Our next destination for our 3rd day in Taiwan is M&G Family Leisure Farm, where we were given the chance to pluck vegetable and fruits fresh from the gardens. M&G Family Farm is located in the Yangmingshan Mountain.
The entrance to M&G Family Farm was narrow that the guests will be expected to walk for 200m to reach the restaurant. On the way, we could already feel the vibe of farmers’ life by looking at the vast vegetable garden.
After listening for the briefing, we enjoyed fresh leaf tea hand-picked from the farm. Near the counter, there were huge bitter gourds for display. Some of us tried to lift the bitter gourd and I could imagine how heavy it was!
Exploring M&G Leisure Family Farm
After the short briefing, the host gave us the farmer’s hat to protect us from the sun while strolling down the farm.
We were divided into few groups and one of us with the problem had to stay back because the path down the farm was quite steep. The farm area was huge so do expect to walk far from the café.
This plant smelled like kafir leaves.
Can you make out what vine trees were these?
They were passion fruit trees! It was the first time for me to see the passion fruit trees. Passion fruit is known as markisa in Malaysia. The fruit is oval with a soft juicy interior with seeds. It can be yellow or dark purple in colour depending on its distinct variety. Not only that we got to see the real trees, we were also able to pluck the ripe passion fruits from the trees and put them in the interior of our farmer’s hat.
Next, we plucked the persimmon fruits. As the ripe fruits were quite high on the tree, I did not manage to pluck the fruits myself.
However, we were able to taste the sweet persimmon fruits fresh from the farm.
Back in the café, we were served vegetable meals.
The noodle soup was made of tofu and tasted very delicious.
My favourite is the dragon fruit tempura with sweet sauce.
The other side dishes were stir-fried bean sprouts and fermented tofu. As for dessert, we were served with passion fruit and grapefruit. After finishing the meal, we had one last group photo near the buffalo statue before heading to our next destination.