SHL Journal – Suria Helang Lui

20 Apr 2018

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Seeds oh Seeds. Which one shall I choose?

Recently I received quite a few question about seeds so I am sharing what I know in the hopes that it will be useful to people interested in it. The selection of seeds for planting is very important. Selecting the wrong seeds can lead you to disappointment, especially after you put in so much effort. So let’s start with the kinds of seeds. There are basically 3 types of seeds.
F1 Hybrid Seeds
These are the most often type of seeds you find in the market. It is essentially produced by selective cross pollinating 2 parent plants to produce the “first children” so to speak. Quality F1 seeds can produce quality plants as the dominant qualities from each parent is present in the F1 seeds. Through this selective cross-pollination or hybridisation, the resulting seeds can be engineered to have specific qualities such as in the taste and size. However, if you obtain seeds from F1 plants, you may find that when you sow the seeds. they do not germinate. You may have followed advise from your friends to germinate them and still find that it didn’t germinate. You did nothing wrong as most seeds that result from F1 plants through genetic engineering are sterile or do not produce plants true to their parents. So, even if you manage to germinate some, you will find the results may not be satisfying. This is how the seed companies stay in business.
Heirloom seeds
Unlike F1 seeds that are produces through selective cross-pollination, heirloom seeds are generated from plants from open pollination and possess most of the characteristics of their parent plant. Subsequent plants from these heirloom seeds will continue to have most of the characteristics of their parent plant. If you planted using heirloom seeds, then you can select the best seeds to future planting. Obtaining heirloom seeds is getting to be more difficult and harder to come by. Why? The seed companies can lose business hence why nowadays you find F1 seeds but rarely heirloom seeds. For seed banks, it is best to use heirloom seeds. At the farm, when I have heirloom plants, these are the seeds that I will retain.
GMO Seeds
These seeds are different from the above two types of seeds and are done in laboratories using gene splicing technology. At this stage certain elements can be added into the genes, modifying it genetically from its original stage. Certain chemicals to make the seeds resistant to pests and other types of chemicals used in herbicides and pesticides can also be added. Inherently GMO seeds contains pesticides that does not wash away or disappear magically so eating produce from GMO seed plants means you are consuming pesticides intentionally. So, even if you use GMO seeds and follow organic planting practices, your produce cannot be considered organic.
My Conclusion
Where possible, go for heirloom seeds. When not possible, you will just have to continue purchasing F1 seeds and keep the seed companies like Cargill and the like in business. At all cost, if you are for your health, say no to GMO and keep pesticide out of your daily food intake.

26 Apr 2017

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SHL Development: Planning for 2018 and the future

After almost 8 years of developing the farm, both from the physical development to the product development, and after numerous experiments and tests from produce and products to marketing them, 2018 will bring some major changes to how we do things. It is the fine-tuning of what we have been doing and also changes to how I want to spend my time. One of the aspects that I love of what I do now is being able to produce nutrients-rich products. The idea of enjoying tasty drinks that delivers nutrients that my body needs so that it becomes a natural part of my life is something that I want to promote to everyone. Consuming natural food as opposed to processed and chemical enhanced food is something that I advocate. Consuming natural food also doesn’t mean that you need a lot of time to prepare for the food nor does it mean expensive – often people forget to add the cost of medical services, supplements to their diet, etc.

In streamlining our end-products from the farm would be, we will have basically four types:

SHL natural drink concentrates and teas
Fruits and selected vegetables
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO)
Fish

SHL Natural drink concentrates and teas
Over the last two years, we have market tested several varieties of drinks and teas based on what we grow at the farm. Based on our finding as well as on what I love due to its taste and benefits, the selection was made. The underlying principle is that it has to be organically-grown and provides nutrients and therapeutic benefits. All our concentrate drinks are unsweetened and the choice to sweeten or not is left to the consumer. The concentrates that we will produce are:

Bentong Ginger and Turmeric
Roselle concentrate
Roselle probiotics concentrate
Cold-pressed calamansi juice
Cold-pressed calamansi juice with lemongrass
Cold-pressed calamansi juice with blue sweet pea flower extract

The dried teas that we will produce are:

Misai Kuching Tea
Soursop Leaves Tea
Roselle Leaves Tea

We will also produce other products in this category based on special bulk request.

Fruits and selected vegetables
Over the years, we have planted many types – over 40 types – and I have learnt a lot from it. We will streamline this down to the following:

Cabbage
Kailan
Choy sum (sawi)
Spinach
Long green beans
French beans
Tomatoes
Pumpkin
Mini cucumbers
Corn

This will provide for a selection from leafy, to crunchy to fleshy and my favourites. The area that we will use for planting them will also be streamlined. We will also plant other vegetables but this will be in smaller quantity and mainly additional types of vegetables for my family.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
For me, this is oil of choice from its numerous benefits to it creamy, nutty taste. The coconut trees that we have planted years ago started to fruit last year and as it matures will provide us with the base ingredients although it will not be like the large, plantations. We plan to start adding coconut trees, selecting the variety so that we can have good harvests of coconut in the years ahead. We use permaculture cold-pressed method which is time-consuming but produces the purest form of the coconut oil. The production of EVCO has some down-time so it works well in scheduling our task and activities.

