BageLemei Farm in Shetou Township, Changhua, has over 40 years of history. Its third-generation Hsiao Pai-jung and her husband Chiang Yin-yen left their stable jobs in the city to plant guavas in their hometown. Using natural farming to cultivate healthy guavas, they have created their own brand and turned their place into a recreational paradise combining nature, education and delicious fruits.
Introduction
Walking into BageLemei Farm, you will quickly discover that it is unlike other ordinary guava plantations. The grass between the fruit trees may look overgrown but is full of life. This is because “cover cropping” rather than herbicide is used to manage weed. Water mint is also grown under the trees to prevent diseases and pests, and add a minty fragrance to the air.
Cover cropping not only maintain soil moisture but also enhance the quality of guavas, making the flesh thick, sweet and flavorful. Varieties of guava grown in the farm are mainly pearl guava, Zhencui guava and Jincui guava. Zhencui guava, in particular, is a new variety developed by Kaohsiung District’s Agricultural Research and Extension Station. With green skin, white flesh and a round shape, its flesh is 20% thicker than pearl guava and also sweeter, and this is one of the few places you can get this variety of guava!
Behind the farm is a story of love. Hsiao, 35, used to work in educational administration. When her father had a stroke and her mother was diagnosed with cancer, she decided to leave her life in the city and return to her hometown to take over the abandoned guava plantation. From knowing nothing about transportation to learning how to farm, they experienced unstable income from farming and a drop in the price of guava but they never gave up. Insisting on cover cropping to cultivate guavas naturally, they also set up stall in Taipei’s farmers’ market every weekend to develop new customers and avoid price cutting by wholesalers. Today, they have created the “BageLemei” brand online and become a model for small farmers. In fact, Hsiao has even won the Top 100 Young Farmers award.
BageLemei Farm offers a complete fruit-picking and ecological tour. Kids get to learn all about guava, from choosing the sweetest guava to making their own sweet-plum guava, in a lively and easy-to-understand way. Everyone gets a lot of fun carving their chosen shape on the guava with the end of a spoon, placing it into a burlap bag with some plum powder, and shaking the bag rigorously to mix the guava and plum powder well. After learning about guava, they will then go into the orchard to pick ripen fruits. Listening in class is completely different from searching for guavas amongst the fruit trees and personally picking the guavas. Everyone can learn a lot about farming and have fun, whether you are an adult or a child.
Features of Agricultural Tourism
Fruits
Feeling hot after fruit-picking? Have a bottle of their house-made guava juice! Guess how many guavas it takes to make a bottle of guava juice? At least three whole guavas! Containing the essence of the entire orchard, no additive is used, just pure guava sweetness and fragrance. Drinking the bottle of juice is like drinking in pure sunshine and rain. Even the dried guava is a must-try. Springy and sweet, you just want to take one bite after another.
The couple’s hard work has revitalized the orchard. Taking their guavas from farm to the market, they have overcome small farmers’ predicament and bring hope to the local farming industry. Whether you wish to savor natural sweet guavas or personally experience farm living, BageLemei Farm will be worth your visit. Not only does the fruit-picking tour satisfy your palate, it allows you to feel the purest connection between human beings and the land.
Information
TEL
+886-912 973 328
Address
No. 70, Qingshuiyan Rd., Shetou Township, Changhua County , Taiwan (R.O.C.)
