It was an early start for me, as Atthakorn my companion from the office, arrived half an hour earlier than expected to my hotel as a result of the red and yellow shirt protests in Bangkok over night. It was the night before that Boworn let me into a little inside joke that the Bangkok residents share about the Soldiers and Police involved in the riots. Bangkok residents refer to the soldiers who support the Red shirts as ‘Watermelons’ as they wear green on the outside but inside they are really red. In contrast the yellow supporters in the army are known as ‘Pineapples’ as they are yellow on the inside and green on the outside. In much the same way police are referred to as ‘Tomatoes’ and ‘Bananas’! Isn’t it amazing that even in politics in Thailand, things always come back to food!
The polytunnels
We arrived at the airport and without any ado caught our Thai Airways flight to Chang Mai – we were on our first step towards our planned destination, the King’s Royal Project Foundation. The Foundation was started as a small project backed by the King and his own money, based in the North of Thailand in and around the hills near Chang Mai. It started for several reasons. The first was that it provided the means to encourage the desperate hill tribes of Northern Thailand (including the Mon, Lanna and others) to work in partnership and not against one another, by farming land together. The second major reason was that this land that had previously been farmed had been almost exclusively used in the illegal production of opium. So from small roots it grew, and now around 50% of its funds come from government grants and the other half come from donations, many from large organisations who see it as a kind of ‘social responsibility’.
And it works. It has been going 41 years, it is popular nationwide and it is clear as you first enter the national park where it has been founded, that it is a massive foundation with a huge focus on sustainable agriculture with supply not only in Thailand but all over the world. Acres and acres of land 2000m above sea level, as far as the eye can see, are taken up with polytunnels containing everything from grapes, to cut flowers and lettuces. Rainbow trout and duck are also part of the equation. They use a variety of methods to cultivate these species, hydrophonics (where plants are grown directly in nutrients and water instead of soil –its cleaner!) being particularly popular. We were shown myriad varieties of fruit and vegetables including persimmon, avocados, grapes, fennel, lollo rosso lettuce, apples, pears, kiwi fruit, raspberries and strawberries to name but a few. Cut flowers were just as plentiful with hydrangeas (the Thai Queen’s favourite-especially the blue and violet ones!), orchids, fuschias, roses, allium and crysanthanums all spotted.
We arrived at the airport and without any ado caught our Thai Airways flight to Chang Mai – we were on our first step towards our planned destination, the King’s Royal Project Foundation. The Foundation was started as a small project backed by the King and his own money, based in the North of Thailand in and around the hills near Chang Mai. It started for several reasons. The first was that it provided the means to encourage the desperate hill tribes of Northern Thailand (including the Mon, Lanna and others) to work in partnership and not against one another, by farming land together. The second major reason was that this land that had previously been farmed had been almost exclusively used in the illegal production of opium. So from small roots it grew, and now around 50% of its funds come from government grants and the other half come from donations, many from large organisations who see it as a kind of ‘social responsibility’.
And it works. It has been going 41 years, it is popular nationwide and it is clear as you first enter the national park where it has been founded, that it is a massive foundation with a huge focus on sustainable agriculture with supply not only in Thailand but all over the world. Acres and acres of land 2000m above sea level, as far as the eye can see, are taken up with polytunnels containing everything from grapes, to cut flowers and lettuces. Rainbow trout and duck are also part of the equation. They use a variety of methods to cultivate these species, hydrophonics (where plants are grown directly in nutrients and water instead of soil –its cleaner!) being particularly popular. We were shown myriad varieties of fruit and vegetables including persimmon, avocados, grapes, fennel, lollo rosso lettuce, apples, pears, kiwi fruit, raspberries and strawberries to name but a few. Cut flowers were just as plentiful with hydrangeas (the Thai Queen’s favourite-especially the blue and violet ones!), orchids, fuschias, roses, allium and crysanthanums all spotted.
