Visiting Jaya's Secret Garden at Malaybalay Bukidnon, Philippines

 Backyard to Platter

Time burns faster for the kind of lifestyle we have here in Metro Manila. Most of us do not have the luxury of time to cook healthy food. Instead of cooking greens, we resort to consuming fast food products such as burgers, fries and the classic soft drinks. But by visiting a farm in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, I had the chance to experience a nutrition pack platter that is significantly grown in a small backyard at the center of the town.

Jaya’s Secret Garden is a 2,100-square-meter backyard garden of Junah Bayag and Hazel Bayag. We were toured by their eleven-year-old daughter, Jayashree Harsha, or simply ‘Jaya’. She showed us around the different components of the sloping mini-farm which include the vegetable and fruit gardens, fish pond, and areas for free range chickens and ducks. 

Out of the farm produce from this small area, they filled our plates with blue rice, steamed vegetables, fried fish, chicken tinola, highland salad and premium naturally grown roasted duck. This is far more than our fast food in the metro. The food here are freshly grown, picked, cooked and served here in their farm. For Jaya, space is never an issue if you want to grow healthy food for your family. 

Here are some of the dishes 

Blue Rice

Rice has always been a part of Filipino delicacy, but what’s unique with Jaya’s rice is its color.  Well, it’s because of this flower, the Blue Ternate. It is a natural anti-oxidant that helps improves blood circulation, and helps prevent hair loss and graying hair. It also cleanses blood, improves night vision and revitalizes skin and hair.  So if you’re looking of ways to serve a sexier version of rice to the family, better yet plant blue ternate in your backyards. The kids will surely love the sassy look. 

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Mango Juice with Chili

This mango juice is not the typical refreshment we have tried before. It was spiced up by Chocolate pepper and Carolina reaper that gives a chili pinch to the juice while complimenting with the sweet pulpy taste of the ripe mango. I never realized that chili and mango can be a perfect match. Besides capsaicin, chilies contain antioxidants, including vitamin C and carotenoids, which might also help improve insulin regulation. Chilies also grow in small areas so it’s a perfect backyard plant.

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 Steamed Veggie

The bowl of vegetables consist of Okra, labanos (radish), tomato, arugula, ginger, pechay (Chinese cabbage) and native ampalaya (bitter gourd). It is drizzled with vinegar based sauce with chili and chopped onions. This is a feast in the mouth especially the crunch and nutty flavor of arugula. Most are lowland vegetables and can grow on garden plots and garden pots.

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Highland Vegetable Salad

This farm also produces highland crops. Who would have known that lettuces can be naturally grown in the backyard? They used every single space for to maximize their area. They also put carbonized rice hull (CHR) to keep the fertility of the soil. CRH is known for its many uses: as an enriching substance for farm soil, as an enhancer for seedlings' growth and as a growing medium for producing high-value crops. Anyways, for the presentation and freshness, the salad is an A+ for me. 

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Chicken Tinola

Tinola is a soup-based dish serve as an appetizer or main entrée in the Philippine cuisine. This dish is cooked with chicken, leaves of the siling labuyo, ginger, onions and fish sauce. The chicken was let to simmer with ginger until tender then mixed with all ingredients which balances its taste. What made this dish special is the use of free range chicken meat. Mr. Juna said that free range chickens are usually more flavorful than the ones grown in the coop. 

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Roasted Duck

Have you ever heard of pulled pork? This is the exact description of this dish. With zesty taste probably from the lime or lemon to the strong taste of herbs, this Roasted Organic ducks is on the top of the line. The meat is so tender inside with a smoky sweet taste on the skin. You can actually pull its meat effortlessly because it’s already falling off from the bones. You should really try cooking this at home. 

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Delightful and festive right?

What made this backyard garden quite significant compared to others is their advocacy in engaging the youth to farming.  The owner believes that in agriculture, the youth will be the one to preserve its rich culture in the next generations. He also talked about art integration in the garden through provision of edible landscaping services, agritechture, agritourism, and conduct of training activities and seminars. As part of an IP group, Mr. Bayag, who is also a highschool teacher, also helps with the livelihood of fellow IP through employment.

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Soothing and Relaxing

Soothing and Relaxing, these words are my exact description on my overall experience after visiting Jaya’s Secret Garden. So if you’re feeling a little down, tired and bloated from the stress of the metro, might as well take your time off, treat yourself and your family and detox your body with healthy delights.  No better place to visit like Jaya’s Secret Garden. Surely, it’s one of a kind.

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Jaya’s Secret Garden Comisio St., Brgy. 1, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon 

Mobile number:  0917-793-3303 | 0917-795-4449 

Email: jayasecretgarden33@gmail.com Entrance Fee: Php 40

ati.da.gov.ph 

ATI Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman

Quezon City 1100 Philippines

Trunkline: (63-2) 9298541 to 49

Fax no. (63-2) 9209792

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