For 2018, we are targeting producing 50 bottles a month. By commercial standards, this is not much but we aim at ensuring quality production and become the regular supplier to our existing customers and gain new customers due to the quality and taste of our EVCO. On the personal side, this is something that I can see myself doing as I age as it doesn’t involve much physical activity but more on patience and attention to detail.

Fish
This year, our fish pond is undergoing a major renovation, to allow us to better manage our fish operations as well as providing for better environment for our fish. We are building walls all along the pond which is shaped like a flowing river as well as sectioning it. Experts has indicated that we can have at least 500,000 fishes at any one time but I highly doubt that is what we will do in 2018. However, it does leave us with substantial growth capacity. What is important for me is that we produce quality, “sweet” tasting fish without the nasty door often associated with fresh water fish. Over the years we have experimented with different feed, water conditions, pond maintenance and fish rearing practice and we have learnt a lot. To date, we have received no complaints on our fish and many are surprised at the taste. We do not introduce any waste products such as carcasses and chicken innards as feed to the fish and we will continue this policy. I eat my fish and I certainly do not like muddy-taste, smelly fish. I also like to choose the method of cooking from steaming to frying to roasting so the taste of fish is important.
By middle of this year, we will re-start our fish operations which means the earliest harvest will be in 2018. The farm dogs play a role in our fish operations as they catch the monitor lizard (biawak) and the river otters (mermerang) which can cause substantial loss of the fish population. The investment put in to build a wall around the property has also helped to reduce the invasion of the river otters. We are working on minimising external dependence on feed. Keeping the water flow optimum is important as with the in-flow of water, comes natural food in the form of small river fish and shrimps, which would provide the proteins. At the same time, we feed them “greens”. Our choice of feed and constant water flow has definitely made an impact on the quality and taste of the fishes.

MyOrganic Certification
We are currently undergoing certification and hope to have the certification by 2018. This will definitely be an achievement for us as well as a validation of our practice.

Fertilisers and Pest Control
We will continue to produce our fertilisers and pest control products which we use at the farm. It will be made available for sale on request. For me, it is important that I continue to have truly organic fertilisers that have not had the source materials be contaminated by chemical pesticides or herbicides. It also serves as a way for me to recycle my organic wastes and I look forward to the addition of goat manure as an ingredient in my fertilisers.

Sales and marketing
I have always believed in selling directly to my customers but the toll of doing market every Sunday whilst still producing is getting harder. As such, we will probably cease to do Sunday morning market in 2018 but focus more on “order selling”. I know it will probably be tough in the beginning as I build a customer list but the plan is to provide delivery to the customer door-step and delivery charges will be subject to minimum order and area of delivery. We will set-up 2 days where we will do the delivery

Events
I love hosting events and having people visit the farm so this is one area that we will still continue to do. In shaa Allah, we will have an Open Farm Day focussing on selected plants and products in support of having your own garden as well as our fresh farm produce, and also Durian Fest where you can come and buy “original” durians and eat at the farm or bring it home and whatever other fruits and vegetables we have available for sale at that time. A new event that I am thinking of doing a “Restaurant Pop-Up Day” to coincide with our fish harvest featuring our fish and vegetables and fruits, and drinks from the farm with a limited number of seats. I love challenges and I think this “Restaurant Pop-Up” event will be one.

So, all in all, although 2018 is many months away, I am sure that time will seem to fly by. However, having devised a plan and direction, it will help in us working our way through the rest of 2017. Being agriculture-based, things need time to grow and produce many things need to be planned months or even years ahead 🙂

17 Apr 2017

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Open Farm Day 14 Apr 2017 – Post Mortem

At the end of every event we have, I will always hold a team meeting where we discuss the feedback from visitors and how the event went. There were a few differences that we had this year compared with last year’s event, most of it due to feedback from our visitors last year. I find getting feedback is very important and our team meetings are useful to help us in improving.

Our first visitors for the day, also a regular customer at
our Sunday morning market stall

Our visitors visiting the farm. At one of the sections.

Our food sales area.

Feedback 1 2016: Too bad you didn’t have any food for sale
This year, we had a small menu consisting of chicken or fish with rice and a kerabu, durian ice cream, roselle and jambu madu ice cream, a section of drinks all based on our produce from our farm – soursop leaf tea, roselle juice drink, lemongrass and calamansi drink, roselle tea, calamansi and blue pea flower drink, and our only unsweetened drink – missy kucing tea. We do not use white sugar in our drinks. We also had 2 types of jellies: roselle jelly and jambu madu and blue pea flower jelly.

Our produce and products sales area

Feedback 2 2016: Difficult to see plants for sale and need to be labelled with variety and price clearly.
This year, we placed the plants for sale on racks and floor in one section, all clearly labelled with plant name and price. Although we still had a couple of people wanting to take plants from my greenhouse especially the plants that I was doing my research on :).

