Liu Chun-chiang, a 66-year-old lemon farmer from Pingtung County’s Jhutian Township, was diagnosed with lymphoma 18 years ago. At the time Liu was working at the Taiwan Motor Transportation Company, but quit his job, planning to return to his hometown and work as a farmer to build up his physical fitness. However, on his return he saw that all the agricultural land in his hometown had been turned over to growing betel nuts. Furthermore, Liu discovered that the soil had suffered from long-term use of weedkiller.
Liu insists on not spraying weedkiller, instead using natural methods to prevent and control diseases and pests. Liu uses his own concoction of enzymes as fertilizer, and having achieved certification that his lemons are free from pesticide residues, has attracted a following of customers who come knocking on his door. Liu has for many years maintained the price of his lemons at NT$50 for one catty (0.5kg).
“My lemons even drink milk!” says Liu. He uses the scent of neem oil and cinnamon as a natural way to repel insects and makes a natural liquid fertilizer from milk powder, fish bone meal, soy bean flour and other ingredients.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者邱芷柔
Liu encourages other smallholder farmers to look after their farmland, reform the image of agriculture and insist on quality, in order to build up a competitive advantage within the marketplace.
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
屏東縣竹田鄉檸檬農夫劉春強,現年六十六歲,十八年前罹患淋巴癌。當時在台汽上班的他,為了療養身體而辭掉工作,想要返鄉務農健身,卻看見家鄉農地滿是檳榔,且土壤長期遭除草劑傷害。
他堅持不噴除草劑,以天然方式防治病蟲害,自行調配酵素當肥料,並通過無農藥殘留檢驗,吸引消費者主動找上門,他的檸檬常年價格維持一斤五十元。
「我的檸檬還喝牛奶呢!」劉春強以苦楝油、肉桂散發的氣味等天然方式驅蟲,並將奶粉、魚骨粉、黃豆粉等調配成液體肥料,讓檸檬樹吸收。
劉春強鼓勵小農友善農地,改變農業形象,堅持品質,累積市場競爭力。
(自由時報記者邱芷柔)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You