Chishang Recreation Farm

Pickled vegetables, no menu Hakka cuisines, roasted meals in the kiln and the sweet and sour jelly Coming to Chishang and Tasting Tantalizing Local Cuisines

The daylight hours in Chishang Taitung is shorter because of the topography that makes the growth period of rice longer, so the rice here has good mouth feel and flavor. Hence, Chishang becomes a well-known rice production center in Taiwan. Thanks to artistic activities and advertisements, the old trees in the paddy and the lanes in the fields without lamp posts attract crowds of tourists coming here. But before these sightseeing districts emerged, Dapo Pond and the mountainous areas in Seaboard Mountain Range were great getaways to enjoy the leisure in Chishang and savor local produce.

The owner of Xinkaiyuan Kiln BBQ Restaurant, Mr. Deguang CHEN and his wife bring the warmth to the diners through the food cooked in the kiln.

“Xinkaiyuan Kiln BBQ Restaurant” is not far away from Dapo Pound. It left visitors a deep impression by its tasty food cooked in the kiln and the charming vintage architecture. The location of Xinkaiyuan Kiln BBQ Restaurant used to be a factory in Japanese occupation period. After Japan was defeated and left Taiwan, it became private. Mr. CHEN’s bought part of the space as their residence. Working in construction industry, Mr. CHEN is interested in old buildings, he bought the rest of it and spent 2 years on renovation. Mr. CHEN’s wife used to work in a bakery and she is interested in baking breads in a kiln so that he built one in this vintage building to bake bread, roast fish and meat as well as vegetables; therefore, the
kiln is the feature of this restaurant. The furniture, such as tables and chairs, is also made by Mr. CHEN. The setting and ambiance is created with the intention to touch people's hearts. In his opinion, people sitting together for a meal are like a family, and Xinkaiyuan is where he grew up; therefore, he expects to bring the warmth of this house to everyone coming to have meals.

Noon time on one early summer day, Shanhua WU was turning sides of the brined tofu which was sun dried for half a day. It took 2 more days to add natural Aspergillus oryzae to the tofu before bottling. Then all it takes is time to make the fermented bean curd taste better. Shanhua WU likes eating fermented bean curd so she learns to make it. These years, she even grows soy beans and outsources to tofu shop, have the shop make brined tofu so to control the source of the food material. Shanhua WU originally followed her mother and grew plum trees in Chishang. They marketed and sold the plums and also kept some to make preserved plums and plums with basil flavor. Her mother also taught her to make pickled vegetables, so she is capable of making a diversified products and her sales channels extend to social media from word-of-mouth marketing within her community. Because the orders keep growing, Chishang Farmers’ Association assisted Shanhua WU to build her brand “Sandaisanhua” and instructed her to take part in sales activities. Her products receive plenty of acclaims. There are many products under the brand, such as the plum product line, ie., marinated plums, plum vinegar and plum essence as well as Monochoria, dried lemon, freshly made soy bean milk and soy beans. In addition, Shanhua Wu grows seasonal vegetables, kakorot, loofah, red vine spinach, fever root, and Taiwan velvet plant in the mountains and offers home delivery service for consumers’ convenience.

Summer is the season to make tofu. Shanhua WU put the tofu in alignment and let the sun dry the tofu.

Going up along the path next to Dapo Pond, we saw the green turf and big trees of the B&B, “YuChanYuan”. Jianguang LAI and his wife, Yuqin PENG renovated their old house and orchard into YuChanYuan. And PENG who is good at cooking provides no menu Hakka cuisines according to their daily harvest in their own farm, visitors can make a reservation to enjoy the meal. There is a studio in the forest within YuChanYuan and its appearance and shape made me feel I were in Europe. Jianguang LAI enjoys carpentry and turns the twigs of Formosan cypress drift wood into handmade pens. Each pen has its unique pattern and fragrance, and it is a good souvenir. PENG is not only the chef but also an expert in handmade soaps. She extracts essence of the plants grown in her garden to make soaps, and the organic rice bran soap is her masterwork.

The food materials used by YuChanYuan are all homegrown and cooked healthily that diners might feel like they were eating at home.

Suqiu YANG prepared all sorts of materials in the kitchen, such as cutting the pineapples to make jelly. After taking a food processing course 20 some years ago, she devoted herself to processing the fruits and vegetables that were oversupplied, which eased farmers’ financial distress and also created values for these fresh produce. Suqiu YANG used to be a researcher in a lab and she has unparalleled passions for agriculture. Then she grew organic pineapples in Nantou, later on, she was so moved by the passions of Chishang locals, in the end, she settled down in Chishang and grew plum trees. When it comes to ripening season, she always has friends come to visit, and they go picking the plums and marinate them. Asides from teaching food processing courses in various locations, Suqiu YANG created a brand “Hemai Kiln” selling the jams in season, and she becomes a marmalade expert. Plums and mulberries in spring, pineapples in summer, and Roselle in spring are popular products that gourmets place orders in advance.

The handmade marmalade from Hemai Kiln tastes refreshing.