Lettuces grown using Hydrophonics
This positive energy was tempered, however, by the very apparent lack of rain in these mountains. Atthakorn and our guide explained that compared with the previous year’s yield of 100%, 2010 had generated just 10% of that. We were shown persimmon that had fallen from the trees dry and as hard as a golf ball due to lack of water, grapes that had perished on vines and trout ponds that had dried up due to the redistribution of water to ensure that other trees and plants would survive. In fact the only glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be the vast array of avocado trees that were thriving brilliantly due to the drier climate and the flowers in the polytunnels that seemed irrigated and full of life.
This positive energy was tempered, however, by the very apparent lack of rain in these mountains. Atthakorn and our guide explained that compared with the previous year’s yield of 100%, 2010 had generated just 10% of that. We were shown persimmon that had fallen from the trees dry and as hard as a golf ball due to lack of water, grapes that had perished on vines and trout ponds that had dried up due to the redistribution of water to ensure that other trees and plants would survive. In fact the only glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be the vast array of avocado trees that were thriving brilliantly due to the drier climate and the flowers in the polytunnels that seemed irrigated and full of life.
Avocadoes
These products are sold to buyers in Thailand, oversees and under the Foundation’s own brand ‘The Royal Project Foundation’. In fact I have already popped into two of their shops (one in Bangkok airport and the other in Chang Mai city) to pick up Artichoke tea, Mulberry Jam and Thai Arabica coffee beans! Atthakorn and i also sampled the produce of the land at the Foundation’s own restaurant high in the hills. We ate a delicious lunch of Spicy Smoked Duck Salad with Thai shallot, Crispy Rainbow Tout with Garlic and Hot and Sour Dipping Sauce and Stir fried Vegetables including cabbage, carrot and morning glory – all were delicious!
These products are sold to buyers in Thailand, oversees and under the Foundation’s own brand ‘The Royal Project Foundation’. In fact I have already popped into two of their shops (one in Bangkok airport and the other in Chang Mai city) to pick up Artichoke tea, Mulberry Jam and Thai Arabica coffee beans! Atthakorn and i also sampled the produce of the land at the Foundation’s own restaurant high in the hills. We ate a delicious lunch of Spicy Smoked Duck Salad with Thai shallot, Crispy Rainbow Tout with Garlic and Hot and Sour Dipping Sauce and Stir fried Vegetables including cabbage, carrot and morning glory – all were delicious!
Crispy Rainbow Trout with Garlic
Spicy Smoked Duck
It was a fantastic day and cemented in my mind that the Thai King is a wonderful ideas man – not only did the King patronise this project, but he also was the mastermind behind the BTS sky train…what a hero!
Happy Cooking!
HJ
P.S. Other things that made me smile today…
1. Beautiful Orange flowering trees growing by the ponds in Chang Mai – so beautiful for the fact that they're so unusual.
2. The rumble of thunder, the warm sticky closeness of the atmosphere just before a storm and steam hissing from the roads as we wound our way up the mountainside towards the Royal Project in pelting (and much needed) downpours.
3. The cheeky street dogs scratching themselves and ar*eing around trying to cheekily nab some tid bits from the street vendors.
4. Finding out from Atthakorn that Tigers still live in the hills around Chang Mai.
5. These leaf patterns imprinted in the steps at the Project, whilst the concrete was wet – so simple, and so pretty – yet another example of the Thais attention to detail..jpg)
Happy Cooking!
HJ
P.S. Other things that made me smile today…
1. Beautiful Orange flowering trees growing by the ponds in Chang Mai – so beautiful for the fact that they're so unusual.
2. The rumble of thunder, the warm sticky closeness of the atmosphere just before a storm and steam hissing from the roads as we wound our way up the mountainside towards the Royal Project in pelting (and much needed) downpours.
3. The cheeky street dogs scratching themselves and ar*eing around trying to cheekily nab some tid bits from the street vendors.
4. Finding out from Atthakorn that Tigers still live in the hills around Chang Mai.
5. These leaf patterns imprinted in the steps at the Project, whilst the concrete was wet – so simple, and so pretty – yet another example of the Thais attention to detail.
.jpg)
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