Forest Wood Garden Farm Tour and Rambutan Picking in San Pablo Laguna!

J and I spent 3 days last year to go a short tour of Quezon and San Pablo, Laguna. The highlights include him driving to Villa Escudero (because I wanted him to experience my childhood memory of the place) then to Sulyap Bed and Breakfast where we stayed in an old restored house with a fun historical museum and Casa San Pablo which had a very romantic ambiance for dinner. We wanted to go to the Forest City Restaurant for their mushroom specialties but it was already time to go home and they were fully booked! This time around, with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), I got to experience the other and original Forest Wood Garden first (the Frago family farm) in a whole new different level (not just sitting down and eating) by go hiking in their forest and pick my first rambutan!! Haha.

 

Sanctuario Nature Farms in Indang Mendez Cavite - Practical Organic Farming Tips, Vegetarian Vermi, Fermented Plant Juice, FFJ and OHN Recipes!

If you have time to spare and want a ton of practical knowledge and tips, I suggest you visit this NGO operating Sanctuario Nature Farms near Manila! They're devoted to finding new technologies and economic ways of farming and teaching others (esp. future agriculturists) how to farm and earn money from it! They have a partnership with Cavite State University to send OJTs there where they let the students use a plot of land and water to grow what they want as their final entrepreneurial development project (EDP). Any produce is theirs to sell so they learn to grow, research, budget and market the produce at the same time so the younger are reminded that there is money in agriculture and it can actually be fun. We only spent 1.5 hours there and despite the rain, I was on farming info overload from Farm Operator Manager Michelle (Mitch) Razo haha. She is very generous when it comes to tips and recipes so I wanted to share some of the things I learned with you too - on vegetarian vermicompost, plant introductions, concoctions and practical farming! Aside from being an accredited Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Learning Site, they are also TESDA accredited to conduct trainings and seminars for the public on organic farming.

Overnight Itinerary at the GK Enchanted Farm in Bulacan - a Farm Village University and a Disneyland for Social Tourism

If you're looking for a farm activity near Manila, why don't you head on over to the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan? Here's a sample overnight itinerary that includes a mix of experiences involving white cheese, chocolates, eggs, plushies, farm animals, veggies, bamboo, locally produced products and many more. The Social Business Summit will be held there on October 2 to 4 if you're interested =)

Meeting Pinoy Social Entrepreneurs at the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Bulacan - a Silicon Valley for Social Entrepreneurship in the Philippines!

What do you do on your weekends? For some of us, we cherish this moment away from work and spend it on a getaway. For me, it is usually a day for blogging and more things to be done because I love scheduling my solo trips on weekdays ;) These young social entrepreneurs at the GK Enchanted Farm spend their days working on their dream projects and being with the community they now consider as family. 

It was a great overnight experience in a sense (except for the lodging...but you can just do a day tour) because I got to meet some of them (and we're more or less in the same age group) and they chose a career path that they are passionate about like me.

Farm near Manila Less Than 2 Hours Away - Activities at the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Bulacan! - Part 2 of 2

These were the activities I had fun doing on our second day at the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan. This is already Part 2 so I suggest you read Part 1 first of my favorite spots at this Gawad Kalinga Farm Village University ;)

My Favorite Places and Things to Do at the GK Enchanted Farm Village University in Angat, Bulacan! - Part 1 of 2

I believe that when you're silent and you just take in what's around you, the place will speak for itself and unravel its uniqueness to you at its own time. I cherish these moments and have several conversations with myself while there's a tour going on ;) Let me take you through my favorite spots at the GK Enchanted Farm in Bulacan before I go into what this farm village university is all about. =) Given the chance and more time here, I would guiltlessly revisit these places and do the same things at my own pace. I've decided to make this into two posts and you can read Part 2 of my Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm picks in this link ;)

The Real Farmville Adventure at Costales Nature Farms!

Get ready for The Real Farmville Adventure at the Costales Nature Farms in Majayjay, Laguna! If you ever decide to spend a few nights here, you get to pick your own organic veggies or catch your own organic fish, eat lots of fresh and chemical-free food, know more about organic agriculture and bond over their not-so-ordinary pulutan, hours of karaoke and homemade lambanog! More importantly, you get to breathe in fresh cold air, hear only crickets in the night and effortlessly do some detox (physically and mentally). If you want to know more about organic agriculture and what this trip is all about, I suggest you read my previous Costales Nature Farms post first.

Costales Nature Farms, an Organic Retreat near Manila!

I'm thankful for travel blogging because it has opened the doors for me to experience many things, things that I would normally take for granted or would need a lot of convincing for me to go. For this trip, it was about the path to a healthier lifestyle and food choices. During this 2-day adventure, I had fully embraced this organic agriculture experience with the help of other blogger friends and the generous invitation of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture and Costales Nature Farms in Majayjay, Laguna. No one could never take the city out of a Manila girl like me but they can sure try in short bursts and surprises like this! I welcomed a detoxifying retreat outside of Manila and I would like to tell you that it is also an available alternative to those looking for a short and meaningful getaway. Costales Nature Farms is around 3 hours away from Manila (south-bound).