Exploring the mountains

Last weekend we went exploring.
We discovered a pretty little town up in the mountains called Om Koi. At 1000 metres high the climate is wonderful.
This orange vine-yet to be named- grows rampantly all over the town. I love it.

Lots of flowers grown in the area for the cut flower market because of the great climate. Also coffee, grapes and many veges that supply the markets on the low lands.

One of the villages was harvesting cabbages. The motor cycle guys delivered the cabbages from the villages to the main road. From here they got loaded onto the back of a pickup truck and ferried down the mountain to a depot where they got loaded onto huge trucks and taken to their final market.

One morning we woke to temps of 5'C. a little chilly.This fire was going at the guest house to warm us up.

There are lots of Karen and Lisu hilltribes in the area. Here the Lisu have a vege market happening.

Lots of cool weather veges that are hard to grow at lower altitudes.

Back home we had another visit with Bodge. His rice is harvested and in storage.
We were lucky to be given some brown jasmine rice He has several varieties in storage including red sticky rice, mountain rice and the above mentioned jasmine.

Here we are helping him put some jasmine rice though the hulling machine.

His garden has lots of lettuce,kale,egg plant, edible morning glory etc on the go.

Here is a fresh compost pile ready to do its thing.

Finally I was so lucky to get given this beautiful orchid plant for New Year.

A visit to Thailand wouldn't be complete without a visit to Bodge and Ya's small farm.

We arrived just in time to help feed the chickens.

The garden is waiting for the first regular rains. But there is still quite a bit going on.
The chickens and ducks are laying up a storm, and Ya managed to harvest enough veges and a fish to make yet another delicious meal for us.

The budgies that live next to the dining table provide endless entertainment and went nuts over the branch of basil that Ya fed them.

We arrived bearing gifts of coffee and left with some of their duck and chicken eggs, bananas, papaya and rice. 

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Back in the land of smiles

After the cool rainy days of British Columbia it is nice to be back in the heat of Thailand.
As usual our first stop is to visit Bodge and Ya on their land outside of ChiangMai.
They hadn't arrived home yet when we arrived, so I had time to wander around with my camera.
Lots of hibiscus, canna lilies, cosmos and other flowers in bloom.

 

The rice is getting tall though it is still a month away from harvest. This red variety looks particularly striking in the field.

The roosters putting on a show for us, or maybe it was for the benefit of the nearby hens.

Lots of lettuce, chinese kale and morning glory ready to harvest.

The ubiquitous chillies are producing like crazy.

It looks like there is a papaya starting to ripen up there.

 

The pomelo are ripening on the deck.

The pomelo served. This one was particularly yummy.

 

A new treat for us was this yellow avocado they are growing. It had its own distinctive flavour that I liked a lot.

 

Then after all this snacking Ya made us a delicious lunch that included mushrooms straight from their mushroom house. I never did visit the mushroom house...next time I guess.

 

Fishing with Bodge

We spent another afternoon with Ya and Bodge.
This time fish was on the menu.

Bodge has several large fish ponds, heavily stocked with a variety of fish.

 

Getting the net ready to strike.

 

With a quick swipe, the choice is made.

These were turned into a delicious curry by Ya,

 

that we ate on the deck overlooking another picturesque pond, listening to the frogs and birds, and enjoying the slight breeze that cooled the evening.

 

 

 

Bodge and Ya's garden

A few days ago we spent an afternoon visiting our friends Bodge and Ya. They have an amazing place. Surrounded by rice fields, they have taken about 8 acres, and turned it into a permaculture paradise. There are fish ponds, worm farms, fruit trees, vege patches, mushrooms, chickens and ducks and a growing number of picturesque buildings that comprise of their thatched roofed house, rice barns, and other outbuildings. To drive down their driveway is like approaching a small village set up in the surrounding rice fields.

Here Bodge is explaining what's going on at the moment.

 

A still life scene with the cart/motorbike trailer and stone wall.

 

They grow many varieties of rice from the traditional Jasmine rice, mountain rice, sticky rice, red rice and a red sticky rice that is a striking red coloured plant (see it in the background of the first picture).

 

The ducks patrol the rice field for the giant snails and their eggs. As well they provide lots of eggs for the kitchen.

A stunning red dragonfly in the rice paddy.

These pomellos are like a giant grapefruit with dryer sweeter flesh.

 

In the vege patch there are young gourds

 

Thai basil in flower.

 

Okra with their hibiscus type flowers.

 

Perennial chili bushes. These will ripen to a bright red colour.

 

This new compost heap has the pipe down the middle to help with the air flow. The pipe was very hot to touch as the pile heats up.

 

Here is a heap that was formed 3 months ago. Full of worms and ready to go on the garden beds.

I can't remember the name of this plant. I thought the fruit were very striking looking. The young leaves are eaten and are very tasty.

 

Lots of papaya on the trees.

 

And lots of coconuts on the palms.

Here is a close up of the red sticky rice.Looks like it is going to be a good crop.