Bonanza and Feast of New Local Organic Vegetables
Organic vegetables cultivated for deliciousness and sustainability
Candy sweet organic vegetables
Sweet. So juicy and sweet. These local organic vegetables reminded me of candy. This was my initial reaction to a tiny tomato that I popped into my mouth.
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I had just brought produce home from a morning visit to an organic farm in the Yuen Long district of Hong Kong. I hauled back a huge bag of beets, cabbages, lettuces, chives, purple broccolini and a modest size bag of tri-colour cherry tomatoes.
I should have bought more. But I could only carry so much and getting it back home through a sequence starting with the minibus, then the train, and finally another bus was no easy accomplishment.
Buying locally grown produce
For the past few years, I have been consciously buying locally grown produce – for multiple reasons.
First, I am swayed by the “farm-to-table” movement, which promotes produce sourced directly from farms closest to the diner and consumer. This movement also fosters the idea that food transported short distances, as opposed to being flown or transported from around the world, consumes less fuel and thus is better for the environment.
Second, I’ve always been a fan of produce available at the farmers market, which is sold direct by farmers. I like supporting farmers and find that the flavours and sweetness of the produce is best when it is consumed soon after it is harvested.
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And most importantly, because there is a resurgence of local farms, “locally grown produce” has become much more available and affordable.
Kadoorie Farm
I have sought out locally grown, and specifically organic produce from farmer’s markets throughout the city. I have been to ones in Tai Po, Sai Kung and Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, where I can get a dozen freshly laid eggs by their resident hens as well as vegetables grown on their farm.
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My regular venue is the Central Farmers Market, which is held at the Star Ferry Central Pier on Wednesdays and Sundays each week.
Produce from the world
Most of the produce in Hong Kong’s supermarkets is imported; from 90 to 100 per cent is flown, trucked or shipped in from around the world, much of it from the mainland.
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As the Mainland emerged and developed their own food industry in the past few decades, they suffered from some tremendously damaging scandals and scares. Some were cringe-worthy, and their reputation for food safety and quality took a beating. This left consumers, especially in Hong Kong, where we were so wholly dependent, wary.
Hong Kong farms organic vegetables
Hong Kong farms used to be the primary source of agricultural products for its residents.
Rice farming dominated the local rural landscape a hundred years ago, but it waned when farmers emigrated and abandoned their fields as cheaper rice was imported from Southeast Asia.
In the 1950s, many new residents coming to Hong Kong from the Mainland took up residence in the New Territories and transformed the land, growing produce for the local market.
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By the 1970s, vegetables and flowers, which had higher returns, had replaced rice as mainstream agriculture.
Urbanization eroded farmland
In the 1980s, urbanization demands eroded rural agriculture. Real estate developers bought up farmland for potential development.
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Labour costs went up, and the prices of local produce followed. Then as cheap vegetables flooded into Hong Kong, local farming became unappealing.
For a long while, it seemed that Hong Kong would be fully dependent on imported foods.
Then, a new mindset emerged.
New planning policies were amended to protect agricultural land for agricultural use. The Hong Kong Organic Farm Association was set up and then evolved into the Sustainable Ecological Ethical Development Foundation.
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A shift had taken hold. Local agricultural products were actively promoted to the public, and organic agriculture and leisure agriculture gradually developed.
Renewed interest for organic vegetables
What is more significant is that younger people, many of whom are the children of the older farmers, have taken on an interest in local agriculture, not because they must but because they want to.
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And some people from non-farming family backgrounds have taken up volunteer work and paid work on local farms as a lifestyle change and departure from professional tied-to-the-office work.
In recent years, the number of organic farms has greatly increased, and now there are hundreds of organic farms of varying sizes in Hong Kong that are thriving.
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It is so good to see that farming has gone somewhat full circle in Hong Kong. Farmers are once again supplying local produce, such as organic vegetables and residents are responding and supporting them with their wallets.
This symbiotic relationship bodes well for all parties.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department website lists a wealth of information on the agriculture industry in Hong Kong.
On their Organic Farming section, they have links to other websites that provide information on farmers’ markets and leisure farming, especially those that offer activities such as pick-your-own produce and renting land for hobby farming.
The Leisure Farm Search web page (fedvmcs.org/farmindex) on the website of The Federation of Vegetable Marketing Co-Operative Societies provides a free download of A Guide to Hong Kong Leisure Farms that promotes local recreational farms open to the public.
Au Law Farm
The farm that I went to in Yuen Long is one such farm that has regular events open to the public for educational and promotional purposes.
My friend and I signed up for their “corn harvest” half-day activity. The event was supposed to be a full visit around the farm and a briefing on growing corn, and then we were to harvest our own ears.
But we were informed just prior to the date of the visit that some wild cattle had broken into the farm, eating their fill of the tender corn and sweet beets. Alas no more corn to harvest.
Despite that setback, the farm said we were still welcome to visit and harvest other vegetables.
The Au Law Organic Farm is one of the bigger and better-known organic farms in Hong Kong.
Located in Tai Jiang Po Village, Kam Tin in Yuen Long, it is a short No. 602 minibus ride from the Kam Sheung Road MTR station. The farm has a total of 200,000 square feet and is tucked inside the village about a five-minute walk from the road.
They sell their produce at farmers’ markets, direct to consumers and at some shops.
Our guide, Kelly, showed us around the extensive grounds of the farm and led us to the sad sight of the corn stalks that had been munched on by the cattle, as well as the new crop of corn recently seeded. She said we were welcome to come back in a few months when the harvest would be ready.
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She also invited us to pick and harvest whatever beets, cabbage, lettuce and other veggies we fancied. If we were ready to get down and dirty and pick and pull them out, we could take home anything our hearts desired.
Beyond the ones we could pick ourselves, there were already baskets of freshly harvested produce that were being cleaned and packaged for the markets. We could have our choice of those as well and were charged for these by weight.
I was a bit too enthusiastic and kept adding to my shopping bag until it was well overweight. But I had no regrets.
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Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the tomatoes (and ate them like they were jellybeans), but I was delighted with the other vegetables. The cabbage, simply boiled and then stir-fried, was sweeter than any I had had.
The beets and their tops went into a hearty fibre-rich soup. The purple broccolini was lightly grilled and then served with olive oil and a bit of salt.
The chives got chopped and stuffed into dumplings. And the rest were prepped for storage and more meals.
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A fun day out gave me more insights into organic farming in the New Territories, and I was supplied with many meals of gorgeous vegetables.
It was wonderful!
Text & Photos Cammy Yiu
