Jan DSaIn a post on halal cuisine at Maple Tree Resort, Nantou County, I highlighted my experience of eating edible flowers for the first time in my life. Mind you, these edible flowers were served as part of the menu and not flowers that I randomly plucked from the eco-leisure farm. So do be careful and do not assume that all the flowers growing here are edible!
I definitely enjoyed the concept of eco-leisure farms, on my trip to Taiwan. I have already written about Shangri-La Eco-Leisure farm in Yilan County. Taiwan is big on agriculture and protecting the environment, and the photos below show aspects of my eco-trail on Tai-Yi Eco-Leisure farm. This is where you can find both edible flowers and the poisonous ones. This is where cacti grow alongside trees with spiny trees amidst mountains and cold. This is way nature comes alive.
After breakfast, the eco-leisure farm beckoned me. It was a very cold morning!
I felt I was walking through the woods. This is actually a green house.
This is the poisonous flower. Chris, the tour guide warned the curious amongst us (me!) against plucking it.
Dancing orchids! Very pleased with the way this photo turned out.
The Honey and Pollen drink process
The highlight of the tour around the farm was the honey and pollen drink that was freshly prepared. Very sweet. Very refreshing. However, I must admit, I was not too happy to be so close to the bees, but Chris, the guide, seemed quite comfortable to stand so close to the bee hive.
Near the bee hive.
A huge container holding the honey.
Pouring the honey into the water filled with pollen
A close up of the honey pollen drink that I’m about to partake of. The pollen were huge!
Stag beetles are frequent visitors to Eco-leisure farms, amongst other organisms from the insect world. Thankfully this one is just a carved statue on a rock
Living the dream in nature
I stayed at the Maple Boutique Hotel the previous night, but I was to learn that there were other hotel stay options on the farm itself. I cannot vouch for the quality of these hotels though, but I sure love nature’s sublime colour!
This is the flower lodge situated on the farm. No, I didn’t stay at this lodge.
The other view of the flower lodge. This is when the sun came out of hiding.
View of the bungalows that sit on the water. You can’t see the water from the photo though.