Feedback 3 2016: Difficult to find the place as there wasn’t any signages
We placed a sign indicating the farm name at the junction on the main road as well as at the farm gate. I had also updated the “Pictorial Guide to Suria Helang Lui Farm” with the latest photos and posted on the event page which many found useful this year.

Feedback 1 2017: “How come the chicken wasn’t soft?”.
We had one person that complained “How come the chicken wasn’t soft?”. As we had indicated prior to the event, the chicken was from our farm, organically reared “kampung” chicken which meant that it was organically reared, free from GMO feed, hormones and antibiotics, and free range. These chickens are not like your hormone-chicken which are reared to be soft and fluffy. The meat will be firm. Judging by how the rest of the visitors that had it ate, it was not an issue that we will worry about.

One of the groups that I took around the
farm for a tour. Really enjoyed the discussion

Feedback 2 2017: This farm is small. How come you invite so many people?”
This to me is an interesting feedback from one person. I have always indicated that I have a small farm of 2.5acres or slightly more than 1 hectare. This is an event when I open to public for those interested in seeing what we do. At any one point in time, there was around 50 people at the farm, which is not that many. Visitors came and went throughout the whole morning and early afternoon.

Feedback 3 2017: The drink is sour, I don’t like it. I want a different one.
The same person who complained about the chicken complained about the soursop tea. Maybe she didn’t realise but soursop has a slightly sour taste – just the name should give an indication. She just returned the half-consumed drink and took another one without paying for the second. That’s ok, we know we will encounter should people. Maybe she thought that she was coming to farm that she can treat us farmers with this arrogant attitude which she wouldn’t at an eatery in KL.

Feedback 4 2017: How come you don’t have proper sitting areas for people to eat?

Enjoyed seeing this family enjoy the day out at the farm
with their children, They found a spot they liked.

Again, this is a complaint from the same person. We had indicated that what we prepared was packed lunch and people can choose to picnic anywhere on the farm. We had a few tables situated in different areas where people can sit as well chair for people to sit. She and her group finally sat in one area near the barbecue pit and pond to eat. Our other visitors had no problem and found places to enjoy their meal.

Feedback 5 2017: Why is your food ready so late?
I got this feedback at 9.45am. We were preparing packed lunch so I wasn’t expected a visitor to be irritated that it wasn’t ready this early. We had the food out at 10.15am so I guess we could call this a brunch. Next time we have it, I will have to decide whether we will do brunch or lunch and repeat the announcement of the food a few times.

Feedback 6 2017: “I come so far, so you must get me what I want”
Not sure how we have to respond to this. I had announced what we have for sale and available.

All in all, I consider the event went well as we had many positive responses from our visitors and they enjoyed the morning out at the farm, discussing issues they had with their gardens, seeing the animals and enjoying the food and drinks as well as the opportunity to buy farm-fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables as well as organic products. Many also liked that they were able to see for themselves where the produce and products came from.

To the many that asked what is the next event? The next one, inshaaAllah, will be the Durian Fest which will be organised around July 2017, in a different way from previous years based from the feedback and lessons we learnt from the previous years.

20 Nov 2016

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Is it really organic versus Organic instead of Chemicals?

A question put forth to me:” I am skeptical that it is organic. Is it really organic? Or it is organic when compared to chemical?”. Due to this confusion and/or skepticism, that is why I do not really like the term organic but instead prefer natural. At the farm, I focus more on natural farming. What is the difference you may ask? Here’s my determining factor:

If you use organic sources such as kelapa saw it, coco peat and rice husks, this may be considered organic but to me, I will avoid using it. Why? Simple really, all these items are laden with chemicals during the growing stage from chemical herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers. So while it is organic, I do not consider it as organic.
If something is grown using hormones, whilst it may be considered organic, it is not something that is my preference because the hormones could be synthetic hormones. Plus. it is not natural and something that is done more from a commercial perspective.

It is getting more difficult to obtain clean sources because of the widespread use of chemical herbicides and herbicides, not to mention fertilisers. In order to obtain SOM (Sijil Organik Malaysia), the land needs to be free of chemical pesticides and heavy metal apart from other conditions. I don’t remember seeing any mention of chemical herbicides. Regardless, at the farm we do not use chemical pesticides or herbicides. I believe that we can always work with nature and obtain natural sources.

In the production of our enzyme and fish amino acids, 90% of the ingredients used is farm based, when I can be confident of it being free from chemical contamination. Our water source is clean, natural water taken from the source, running through 3000 m of polypipe. We have 2 lines: 1 strictly for the fish and the other for other farm and farmhouse use.

When someone asks me how can I claim that my FAA is organic. Simple.
First: the fish source ingredient is from the farm. The fishes’ main diet is the small river fish, shrimps, algae, certain leaves and banana pseudo stem from the farm. We do not use fish from the markets where you can almost be certain that it has been contaminated with chemicals to make it look fresh, smell fresh.
Second: The water used is uncontaminated, clean natural water.
Third: The only external ingredient is the probiotics bacteria and sea salt. The remaining ingredients are all farm based.
The FAA concentrate is diluted at the rate of 1-2 capfuls per litre of water and watered at the base of the plant.

