THE ULAM RAJA HERB

Sometimes when there is nothing because you were just too busy or lazy to eat there is always the herb garden to raid. One favorite is the Ulam Raja, eaten raw with some belacan , a couple of chillies and some salted fish not forgetting the hot rice. Eat the leaves mind you, not the tasteless flowers which don’t taste that great.

BUAH TARAP SEASON IS HERE

Buah Tarap (pronounced is Sarawak as Buah Terap) season is here. This is one of the most delicious of all the tropical fruits and is also a beautiful exotic tree. It has lobed leaves, as large as 2-4 foot long and 1 foot broad, similar to the Breadfruit’s, but a little less lobed. In a wild, it is found extensively in Brunei Darussalam and parts of Sabah and Sarawak and of course right here at The Kebun.

The fruit does not fall to the ground when ripe, only when it is over ripe and rotting. It may be harvested while still hard, and left to ripen until soft. The ripe fruit is opened by cutting the rind around or just twisting and gently pulling the halves complete the operation. The inside of the fruit is somewhat similar to the Jackfruit but the color is whitish. The core is relatively large, but there are fewer “rags” and less non-edible parts. Arils are white and the size of a small grape, each containing a 1/2″ seed. Once opened, the fruit should be consumed quickly (in a few hours), as it loses flavor rapidly and fruit oxidizes.

To open the fruit, just press your thumb into the soft skin and pry the pieces away and you’ll be greeted by a nicely arranged array of white sacs that looks like pale miniature Cempedaks. They will be wrapped in yellow tendrils extending from the husk and stuck to the main stem of the fruit found in the center. To eat, just twist the fruit and pop it into your mouth and the center of the fruit consists of a single oval shape brown seed. A single Tarap can hold as much as 150 to 200 little sacs within but the size of the fruits will vary from tree to tree.

Excuse me while I go open and enjoy another Buah Tarap.

FINALLY PAVED

After all this time of enduring the rough track to the farm we finally had the road tar sealed!

We drove over the road right after it was completed and smiled like idiots the whole evening.

REPAINTING IS HARDWORK

We have not been accepting any bookings for the past 2 weeks and it looks like we will be have to work harder at finishing all the knick knacks that need to be completed by December when our next guest’s begin to arrive for their homestay booking.

One thing is for sure, all the repainting alone is hardwork and its amazing to think that only 10 years ago we were painting the same bungalows. We hope the rain will not come as often as it does almost every afternoon.

GOAT FERTILITY CYCLE EXPLAINED

The mechanism which controls the breeding cycle of cows is understood only to a limited extent. With your hand in the cow’s rectum it is possible to feel the whole of the genital organs and the changes that take place in them as the breeding cycle goes along. The mechanism that controls the goats breeding mechanism is believed to be similar.

The sexual cycle of the goat is started by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland secreting follicle-stimulating hormones which excited the ovaries at each tip of the ‘horns of the womb’, to develop a ‘blister’ inside which one of the store of eggs in the ovary rapidly develops. This blister itself secretes estrogen which in turn produces the symptoms of oestrus or ‘heat’

The womb contracts, the cervix at the mouth of the womb relaxes and opens, the vagina is tensed and lubricated by slime. The goat becomes restless, bleats and wags its tail with a red and swollen vulva often showing signs of discharges. The goat is ready to stand to the male goat billy.

When the blister in the ovaries reaches its full size the pituitary produces luteinizing hormones which causes the blister to burst which in turn causes the mature egg to start its long winding journey down the fallopian tubes. The broken walls of the blister then grow lutein which is a kind of temporary gland that secretes progesterone. Progesterone has an opposite effect to that of oestrogen. Thus the outward symptoms of ‘heat’ subside, the vagina relaxes and dries off, the cervix closes to seal the womb and the womb then relaxes and is richly supplied by blood.

If the mating is successful the egg on its way down the fallopian tubes encounters a sperm and fertilizes and upon arriving at the womb finds its place prepared for it (by the action of the progesterone) settles down and develops. The lutein remains continuing to produces progesterone until the foetus is mature

Upon maturity of the foetus the lutein is reabsorbed and at the stimulus of the pituitary, the ovaries once more secrete estrogen which relaxes the cervix, lubricates the vagina and contracts the womb to expel the kid. When the kid is born the secretion of estrogen stops.

If the egg is not fertilized on its way down the fallopian tubes the lutein persists secreting progesterone for about 10 days after which it shrinks away and the follicle-stimulating hormone is again secreted by the pituitary gland to start the cycle all over again.

TRANSLATE!

THE KEBUN HOMESTAY

The Kebun is now undergoing a bit of sprucing up now that we have decided to officially open up the farm for homestay bookings. Busy lot we are what with some repainting and minor repairs going on apart from our usual chores. We really want to thank all of you previous visitors that encouraged us to turn the farm into a proper homestay experience. We are not accepting anymore walk in guest’s for the moment until mid December where our committed bookings shall continue.

TRANSLATE!

MONSOON RAIN AT THE KEBUN

It is the Monsoon season again looking on from behind the verandah of Olivia’s Bungalow. Short heavy burst of rain. Everyone including the animals are huddled like wet rats feeling the chill. It’s going to be nice sleeping tonight.

FOREST TORTOISE

Sometimes we come across tortoises in the stream more often at night when we go skinny dipping hunting for freshwater prawns. This time we had the camera handy. I don’t know what kind of tortoise this is but it is one of the more common types we have come across on the farm.

It would be good if someone could help us identify the species.

FRESHWATER PRAWN HUNTING

We went hunting for freshwater prawns a few early mornings before light. The stream was rather quiet that morning save for the crickets and frogs. Fresh prawns like these taste lip smacking good cooked whatever way but for a quickie it’s 2 minute instant noodles for us.

No one has been able to confirm if these are the juvenile of the what the locals call the Udang Galah but those huge fellows are even better eating. Now I am hungry.

BREADFRUIT BUMPER CROP

It looks like this is going to be a very good year for our Breadfruit. All the tress are showing good fruit numbers and maybe this time we will be able to offer more at the roadside stall. Has anyone ever tried fried breadfruit fritters? Very yummy as a snack in the afternoons.