that you know you started.

That brought the conversation to my smoking chicken. I shared a recipe of a relative, that I amended to make it easier for me to do. We now look forward to introducing Smoked Sunshine Chicken at Gabriel's of Genaro's.

Gabriel's of Genaro's...That is their new outlet. Strategic, along Maharlika Hway, across the 24hr Mercury Drugstore in Santiago City, Isabela.