Despite the aging agricultural workforce, there are still young individuals who have been showing interest in farming. Ysabel Ortega, an actress, is one of them. Ortega, who is in her early 20s, engages in the operations of their family farm in Barangay Ortega, Bacnotan, La Union. She...
The audience of the reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) gets to witness what the housemates do or talk about inside the house almost 24/7. However, the public sees very little of their lives outside the PBB house. Off-camera, Yamyam Gucong, the big winner of Pinoy Big Brother: Otso, is a proud...
Hardin sa Parang is a one-hectare bee yard sitting in forested land in Barangay San Juan, Antipolo City. It is owned by Lonadel Jade Bolongaita, 35, a former OFW who also works as a freelance makeup artist. Prior to becoming a full-time beekeeper, she raised chickens and hogs on the same site...
Filipinos who are familiar with local indigenous veggies are becoming increasingly rare. Two native crops that shouldn’t be overlooked and should be given more attention are erwad and lagiwey. While these two veggies are resilient and well-suited to the local growing conditions, only a few are...
If there's one food that Filipinos can’t live without, it's probably rice. Locals incorporate rice in various dishes–from full meals to light snacks. Rice is the most important agricultural crop in the country and is consumed by 90 percent of the total population, according to a journal...
It is not every day that Filipinos living abroad get to see or eat vegetables that they are accustomed to having in the Philippines. However, some still manage to grow and even earn a profit from the veggies mentioned in the Filipino folk song ‘Bahay Kubo.’ This is also true for Rolando Sison,...
The Philippines is blessed with a vast number of endemic and indigenous species. It is, in fact, identified as one of the 17 mega-diverse countries on Earth. To be included on that list, a country must have a rich marine ecosystem and at least 5,000 of the world's flora as endemic species....
Vanilla is a versatile component that may be found in everything ranging from food to personal care products such as perfume and shampoo. There are three vanilla species with economic importance: vanilla planifolia, vanilla tahitensis, and vanilla pompona. Among them, studies show that vanilla...
Weeds are often perceived as undesirable plants in the fields, lawns, or gardens, but there are non-invasive, edible weeds that are more than what meets the eye. Take, for instance, sapsapon ( Crassocephalum crepidioides ) or redflower ragleaf, an annual herb that is not always seen as a hindrance,...
With the plethora of fish in the Philippine seas, it would be difficult to know them all by name. Many are probably more familiar with their physical traits than their local, scientific, and common names. We've compiled Tagalog and English terms of some fish and seafood that one might need to know...
The new year is just around the corner! This means that baskets of round fruits will soon be adorning the dining tables of Filipino homes. Aside from wearing clothes with polka dots on New Year’s eve, Filipinos believe that putting 12 (sometimes 13) round fruits on the table will bring their...
In a sea of farmers, there is one group that you might not expect to find: celebrities. Famous personalities have their own interests out of the spotlight, and farming, for some celebs, is one of them. The singer and actress Esperanza Perez Padilla, better known by her stage name Zsa Zsa...