Why do I say my enzyme concentrate is organic?
First: All the ingredients used are from the farm including the sugar source for the fermentation (we plant black sugar cane which is the source for the sugar).
Second: The water used is from our clean, natural uncontaminated source.
Third: All the pest control ingredients are also plant-based which is grown at the farm.
This enzyme concentrate is then diluted at the rate of 1-2 capfuls per litre water and either sprayed or watered at the base of the plant.

These two items are the main components in our fertilisation of the plants and trees. In our fertilisers, we also use calcium, magnesium and potassium as well as other trace elements. All are from our farm produce. For example, our calcium source is also from the farm: our farm chicken eggs and certain fruits high in calcium. Our chicken are not corn-fed to reduce introduction of contaminants. 90% of their food is from the farm. Potassium from banana pseudo stem and bananas.

Soil conditions are important so soil improvers are also an essential part of the practice at the farm so that we can continue to grow good vegetables and fruits. I mix the soil improvers into the soil in subsequent plantings in the same soil to ensure the soil remains healthy and fertile. I also use it to cover non-liquid fertilisers applies to promote the decomposition of the fertiliser as well as in soil used to increase the soil level.

The base of the soil improver is the mulch where the source ingredients are also from the farm. Again, I can be sure that it has not been sprayed with toxic chemicals. Hence, I do not use any organic material from kelapa sawit, rice husks or coco peat as although it is considered organic, it is not for my farm.

I do use some vermicompost that I obtain from a source that I feel confident as well as chicken manure although minimal. I am careful of what is introduced at the farm. Why do I care so much? I have a 3 year old son who I hope will grow up in good health without the new age, post GMO illnesses like psoriasis, eczema, respiratory problems, as well a host of allergies and other health issues. At the same time, I enjoy planting and I do not want to have to worry about getting harmful chemicals on me 🙂 This is the least I can do to leave a good environmental legacy for my son.

The ability to do all this is because I have an integrated farm and do not practice monoculture so I have the diversity in source ingredients as well as availability. Whilst it is difficult to determine chemical contamination from sources out of the farm, I try to limit the exposure. Nature provides a lot of benefits hence our maxim of “Maximising Nature’s Bounty” 🙂

17 Oct 2016

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Suria Helang Lui: 7 years later Part 4: Behind the scenes

Suria Helang Lui is a family farm, not a large corporation farm. It took me 10 years to find the right piece of land for me. As far as possible I wanted to get a piece of land that hadn’t been developed or worked on for a while. The main reason being that it meant the exposure to chemical pesticides and herbicides would be minimal. Having the basic infrastructure is important. The basics are access, water and electricity. Another important factor is the distance from my home to the land had to be within commuting distance which also meant not far from K.L.

When I bought the land, it looked like a jungle so the first few months, I spent time with my parang

and weed cutter to check the lay of the land to figure out how I wanted to design the layout of the farm. I already had road access and electricity was near so nothing major to be done in this area. The water supply to this area was by Syabas and they used a 1 inch polypipe to supply the water to the area which meant that the water supply would be insufficient for what I wanted. So, I decided to lay polypipe to bring water to the farm. Three years later, I decided to lay a second water supply line strictly for the fish pond.

The farmhouse was built on a as-I-grow basis so it started out with a storage room/rest room and then I added a square structure of 24 fee by 24 feet and it was connected to the rest room via a walkway. This has evolved to what I have now: a 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 bookworm, 1 prayer room, living room, dining/work area (where the walkway used to be) and a large kitchen. The kitchen area is an open concept kitchen with plenty of work areas and storage all to support the operations of the farm. To date, I have still not completed the outer exterior – still have details but I hope someday I will get around to it as it is not high on my priority list. I had started out with a design that allowed for growth and additions so the farmhouse took a few years to be the way it is now. Each time we did an addition, we didn’t have to knock down walls because I didn’t want the headache of debris removal and I didn’t want to waste money unnecessarily.

The development of the farm is self-funded hence I have the freedom to develop it any way I want and no reporting needed. After all, I had done my share of reports in my previous life in the corporate world. As such, every major development is properly planned to reduce wastage and unnecessary investment. I would say I went to the University of Life as I develop the farm as my idea was different than what I had seen other do. All the farms that I have seen are focussed on a produce be it vegetables, fruits, chicken, fish, etc. and followed what has normally been done. Through it all, many have often remarked that what I was doing was wrong and that if I didn’t focus, it would not be commercially viable. All the produce we have now are from what we planted or started and it takes time for them to be productive. I am happy to say that we are now moving into the black though I do not foresee being a millionaire from it in the near future but what I gain from it is ultimately worth a lot more. I could have gone into the black earlier if I experimented less but I wouldn’t have gained all the knowledge that I have now. On top of that, I am my own employer, doing what I love and I do not have to worry about what I will do when I retire. I continue to experiment, do research and learn. This keeps my brain alive and I do not have time to be bored. It is through all this that I have been able to move the farm from being a purely raw goods producer to multi types of produce and products.

