Saturday, June 28, 2008 Time To Rice Up! By Luis A. Quibranza III
IF there’s a will, then there’s always something to mill.
The current rice crisis in the country can hardly be felt here in the Parish of Laray. Rice is abundant, thanks to the wonders of natural farming.
For the first time recently this May, the parish workers harvested a total of 22 cavans of palay with only the use of an estimate P5,000 for capital. This was all done in a 980 sq. meter lot behind the parish church.
The wonders of organic-rice can be threefold. It is less costly to produce. It is packed with much more nutrients and is tastier. And it is healthier compared to the conventional rice sold in the markets.
In this place, we discover not only the successful production of the Filipino staple, but also how they feast on their produce day after day, Laray Parish style.
With a big smile on her face, Sr. Adelina Belandres, the parish cook, offered some of her own organic-rice recipes. First up, we call as “parish Pospas.”
Scooped a spoonful of the rice dish and it tasted as luscious as ever. It was as if the rice grains were planted in a field and watered with nothing less than fresh milk. This, as we all know, is not factual and is only a figment of the writer’s imagination.
Up next was the “Church Champorado.” Indeed, it was a chocolate treat for sweet tooths. Comforting and chunky, the steaming organic-rice dish was a soother in the midst of a very cool weather.
Then came at last, the “Fried rice la Adelina.” It was a perfect closer for the taste tests.
It is clear that the secret to such delectable flavor relies not on the ingredients Sr. Belandres uses. You’d be surprised.
Asking about her recipes only led me to listing basic condiments and spices you can find in your nearby sari-sari stores.
The richness of the rice dishes is to be attributed to the use of organic-rice.
From wild grass to rice grains.
In the past, wild grass grew tremendously at the present mini rice field. The field was useless and cost the parish so much for mere maintenance. This bothered the parish priest, Fr. Domingo Saladaga, OAR.
Fr. Saladaga explained that ‘if grass grew every day and had to be cut down regularly with a gas-powered lawn mower, then why not dispose of it and plant rice instead?”
“Suwete ko ani gamay kay naa mey humayan didto sa Bohol,” Fr. Saladaga explained.
With the wonders of natural farming techniques, Fr. Saladaga contacted old time buddy Rey Ramos, a community development specialist and together cultivated life into the lifeless lot.
The experiment proved to be fruitful, as up until this day, there are sacks left of the harvested organic-rice. They are midway planting for their second harvest and they hope sometime this September, they will again reap the fruits (or rather, grains) of their labor.
The rise of oil prices.
With the rise of oil prices, it is for a fact that natural farming cuts off the use of oil-based farming inputs and oil-driven machinery for production. Thus, being said, the cost is significantly lower than going for conventional farming.
Amidst the crisis, we can only hold on to this: though rice never exactly falls from the skies as much as we wish it would, remember rain still falls, allowing the driest of paddies still to flourish.
