DQ Farm (est. 1991)

About a year ago, I decided to plant a “qi” garden.  What this means is a garden with plants that will emit lots of energy.  This was my working sketch: 

The meranti that forms the top layer, now 30 meters tall.

By the beginning of this year, the garden was taking shape nicely and I began to do my qi gong exercises regularly in the garden.  The garden emanates a calm energy and one feels energized yet calm after a couple of hours in the garden.

 The jungle - like atmosphere of the garden 

Rare funguses form the bottom layer

One day, about 4 or 5 months ago, I heard a low “kroaw kroaw” in some of the bushes.  It sounded full throated and I estimated the bird that made the sound to be the size of a pheasant or a large chicken. I was doing my qi then and I just sort of looked at the location where the sound came from, some bushes and return to my qi exercises. After I finished, I did a casual examination of the location where the call was coming from and found nothing.  Odd, I thought that a large bird like that could hide itself so well.

This carried on for a while.  Each time I moved around in the garden or did my qi, the bird would make its calls.  Not calls of anger or alarm or warning.  Nothing like that, just calls to let you know it is there – kroaw, kroaw, kroaw.

One day, curiousity took command, and I went down to my knees and search everywhere in that little garden.  Nothing, nada.  And when you least expect it, it goes kroaw kroaw kroaw.

 (to be continued)

Kini kita sediakan minuman herba untuk mereka yang memerlukan.  Rumusan konsultan kami, HS Wong, minuman ini mengandungi bakawali dan herba lain dan terbukti di ladang kami menguatkan sistem pertahanan badan pekerja serta haiwan seperti kambing, kuda dan lain. 

We now brew immune boosting herbs like bakawali for those who come to our kitchen.  We also provide multivitamins.  Donors for the multivitamins (which we have to buy) are welcome. 

 Once a week, a shot of bakawali to keep the coughs and colds away. For those who come to our kitchen, a drink of the herbal concoction first before getting the food.

 Pahit nye!!!

Sorry guys, drink up the most bitter drink you have ever drunk in your life, before you can get the food.

Working with and sponsored by Dapur Al-Masyhur, www.al-masyhur.com

On August 26, 2007 we had our inaugural 'Hot Food For The Homeless' kitchen at Bukit Bintang. About 20 homeless came.

 Volunteers helping out

A sampling of the dishes - chicken curry, fried eggs, hot rice, stir-fried vegetables.

Volunteer chef, Devan

Every time you buy "DQ" and "Al Masyhur", part of your purchase will go to feeding the homeless and needy, including old folks homes, ophanages, and others.  In the near future, your purchase will go into starting micro-farm projects among rural farmers.

Contact Dapur Al Masyhur at bestaribersatu@yahoo.com

Dato' Abdul Hanan bin Alang Endut, Sec. Gen. of the Min of Science, Technology and Innovation visited our farm on August 26, 2007.  For the first time in his life he ate 'sawi' raw like a salad and declared surprised at its 'sweetness' and crunchiness.  The 'sawi' was grown using our Nature-Q Farming methodology.

Dato' Hanan was especially interested in our experiments with micro-farming where on an acre of land, we raise goats, chickens, organic vegetables and fruits to produce an income of between rm2000 to rm5000 per month.

This picture shows a goat shed built using traditional technology and sustainable materials costing about rm250 for a shelter to house up to 50 goats.  Using modern methods, the cost would be rm20,000.  Most of the materials used in a modern shelter would be timber and not sustainable.

Thursay, December 7, 2006, the farm manager at the goat farm in Serting asked permission to sembelih a female goat that have not been eating for 4 days.  Based on their experience, the goat is going to die in a day or two.  They suspect brucelliosis. I asked them to give me one clear example of what the disease will do to a goat; they mentioned that a pregnant goat will abort. Based on the homeopathy principle of 'Similia Similibus Curantur',  I try to recall any herb or plant which can cause pregnancies to be aborted and remembered bakawali.  In large dosages it has been reported to cause abortions, but in small dosages it boosts the immune system and clears the body of toxins and parasites.  This is a shot of the plant:

I asked the workers to go to the neighbouring villages to hunt for the plant.  They came back with some excellent examples and I quickly worked out the dosage - 5gms per day.  Thursday evening I asked for the progress; they replied no change.  Still not eating and very weak.  It looks like a goner.  I told them to change the dosage to 10gms and twice a day.  Friday evening I asked for progress.  They say, there is some improvement - the goat is starting to eat some.  Saturday 9th, I asked for progress again.  They said, the goat is OK, eating, normal.  I told them to continue the treatment for at least 10 days as the herb do not kill the pathogens but instead works by boosting the body's own ability to fight off the pathogen.  If we stop prematurely, the pathogens will make a come back.