I am not from an agricultural background but I have never let that stop me from experimenting and researching as well as learning from practitioners. I cannot do it alone hence having a solid right-hand man who shares my vision for the farm is essential. From time to time, I add helpers for specific projects – mainly when there is building to do or preparation of area for planting. It is not a matter of throwing bodies but having the right people with the right mindset and attitude. Currently there are 3 of us – Azis, Lia and I. We each have our roles but help each other out as needed.

Farming is not a 8-5, Monday to Friday job. We are dealing with living things, nature and life. When it rains, we have to work around it to get things done. If the river otters or wild boars decide to invade the farm at night, we cannot just ignore them and let the dogs deal with them or we may end up with our plants destroyed or the fish gone. It cannot be treated as a job but more as living. Hence it has to be a full-time commitment. It has to be a team sharing the same vision of making the farm succeed to be successful. In every task we do, we have to do it to the best of our ability and not just say a task was done. I do monitor that members of the team get enough rest so at times outsiders may find that I have people sleeping in the afternoon or resting. It is not because they are lazy but more of the fact that they were taking care of the farm until dawn.

I am very much hands-on and am involved in every aspect hence I continually need to increase my knowledge from farm practices to marketing. One of the most important tenet is that we only sell what we will eat or use. Each week as we prepare for market, the question that I remind my team is “Will we eat it? Will we use it?”. If the answer is no then we don’t sell it. I care about our brand: Suria Helang Lui. It has taken us years to build our reputation and it is important that we maintain the trust and confidence from our customers.

While it may be hard work, it is infinitely satisfying and I know that what we produce are good and something that I would feed my family and friends. Pursuing my passion has given me a lot of pleasure and sense of accomplishment and a future, in shaa Allah, until the day I die.

21 Sep 2016

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Suria Helang Lui: 7 years later Part 1.

Time has definitely flown by since I have started to focus on the piece of land that I bought in 2007, whilst I was still working on the corporate world. At that time it was a jungle – you can play Tarzan and swing from tree to tree from the long vines that hung off the trees. The first 3 years I spent the time developing the land with minimal soil disturbance, widened and deepened a dried-out stream to make my fish pond, studied what vegetation was there that I wanted to keep and what I wanted to remove and to figure out what I wanted to do. Although many thought that I was doing things the hard way since I didn’t just bulldoze the land, I feel that it is the right decision since we retained the topsoil that had taken decades to form. This provided a good base for the soil condition for planting.

After 1 year of studying the contour of the land, I had a fish pond created that flowed from one side of the land out to Sg. Lui, which allowed for me to have an inflow and an outflow as well as a flood control measure. We “pulled” our own polypipe (2 sets) : 1 for farm use and 1 for the fish pond. This allowed for us to have a constant flow of water coming in one end of the pond thus making it more like a river than a fish pond. The end result is our fish pond has constant fresh water incoming, no aeration needed for the fish and no smell as well as river fish and shellfish coming in which provided food for our fish. We maximised what nature has and try to minimize impact to the river system. The water fountain we have requires no pumps or mechanised units but just the application of physics. All this enabled us in rearing fresh water fish that didn’t have a “muddy” smell with a natural sweetness. Subhanallah. I tried rearing various species over the years but in the last year, we have narrowed it down to 3 species: Catfish (keli), Tilapia and Lampam. We do have other species in there such as Kelah Daun, Seluang, Tilan and various other types of river fish that are the norm in the rivers in this area. Over the years, we have made some modifications and adjustment, to suit with the water flow, fish production operations as well as to ensure we have sufficient protection, in shaa Allah, from sudden rise in the river water levels.

My father used to say that my farm was like a village as I had all sorts of plants and trees. I didn’t focus on one or two types of plants like most commercial farms, Being in the heart of the local fruit area – durian, mangosteen, cempedak, jackfruit and duku langsat – many thought I should focus on one or two of these fruits. My concept is different: ultimately I wanted the farm to be able to provide for a complete food diet – fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates hence the idea of a self-sufficient integrated farm. It is definitely a different concept because I envisioned that some day, we would be able to do end-to-end and by choice, be independent of suppliers and to be able to produce not only raw goods but processed products – all done free from toxic chemicals and as naturally as possible.

I spent the first 3 years experimenting why grows best, how to grow it better, how to care for the land and how to strike environmental balance. Today, I have lost count of how many types of plants and trees we have although I do try from time to time to catalog what I have but I have to admit, it is not high on my to-do list.

Apart from the fish pond, we have a greenhouse. Many have asked me: “Do we really need to have a greenhouse and why?”. I built the greenhouse for a few reasons:

To grow vegetables that require more care
To have an area for me to propagate plants especially in creating new seedlings
To have an area that I can still have an activity on those rainy days
To be able to experiment in a more controlled setting

Part of the joy of farming is to be able to experiment and find ways of doing things that are more attuned to nature and minimising damage to the environment. I also call this my oxygenation room as when I work in the greenhouse during the day, the plants in there are actively producing oxygen as a by-product from photosynthesis (remember the biology class).

