Enzo Pinga is Regee's nephew. In August 2015, Enzo established an organic farm (below) of about 1.2 hectares in San Pablo, about 2 hours south of Manila. He also has another farm nearby which has not been developed yet but the two of them are called Earthbeat Farms. Both farms are leased, with financial help from his father and another investor.
On Saturday we met up with Enzo's mother and father, Iboy and Rosette Pinga, and they drove Regee, Mama and me down to San Pablo, Laguna. We were greeted by Enzo with chilled coconut water straight from the coconut. It doesn't get any better than that!
In a very short period of time, Earthbeat Farms has gone from being an idea to a successful organic farm supplying all manner of produce to restaurants and other customers in Manila.
According to Earthbeat's Facebook page, Enzo's principal purpose is to implement agro-ecology and regenerative agricultural practices to provide the best quality produce.
That includes everything from vegetables (lettuce, okra, kale, radishes, carrots) to fruits (calamansi, papaya, guyabano, coconuts, tomatoes, bananas) and even edible flowers (cosmos and marigolds).
He also maintains 7 pigs and 12 goats on the farm which all get very excited when they see Enzo coming--they are more like pets than farm animals!
Click on "Read more" below for a tour of the farm.
Enzo graduated from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania where we visited him and his elder brother, Nico, on several occasions. Nico is now a banker but Enzo has taken a very different route.
Returning to the Philippines, Enzo became interested in aquaponics and after working in this field for a couple of years developed a deeper interest in the whole agricultural scene in the Philippines. In particular, he felt the need to help farmers learn the benefits of organic farming and sustainable farming practices. And what better way to do that than to start your own organic farm after a lot of on-line and in-field practical learning.
After our refreshments, we either grabbed umbrellas or put on big hats for a tour of the farm with Enzo. We started in the area where he grew his seedlings and saw all the beds, pots and trays where a large variety of plants were waiting to be transplanted.
The beautiful flower above is a ternate (a.k.a. blue pea or butterfly pea) which is edible and can be used as a natural food coloring. I have seen it cooked with white rice in Malaysia which gives it a blue tint; and in Thailand you can buy packets of dried blue pea for making tea. It has a very mild flavor but you will have a blue tongue after drinking it--or a bright purple one if you add lemongrass as they do in Thailand!
This is a bright orange cosmos flower which is also edible and very popular in organic restaurants to add a little bit of color (and exotic taste) to their dishes.
There were rows and rows of wonderful looking lettuces which are very much in demand in Manila. It seems that Enzo spends half his week on the farm and the rest of the time making deliveries in Manila, marketing his produce and spending time with customers. When we met him at Madrid Fusion Manila he seemed to know a lot of the chefs.
Here he is with another farming colleague, Regee and Chef Tatung who runs Agos Restaurant in Manila. The top chefs depend upon farms like Earthbeat to create superb local dishes which are on a par with anything in the world today.
I had no idea that okra produced such beautiful flowers. Another vegetable that has lovely flowers is Chinese kale. They are also edible so both the kale and the flowers are bringing in revenue for Earthbeat Farms. Galing galing!
These tiny tomatoes are so sweet and delightful. Enzo was kind enough to give us several big heads of lettuce and lots of these little tomatoes.
Regee turned them into this amazing salad which she created for the big family party the next day on Easter Sunday. Talk about farm to table!
One of my favorites--guyabano a.k.a. soursop or custard apple in English. They look a bit forbidding but they taste great. You can use the leaves to make tea--and guyabano juice is delicious. On top of its great taste it is a well-known cancer fighter and some people use the leaves to help with diabetes.
Here is Enzo greeting his two black native pigs. They were very friendly, wagged their tails like big dogs and definitely loved Enzo! They have very tough bristles so are not exactly cuddly but Enzo said that when he rubbed their tummies they usually fell over! One of them is pregnant and Enzo said he was expecting a litter of ten or more. We also saw six more pigs in a separate pen. I don't think Enzo has any plans for turning them into bacon--he loves them too much--but he will soon have 18 plus pets! Then what?
Bananas. These are the small, very sweet senoritas variety but I think there were also two other varieties growing on the farm.
And no self-respecting Filipino farm can be without its coconut trees. The whole property is lined with coconut trees, just about all of them bearing a lot of fruit like the tree above. Regee was in her element--surrounded by her beloved coconuts.
We toured the farm for almost 1.5 hours and then suddenly felt hungry looking at all that food! So, we were taken to the Sulyap Restaurant in San Pablo which is housed in an old ancestral home and is a very popular destination--especially on a Saturday. The food was outstanding and if I was not running out of space I would put a lot more photos of the many dishes we enjoyed.
After lunch we went back to the farm for a sinful merienda featuring a rich Sans Rival cake which Enzo picked up in a bakery in San Pablo. I am not sure that it was totally "healthy" but you can afford to go a little wild now and again on an organic farm!
Although no coffee is grown on the farm, the second investor in Earthbeat Farms is in the coffee business and is producing an Earthbeat Farms brand made up of coffee beans from Benguet up in northern Luzon and South Cotobato in Mindanao. Enzo gave us a bag of this and we have had it for breakfast for three days now. It is absolutely delicious and is coming home with us on Wednesday. Enzo, please start exporting!!
