Taiwan: It's a strawberry season!

Strawberry lovers should not miss this one!

It's a strawberry season here!

Why would you miss a good chance to taste fresh and sweet strawberries.

No matter where are you now in Taiwan -- get in a car and drive to Dahu!

There are bunches of strawberry fields here from Dahu and up on the mountain to Jiang Ma Yuen.

In January until March, strawberry fields can be spotted along the roadside in the flat patches among the peach and plum trees in the sloppy mountain. Picking the mouth-watering strawberry in the field is a breathtaking visual feast, with pink peach flowers and white plum blossoms stretching out from the tree branches to the spring sky all around you.

After writing about strawberry, now I have this song 'Strawberry Lover' in my head.

I wanna be a strawberry lover

Hot under cover

And rise in the fields

Reckless and free

High as no other

Strawberry lover

A sweetness revealed...

Well, it's my first time to pick up strawberries here. Since I am one of the strawberry lovers and where I live there is no place like this for me to pick up strawberries by myself so it's very special for me and hope it would be special for many of you too :)

There is a strawberry museum for you to explore. There are various menus made from strawberry for you to taste. And I bet it's something you might never try before.

Well, explaining about food, you cannot taste or smell from my blog anyway so why not come to try it here. Strawberries can be more than what you have imagined!

Taiwan: Ginger Garden

What else you can find in Ginger Garden--

--branches full of pink peaches and burgundy plums

It is not hard to work out the name “Ginger Garden” came from the place’s past history of producing top quality fresh ginger. Jiang Ma Yuen is located between Tahu and Sanyi,its entrance can be found opposite Lilin Primary School.

Fruit trees such as peach, plum, mandarin and top-grafted pear have been added to Ginger Garden over the past two decades, these fruits help increasing the farmers’ income and enriching what it has to offer to tourists. Visiting here in late spring early summer, or at the height of summer heat, its altitude of nearly 800 meters above sea level fosters temperatures that are comfortable and tempting.

I cannot see any peach or plum right now in January but if you have a chance to come in May, that will be peach season but when it comes to June, the focus shifts to plums. These 2 months you can see branches full of pink peaches and burgundy plums. Picking the fruits is one of the activities here. It is an absolute treat to pick the fruits in the aromatically fruity air and roam the mountain trails with leisure.

I don't really know whether the other part of Taiwan usually eat a lot of ginger or not but most of the meals here there must be at least one dish with ginger taste. Ginger is mostly used to accompany various dishes like pork large intestines with shredded ginger (this one is my favorite), ginger duck, Hakka savoury, sour and sweet (using ginger, wood ear and pineapple). Pickled ginger or young ginger salad also makes a nice entree. Moreover, fresh ginger also enjoys its prestigious status in its medicinal effect and the preserving of health. To have a bowl of piping-hot ginger soup after being out in the cold winds and rain is everyone’s familiar trick in bad weathers. It is also heavily used in the very fashionable herbal medicinal diet. Eating ginger is not only being healthy but I really enjoy various kinds of ginger dishes here. Maybe I have to learn how to cook before I leave :)

Here I have a picture of ginger duck hotpot which goes great with some beer. It's one of the most popular meal here in winter and you also can select what kind of veggie you want to put in your hotpot.