From a fruit production perspective, I try to make it so that we are able to have fruits year-round hence we have seasonal fruits like mangosteen, jack fruit, cempedak, jam madu as well as non-seasonal fruits like papayas and bananas. At the farm, at last count we have over 25 varieties of bananas – all non-GMO, hormone-free and local. Hence week-to-week, the banana variety produced from the the farm varies. I view our collection of banana plants as part of the preservation of our heritage. Each variety has its unique qualities from the inflorescence, pseudo stem, leaves and fruit.

From the experiments and taste, we have narrowed our papayas to three varieties: the “orange” flesh exotica, red exotica and red “sekaki”. I chose these because they are the tastiest and sweetest for me and it seems that our customers enjoy them too.
In the beginning, we only had a few plants and weekly have a few fruits. We also had to work on scheduling planting so that we will have fruits weekly as there comes a time when the papaya tree is no longer viable and will need to be replaced. Hence, we now produce seedlings twice a year from our own seed collection.

This farm is chemical pesticide and fertiliser-free. In the beginning, I depended fully on commercial organic pest control and fertiliser. Over the years, I conducted my own farm-based research and experiments and now we are 70-30 on our own fertilisers to dependence on commercial products for our needs. We now produce our own liquid concentrate for fertiliser as well as pest control and compost soil. The ingredients used are farm-produced with the exception of raw sugar, molasses and sea salt. Recently, we introduced them as our ORGME line of products. These are the same fertilisers that we use at the farm in conjunction with 2 other types of commercial organic fertilisers. The target is in the future, we can produce all our own fertilisers and making the farm in control of our fertilisers and independence from manufacturers.

In Part 2, we will relate our vegetables and herbals – the underlying produce of the farm – without compromising on our values and principles 🙂

27 Apr 2016

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My farm, my life for a better future.

Over the years, many people have asked, “Why did you make such a drastic change in your life and left your high-flying corporate life for farming?”. To many people, it was something crazy to do. After all, leaving that life meant leaving those stable, good pay, monthly checks, fancy life-style, losing people’s respect and admiration to name a few. My formal educational background has nothing to do with agriculture coming from IT/Telco/Civil Security and Defense working life. However, it is one of my best adventure yet and it continues. I have the best of both worlds: city life 5-10 minutes of KLCC and country life 45 minutes away.

While you are in the employable age, life is good if you have a good job with a stable pay checks. What happens when you retire? What will you do? Can you continue to have a good life in all aspects: home, health and life? I decided to make a change early, starting something that I have a passion for and whilst being young enough to build to my retirement. My choice led me to something that I can do until the day I die, in shaa Allah, better health, better lifestyle. At the end of the day, things do not bring you happiness. I am used to being active and what I am doing now keeps me busy and the activity is determined by me. I do not have to sit for mindless meetings, I can make a difference on personal levels and have more meaningful impact. Nothing that I have learned in my corporate experience goes to waste: I project manage different projects at the farm, I do P&L, I do budgeting and planning for CAPEX and OPEX. On top of that, I finally found practical use of what I learnt in high school Physics, Chemistry and Biology. I found out the practicalness of knowing the Periodic Table in Chemistry, the importance of Nitrogen, Potassium as well as other elements in the periodic table. The concepts of Force in Physics also came into play when I was designing our water supply structure without the need for using machinery. As for Biology – farming is all about Biology. I become more aware of the environment and the gift of it. I am more appreciative of all the natural bounty that we tend to forget when living in an artificial world less connected with nature.

I would say that I have a more fancy life-style now. I eat quality food – majority of my food are natural, organic and fresh – the kind that you pay from rm 10-30 per kg and you are still not 100% sure of it goodness and freshness or free from preservatives when it comes from a store. I get to enjoy a scenic and serene environment without having to spend hundreds of ringgit per night. I do

not need to pay for a gym to get a workout but instead get a good workout in a wonderful oxygen-rich environment with wonderful views. I also get to spend all those precious moment with my now 3-year old son which are priceless. These are moments that you can never recover: the first word, his first step, his joy and wonder at discovery. I get to schedule my time according to what I want to do, what is important to me and not what is dictated to me. Is it all roses? Of course not. I face challenges with the weather, the natural pests, figuring out what is best for my son, watching what I spend, and need versus want, as well as the future. Still, it beats my old life hands-down.

Being a farmer, I am often looked-down upon by people I just met. After all, most are still ignorant to the fact that farming requires knowledge, flexibility and resilience. It is not something you do when you have no choice. It is not something that you can do without capital investment and operating expense. Generally, it is not something for the person who didn’t finish their basic schooling. Within the farm area, I have seen many start and fail, maybe some with the idea that they can make lots of money in a short time. It is hard work but infinitely satisfying when you see your plants and animals thrive.

