Among the more dramatic trees in the settled landscapes of Malaysia is the Kekabu or Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentandra), a gargantuan tropical version of the common large-for-Michigan Cottonwood Tree (Populus deltoides) of my youth. A truly massive tree, it grows to easily 100 feet high, with thick strong lateral branches radiating out in whorls at […]
Category Archives: Land
Wild Honey
Honey is a blessed food, mentioned in the Quran and praised often by Nabi Muhammad (saws) for its healing properties. Not to mention, it tastes great too! My mother keeps bees on her farm, and the raw honey she produces has such a fantastic flavor. Whenever my family visits, I beg then to bring along […]
Farmer Greg
An excerpt from Three Roods Charm, a short story by Michael Short set on my mom and dad’s farm: “Did David Bowie bother you at sunrise?” Greg asked. “Huh?” I said. “What I meant was how did you sleep?” “Oh. Wonderful,” I said. This was my first morning at Three Roods Farm, and I made […]
Frangipanis
The earliest plants I have any memory of are my neighbor’s mulberry tree, and the frangipani in our front courtyard. The courtyard was of cement or maybe stone except for where the tree grew, against the high wall. What I remember most clearly is how the flowers looked after they had fallen from the tree […]
Exotic Travel
No, I don’t mean Malaysian Borneo, I mean rural Michigan. Travel + Leisure Magazine proves that exotic is purely a matter of perspective when it sends a reporter to my Mom and Dad’s farm! Read the article and then hurry to volunteer before Three Roods Farm starts charging you for the privilege. By the way: […]
Haze
What’s a rainforest minus the rain? We’ve been finding out over here. It’s been over two weeks without a drop of rain, and things are as dry as a bone. The dry season here in Sarawak corresponds with a change in winds which bring our weather in from the south and west. Because of the […]
The Yard: Bunga Kantan
The variety of herbs and spices used in Malaysian cooking is incredible until you realize this is where all the spices came from in the first place. Plenty of spices like cloves, cinnamon, and pepper are traded around the world. Some, for whatever reason, are still unknown outside of the region. One of these is […]
G(r)owing Bananas
I couldn’t wait for the rock wall and grading project to be done to start planting up the yard. I decided to grow some bananas along the jungle edge. Six months later, I’ve already harvested my first banana crop, and I’ve got banana trees towering 15 feet tall, swaying in the breeze. The varieties of […]