A lot of articles have been written about Enzo's endeavors--just Google Earthbeat Farms San Pablo and you will find them all. I recommend you read the recent Inquirer article "Changing the World in an Earthbeat" by Annelle Tayao-Juego at:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/848297/changing-the-world-in-an-earthbeat
Many thanks to Iboy, Rosette and Enzo for an amazing and fascinating day. And, of course, for all that healthy, delicious organic produce!
On Saturday we met up with Enzo's mother and father, Iboy and Rosette Pinga, and they drove Regee, Mama and me down to San Pablo, Laguna. We were greeted by Enzo with chilled coconut water straight from the coconut. It doesn't get any better than that!
From L to R: Iboy, Rosette, Enzo, Mama and Regee
That includes everything from vegetables (lettuce, okra, kale, radishes, carrots) to fruits (calamansi, papaya, guyabano, coconuts, tomatoes, bananas) and even edible flowers (cosmos and marigolds).
He also maintains 7 pigs and 12 goats on the farm which all get very excited when they see Enzo coming--they are more like pets than farm animals!
Click on "Read more" below for a tour of the farm.
Enzo graduated from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania where we visited him and his elder brother, Nico, on several occasions. Nico is now a banker but Enzo has taken a very different route.
Returning to the Philippines, Enzo became interested in aquaponics and after working in this field for a couple of years developed a deeper interest in the whole agricultural scene in the Philippines. In particular, he felt the need to help farmers learn the benefits of organic farming and sustainable farming practices. And what better way to do that than to start your own organic farm after a lot of on-line and in-field practical learning.
After our refreshments, we either grabbed umbrellas or put on big hats for a tour of the farm with Enzo. We started in the area where he grew his seedlings and saw all the beds, pots and trays where a large variety of plants were waiting to be transplanted.
The beautiful flower above is a ternate (a.k.a. blue pea or butterfly pea) which is edible and can be used as a natural food coloring. I have seen it cooked with white rice in Malaysia which gives it a blue tint; and in Thailand you can buy packets of dried blue pea for making tea. It has a very mild flavor but you will have a blue tongue after drinking it--or a bright purple one if you add lemongrass as they do in Thailand!
This is a bright orange cosmos flower which is also edible and very popular in organic restaurants to add a little bit of color (and exotic taste) to their dishes.
There were rows and rows of wonderful looking lettuces which are very much in demand in Manila. It seems that Enzo spends half his week on the farm and the rest of the time making deliveries in Manila, marketing his produce and spending time with customers. When we met him at Madrid Fusion Manila he seemed to know a lot of the chefs.
Here he is with another farming colleague, Regee and Chef Tatung who runs Agos Restaurant in Manila. The top chefs depend upon farms like Earthbeat to create superb local dishes which are on a par with anything in the world today.
I had no idea that okra produced such beautiful flowers. Another vegetable that has lovely flowers is Chinese kale. They are also edible so both the kale and the flowers are bringing in revenue for Earthbeat Farms. Galing galing!
These tiny tomatoes are so sweet and delightful. Enzo was kind enough to give us several big heads of lettuce and lots of these little tomatoes.
Regee turned them into this amazing salad which she created for the big family party the next day on Easter Sunday. Talk about farm to table!
One of my favorites--guyabano a.k.a. soursop or custard apple in English. They look a bit forbidding but they taste great. You can use the leaves to make tea--and guyabano juice is delicious. On top of its great taste it is a well-known cancer fighter and some people use the leaves to help with diabetes.
Here is Enzo greeting his two black native pigs. They were very friendly, wagged their tails like big dogs and definitely loved Enzo! They have very tough bristles so are not exactly cuddly but Enzo said that when he rubbed their tummies they usually fell over! One of them is pregnant and Enzo said he was expecting a litter of ten or more. We also saw six more pigs in a separate pen. I don't think Enzo has any plans for turning them into bacon--he loves them too much--but he will soon have 18 plus pets! Then what?
Bananas. These are the small, very sweet senoritas variety but I think there were also two other varieties growing on the farm.
And no self-respecting Filipino farm can be without its coconut trees. The whole property is lined with coconut trees, just about all of them bearing a lot of fruit like the tree above. Regee was in her element--surrounded by her beloved coconuts.
We toured the farm for almost 1.5 hours and then suddenly felt hungry looking at all that food! So, we were taken to the Sulyap Restaurant in San Pablo which is housed in an old ancestral home and is a very popular destination--especially on a Saturday. The food was outstanding and if I was not running out of space I would put a lot more photos of the many dishes we enjoyed.
After lunch we went back to the farm for a sinful merienda featuring a rich Sans Rival cake which Enzo picked up in a bakery in San Pablo. I am not sure that it was totally "healthy" but you can afford to go a little wild now and again on an organic farm!
Although no coffee is grown on the farm, the second investor in Earthbeat Farms is in the coffee business and is producing an Earthbeat Farms brand made up of coffee beans from Benguet up in northern Luzon and South Cotobato in Mindanao. Enzo gave us a bag of this and we have had it for breakfast for three days now. It is absolutely delicious and is coming home with us on Wednesday. Enzo, please start exporting!!
A lot of articles have been written about Enzo's endeavors--just Google Earthbeat Farms San Pablo and you will find them all. I recommend you read the recent Inquirer article "Changing the World in an Earthbeat" by Annelle Tayao-Juego at:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/848297/changing-the-world-in-an-earthbeat
Photo courtesy The Inquirer
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