Sometimes people talk to me in a condescending manner when I am our market stall and it gives me a good take on people and their stereotyping tendencies. I love doing the stall as it gives me an outlet for social interaction, an opportunity to encourage people to eat good food as well as to plant and garden. At the same time, it is also a venue for exchanging ideas and knowledge in a relaxed setting. Some of the comments that I have heard directed to me is : “Tengok tu, orang jual sayur boleh cakap orang puteh”,”Didn’t think that she actually knows about what she is selling”, “Ada duit, buat apa jual sayur?”. Basically degrading comments but it always gives me a good laugh. Sometimes I am bad and would respond back in Spanish. Hahahaha…. On the other hand, I have also had appreciative friends and customers who are happy to get my produce as well as sharing of knowledge.

The farm is strictly natural and organic. No chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. We also do not use any antibiotics or hormones (either for plants or animals). Through the years, I
have developed our own fertilisers and pest control for use at the farm. 95% of the source material for creating them are from the farm. The remaining 5% are organic salts or molasses. These liquid fertilisers have been designed for specific types or needs and done with the aim of keeping costs as low as possible whilst making it easy and non-harmful to use. I am not worried if my toddler decides to run off and spray all over the plants with it nor am I worried that it gets on his body. I get to do many practical experiments from seed production to producing quality produce. It satisfies my curious nature and challenges my mind. The whole farm is my experimental area with the greenhouse being the focus. The more I discover, the more questions I have so I find I am living in a constant learning environment which helps in my brain activity. A few people have commented that I am a non-conformist and maverick. Well, I refuse to accept the status-quo of chemical pesticide and herbicide world and profit above all else mentality.

Starting the farm, Suria Helang Lui – the name coming from Suria relating to the rising of a new “day” or chapter in my life, Helang from the eagle that I saw flying over the sky the first time I visited the land, and Lui from the name of the river, Sungai Lui – is one that have brought me all that I can ask for – the good, the bad and the ugly – and through it all, gives me a full life. I hope to leave a positive legacy to my son and also the choice of continuing this or pursuing what he loves, whatever it may be. Alhamdulillah.

11 Feb 2016

0 Comments By admin Armchair journal, Eating Well, SHL Journal

Good food is our right

Over the years, as I have gotten more and more into producing food, I have learnt a lot – from visiting sites, talking with practitioners and academicians, as well as experimenting on my own. Along the way, I have grown to believe more and more that good food is one of our basic rights. Most commercially driven food producers put profits above all else and why not, that is the purpose that they are in that business. Whilst some have maintain some honesty and ethics, many have excuses for why they do what they do.
The most favourite excuse is: To keep cost down.

Usage of chemical pesticides and fertilisers to simplify the production of fruit and vegetables as well as to cut down on costs. You do not require as many people in comparison to natural, organic farming. You can also mechanise a major portion of your production by setting up “automatic” chemical fertilising and pesticide control.
Usage of unclean waste such as human wastes (which can contain all sorts of things including chemicals from medication, etc.)

Excuse #2: To increase production

Usage of chemical pesticides to prevent pests. After all, many say, after 21 days the food is safe to eat. If you worry about pesticides, you can further clean it with other chemicals to remove the pesticides. The reasoning: only a small amount of toxic chemicals may remain so it is almost negligible so no effect. Really?
Usage of chemical hormones. The hormones are targeted mainly for two things: 1. to increase the size or quantity produced and 2. to force the tree or plant to produce enabling almost on-demand production.

Excuse #3: To produce consistent quality produce

Genetically modifying plants and trees to produce consistent “grade”, taste and size produce. Amongst the favourites locally are bananas and durians.
Usage of chemical hormones to control growth.
Usage of chemical fertilisers as this can be applied more precise.

Over the years, we have seen more and more people develop allergies to common food like chicken, eggs, fruits, etc. To my own non-expert mind, it is only logical. When we have continued to consume toxic chemicals and hormones which no one has done a long-term study on or have studies done and the recovery measure is via more chemicals, it only makes sense that we are causing harm to our body systems.

Often we hear reports on death caused by food that has been “contaminated” by toxic chemicals or over-use of chemicals. Some countries are banning GMO or requiring labelling of GMO. It is important for us to understand what these technological advances are in agriculture and how it impact us from GMO to the usage of chemical hormones, fertilisers, pesticides and preservatives. Many fruits are sprayed with chemical preservatives to increase the “freshness” of the fruits especially when it has to be packed, shipped, and distributed before it finally gets to the consumers. I rarely see any mention of this or labelling. So I wonder, when you juice the fruits without peeling them first, what else are you adding to your health drink? And, there is virtually no peeling of the outer layer for vegetables (except for those like carrots): spinach, kale, celery, etc.

For the sake of ourselves and our families, we need to take an interest in this and not view it lightly. Once the damage has been done, sometimes it is not irreversible and we will live with the after-effects. I am very much an advocate for growing your own food, if not a major part then to supplement commercial food. This can be achieved by having our own “garden” and you do not have to have land to do this. There are so many food plants that can be grown in pots for those with limited or no land space. There are many ways to produce your own fertilisers organically and it is not difficult to do so. We are blessed to live in a country where it is “growing” season year-round. Whilst we may care about our outward appearance by buying good quality and expensive clothes, accessories, make-up, body care items, etc., as well as spending time and money to go to gyms and spas, I feel that we should exercise the same concern and care for our insides.

