Saturday January 5, 2008
There are numerous flower, vegetable and strawberry farms accessible to visitors in Cameron Highlands, but if you’d rather not read a map trying to find them, why not opt for Titiwangsa Tours & Travel’s Agro-Delight Tour?
The tour takes about 3½ hours and covers the Cactus Valley and visits to different agricultural farms for hydroponic lettuce, strawberries, flowers, watercress, and more.
Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, as there is a good amount of walking up and down steep steps and terraced footpaths.
Very vivid: Organic vegetables are harvested only after 70 days. Meanwhile, strawberry farms practise the pick-pay-and-eat concept.
The Cactus Valley is home to a wide variety of unusual plant species, like oddly shaped cacti, lantern flower (otherwise known as “freesia”), passion fruit (also known as “lovers’ fruit”), and even grapes.
Visitors will learn about different vegetable farming methods practised in the highlands – aeroponic, hydroponic, conventional and organic.
Hydroponic is a modern method and often the costliest, but vegetables are easily grown using water instead of soil.
Nutrients are fed to the plants via a circulated water system, giving them adequate oxygen. Protected from direct sunlight, the greens are grown on neat rows of raised elongated planters and protected from pests with strategically placed “fly paper” that lure insects to its adhesive surface.
The most popular vegetable grown using this method are the salad types, such as red and green coral lettuces, butterhead and Romaine.
According to our guide, organic vegetables are grown with chemical-free fertilisers and some form of crop rotation.
Vegetables require 3½ months to grow using traditional farming method, so most conventional farms today opt for intensive “open terrace” cultivation, which shortens the growth period to just 45 days. Organic methods, though, take slightly longer, yielding a proper harvest only after 65-70 days. The organic vegetables produced here are mainly broccoli, mini bok choy, Japanese spinach, Chinese cabbage, leeks, iceberg lettuce and peas.
Did you know that all the strawberry farms in Cameron Highlands practise the pick-pay-and-eat concept? Camerons is possibly one of the few places in the world where the fruits are available year-round. Replanting is done every three years when the soil becomes too acidic.
Our strawberry plant species are mostly imported from Australia, Holland, Taiwan and the US. Our next stop was at a chrysanthemum flower farm.
Despite the costly capital outlay required to start a flower farm (up to RM3.2mil), the flower industry is the most profitable of them all here. We also viewed a watercress farm, where the greens were grown on open terraces with constantly running water. Harvesting is carried out after 60 days.
After the enlightening Agro-Delights Tour, we appreciated the fresh, crisp greens served for our steamboat dinner even more. Instead of seeing them as just an essential component of our diet, we saw the vegetables as the fruits of many diligent farmers’ labour in Cameron Highlands.
o Get more information on the Morning Madness Tour by Cameron Secrets and Titiwangsa Tours & Travel’s Agri-Delights Tour from this informative website: www.cameronhighlands.com
Where to stay
Here’s a list of places to stay during your visit to Cameron Highlands. If you are stopping by for a meal, check out these restaurants.
Century Pines Hotel
Lot 42, Jalan Masjid
39000 Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands
Tel: (05) 491 5115
Fax: (05) 491 1115
One of the newer hotels which are family-friendly. Easy access to eateries and shops nearby.
Casa de la Rosa
Lot 48, Jalan Circular,
39000 Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands
Tel: (05) 4911 333
Fax: (05) 4915 500
A small but cosy property in mock-Tudor design. WiFi access and spacious family rooms available.
The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands
30th Mile
39200 Ringlet
Cameron Highlands
Tel: (05) 4956 152
Fax (05) 4956 213
A charming Tudor-style boutique resort with elegant, colonial-style furnishings. Ideal for honeymooners and couples looking for a quiet retreat.
Steamboat Restaurant
26 Jalan Besar
Brinchang
Cameron Highlands
Tel: (05) 4912 380
Steamboat and a whole range of hearty Chinese dishes. Very popular with visitors especially on weekends so go early if you want to get a table.
The T Café
No 4 (1st Floor)
Main Road Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands
Tel: (05) 4914 018
A simple café that serves soup, salads, sandwiches, Western and Asian dishes like chicken chop, fish and chips, noodles and fried rice. Try the freshly baked scones for tea.
Restaurant Palm Leaf Garden
3 Bandar Baru Brinchang
Cameron Highlands
Tel : (05) 4914 208
Reasonably priced local and Thai noodle or rice dishes with a selection of Western delights.
-- The Star LifeStyle
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