On December 22, 2006, we are receiving our Organic Status ("Sijil Organik Malaysia") certificate from the Minister of Agriculture himself.  If I were allowed to give a small speech ( which won't happen, but one can daydream), I will tell this story about the goat and add:

Stop the cutting down of forests.  We can never know what treasures we will lose.  The royalties and taxes the Government receives from the logs cannot possibly pay for the higher water bills consumers have to pay, the costs of improving drinking water infrastructure, the changes in micro-weather; flash floods, lightning damage, etc. and the loss of numerous medicinal plants yet to be discovered.

That female goat that was saved by the bakawali was a valuable breeder goat.  When breeders are down with infectious diseases, we permit antibiotics to save them.  She had been given two courses and clearly the bacteria causing the infection had become resistant since she made no progress.  And yet the bakawali got her up on her feet and feeding within two days! 

Stop the cutting down of forests!  Nobody gains, not the 'rakyat', not the Government!

This is an article by Nicholas von Hoffman in the Nation.  Somehow or other, the message must get across to our authorities that it is modern intensive farming that must be controlled:

http://www.geocities.com/dqcleanchicken2/avianfluoverthec...

The more detailed report from GRAIN, an international NGO promoting sustainable agriculture, is here:

http://www.geocities.com/dqcleanchicken2/GRAIN/grainbrief...

Please print out these articles or forward to as many people as possible, so they are aware of the issues behind the bird flu scare, and hopefully contribute towards making the right decisions by authorities.

We try to be as sustainable as possible at our farm.  We don't use electricity, minimise the use of diesel ( we are experimenting with our own bio-diesel), and minimise inputs into the farm.

Here is how we shade seedlings from the sun - no plastic sheets, etc., just some branches and good old dried lalang.

Some farmers grow mushrooms and sprouts on sawdust and claim the products to be organic.  Well, it is not.  The sawdust comes from treated wood.

We use dried lalang.  Sometimes we shred the lalang, depending on the requirement of what is planted.

You can contribute to sustainability by buying local. Buy from farms near to you.  This reduces tranportation fuel.  Imported fruits tastes great, but a lot of fuel was burnt bringing those delicious strawberries to you.  The fruits may be cheaper than locally grown to you as a consumer, but the costs to the Earth is more.  The price you pay reflects the subsidies most governments give to farmers either directly or indirectly.  Put back the subsidies, add the fuel costs, etc. and you will see a totally different picture - one that cannot be sustainable in the long run.

Sustainable farmers like DQ do not use subsidies.  We use what nature provides.

We are one of only 5 farms certified organic by our Ministry of Agriculture.

See the full list here:

http://www.geocities.com/dqcleanchicken2/OrganicFarms/org...

It's official, our farm now is a Certified Organic Farm.  Certifying Body is Ministry of Agriculture.  Standard is Skim Organic Malaysia under the National Organic Standards MS 1529: 2001.  These standards are in line with international standards under IFOAM.

Here's a copy of the letter from the Ministry.

http://www.geocities.com/dqcleanchicken2/somletterconfirm... 

Our range of home-cooked DQ Chicken dishes are gaining in popularity.  Do not expect gourmet restaurant flavours, that's not what we are selling.  We aim for home-cooked flavours; dishes that you will not mind having for dinner,

every other day or so.

Our best seller now is DQ Mushroom Chicken Stew.  At RM23 a box suitable for 2 to 3 persons, it is a bargain.  All ingredients used are natural. 

Next comes two traditional recipes, Hakka Ginger Chicken and Fuchow Red Yeast Rice Wine Chicken.  Home-cooked by Mdm. Fang Oi Ngor, these two dishes come in smaller packs suitable for 1 to 2 persons, even three if you are having your own dishes.  Each sells for RM12 and is value for money.

On the pipeline is Rendang Betawi cooked by Mak Sa'ad Binti Haji Adam.  We are waiting as anxiously as many of our customers are for this gem (it is GOOD!).