For me, I like to enjoy a calamansi drink and be able to drop the squeezed fruit into the glass for additional flavour; I love the joy of enjoying durians of different sizes from the same tree as well as the different tastes; and I enjoy eating my vegetables without have to detoxify them.

The moral of my story is this: If you cannot produce your own food, or reduce consumption of chemically contaminated food, you should at least know the origins of the food and how it was grown. Then you can make a choice: ” pay now or pay later”.

14 Dec 2015

0 Comments By admin Farm Information, SHL Journal

SHL Tips #2: Increasing the chances of germinating seeds and having healthy seedlings

At the farm, growing seedlings is one of our key activities. We are continuously sowing seeds in our effort to have a continuous supply of vegetables and fruits. For the moment, we rely on commercial seeds for all 50% of our vegetables and the rest are farm produced.

What we find at the farm, the two major factors for successfully germinating seeds is the quality of the seeds and composition of the germination medium. Hence I experimented with various types of germination medium with the aim to have one that is cost-effective and easy for us – both from the preparation as well as the maintenance throughout the germination and production of a healthy seedling.

Our germination medium comprises of the following 4 elements:

organic mulch
soil mix
vermicompost
chicken manure

Each of the element plays an important role in increasing the success rate of seed germination and healthy seedlings. The organic mulch helps in maintaining the moisture content in the mix and

preventing the mix from drying out and keeping the mix light. The soil mix contains soil and burnt soil to create the base for the root growth that also contains nutrients. Vermicompost is a good source of nutrients as well as beneficial organisms for the seedling growth. Apart from providing nutrients to the seedlings, chicken manure contains the key element for a healthy root growth – phosphorous.

When placing the seeds, it is important to place them at the right depth. In general, the larger the seed, the deeper it is. Whilst placing the seed at a lesser depth can still result in germination, it will cause the root to form too close to the surface resulting in a seedling that is not well-rooted hence it can topple easily.

A layer of mulch mixed with chicken manure and soil (7:1:2) is placed on top to further reduce the water evaporation rate. This will also help keep a continuous supply of nutrients to the seedling as the mixture breaks down thereby not requiring further fertilisation until transplanting.

With moist – not soggy- germination medium rich in the essential ingredients, a healthy seedling with good root growth can be produced. It is important to have a healthy root growth in order to produce a healthy plant as the root system is the key mechanism for the plant to “eat and drink”.

04 Dec 2015

0 Comments By admin Edible Landscape, SHL Journal

SHL Tips #1: It starts with the soil

I continually experiment with the purpose of trying to improve the quality and quantity of yield from my plants and trees. To me, it all starts with the soil. Based on my limited experience and experiments, there are a few aspects of the soil that I focus on:

Quality of the soil
Composition of soil
Moisture retention within the soil

Quality of the soil encompasses how healthy the soil is. My farm is totally organic because I am a firm believer that the chemical pesticides and herbicides causes the soil to die as the various natural life forms that promote the health and well-being of the soil are killed off. This includes the beneficial microorganisms and the various types of worms. Earthworms are essential for promoting the health of the soil as well as performing the critical function of aerating the soil. The beneficial microorganisms further enhances the breakdown of nutrient elements in the soil making it easily available to the plants and trees.

Composition of the soil matters when I am determining what I plan to plant. Different types of plants and trees require different types of soil composition. For example, plants that produce tubers prefer soil composition that has a higher proportion of sand than fruiting plants. A simple way of thinking is this: If the plant produces tubers like sweet potatoes, ginger, turmeric, and if the soil composition is heavy like clay, it would make it more difficult for the plant to produce the tubers as clay is heavy and hard to push through especially when dry. If it is too wet, then it will make it more likely for the tubers to rot. Clay soil is rich in minerals and nutrients so it is not necessarily bad, I just have to make some modifications to the composition to “lighten” it depending on the plant or tree that I want to plant.

Moisture within the soil also makes a big difference. Some plants prefer “wet” soil and some prefer consistent moisture whilst others prefer to have the soil dry out before watering. Depending on the plant and the capability of the moisture retention within the soil, this will affect how often and how long you water. The moisture retention capabilities of the soil can be adjusted with the use of mulch and other organic material as well as sand.

At the farm, we only use organic soil improvers and additives and the majority are farm produced with an eye to organic recycling and minimisation of cost as well as cost-benefit. With the right soil quality, composition and moisture, you have the option of planting in containers like pots or polybags, or in the ground. To me, this is the foundation for healthy plants and trees. If they cannot feed and grow roots, one cannot expect them to grow well.

PS>> I am not a trained agriculture expert nor am I a lifetime farmer. What I am is a 7-years practicing, hands-on farmer 🙂

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Category: SHL Journal