July 13th, 2010

Poison Ivy at Bollywood Veggies

After our exciting visit to TK Pottery Jungle, we took a short drive to Bollywood Veggies, a ten-acre organic farm owned by Ivy Singh-Lim, who goes by the name Poison Ivy, and her husband Ho Seng Lim.  Poison Ivy is outspoken in what she believes, and she admits that some people are afraid of her and she thought the name was fitting.  Ivy and her husband worked for many years in the corporate world and in 2001, rather than retiring, invested in the land and in farming to inspire others to think about Singapore’s long-term sustainability.  The name “Bollywood” comes from Ivy’s Indian heritage and her love of singing and dancing.  With a lot of joyful hard work, the farm is quite successful.  More than 100 varieties of plants are grown on the farm, including native fruits that are rarely used in popular foods today.  Ivy believes in the importance of educating visitors about these traditional fruits.

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1 The entrance to Poison Ivy, the bistro on the property of Bollywood Veggies

2 This fun and lively bistro serves organic food, much of it comes from the farm. This is where we met up with the owner, Poison Ivy.

3 Poison Ivy, who's incredibly energetic, gave us each one of these towels for the garden. They helped in the humid heat!

4 Bananas grown on the farm ripen in the bistro.

5 The mango pickles were quite tart but very tasty.

6 On average, 1,000 people visit the farm and restaurant each week. Ivy has regular raffle drawings so that visitors may win prizes at the farm.

7 There is also a shop which sells fresh produce, baked goods, and preserves.

8 A very pleasant May does an excellent job managing the shop.

9 At Bollywood Veggies, there is even a large function room for events and a cooking school.

10 After our pleasant visit to the bistro and shop, we toured the farm.

11 The farm is a quaint and colorful place with hand-painted signs posted throughout.

12 These arch supports are great for growing squash and gourds.

13 You can tour the farm by yourself or with a guide. It is divided into stations, clearly marked with signs, like this.

14 All the plants and trees are labeled with those hand-painted signs.

15 Ivy's home is surrounded by fencing as she has many large dogs!

16 Friendly reminders all along the fencing

17 Ivy showed us the large and unusual flower of a banana tree. They grow 25 - 30 different varieties of bananas.

18 I'm always fascinated learning about indigenous plant species.

19 Did you know that the true origin of Bananas is found in the region of Malaysia?

20 Another station - It was blazing hot in the sun, but perfect for tropical plants.

21 A fig tree laden with fruit. We fondly remembered King, the orang utan, in the Borneo rain forest. Remember how he ate figs?

22 Plot - 3 contains the irrigation pond. It's only dangerous because it is quite deep.

23 A very interesting variety of banana. The tiers of fruit are actually joined together. Sorry! Can't remember its name.

24 Recycling is highly encouraged on this organic farm.

25 After our stroll through the farm, we were treated to a lovely snack outside. I loved this green papaya salad, the banana bread, and the cooked plantains - all so wonderfully delicious!

26 Ivy is rather famous in Singapore and it's no secret that her banana bread is amazing!

27 Dining al fresco and enjoying the flora and fauna

28 We were sitting right near the butterfly garden.

29 All the while with cameras rolling

30 I really enjoyed meeting Ivy.

31 Soon after leaving Bollywood Veggies, we passed a few large, most likely non-organic, farms.

32 An irrigation pump

33 Singapore has an area of only 268 square miles (693 sq km) - about the size of Washington, DC - so much of the produce comes from other countries - a majority from Malaysia.

34 We loved this taxi cab, but unfortunately, we had no time to visit the Jurong Bird Park.

Posted on July 13th, 2010 in Behind the Scenes, Family, Food & Recipes, Friends, Gardens, Photo Gallery, Television, Travel | Permalink |

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