Garden

We also have a large garden. Of course the coconut trees will be the first you see. We try to make our garden look varied and a bit attractive, so we certainly do not have a coconut production plantation. In that case trees are much closer together, so the monkeys can also jump from tree to tree.

It is also clear to see the difference between two wellknown types of coconut trees. At the front of the garden are the tall coconut trees. These produce the large brown coconuts that are grown for the meat. This meat is widely used in Thai dishes. Coconut milk is made from this meat, which gives many Thai dishes the typical, creamy taste. This high species grows roughly between Chumphon and the border with Malaysia. They are the highest coconuts in the world, sometimes with a height of 30 meters. The average height is 25 meters. It is in this area that more than 90% of the coconuts are picked by monkeys. There is another type of coconut tree in the back of the garden. This tree produces the green coconut that is often sold for drinking. Usually this species grows between Chumphon and Bangkok. This tree is not much higher than 8 meter and the green, drink coconut is always picked by people.

If available, we will always give our guests a sample of both types of coconuts, so you can tell the differences.

We also use the brown coconuts to make our own coconut oil. The special thing about our oil is that we make it from fresh coconut milk. Our process is much more complicated than the industrial process where the oil is extracted from rotting coconuts. We have to separate the oil from the water. If you let the coconuts rot for 6-12 weeks in the sun, all the water has already evaporated and you press oil in one go.

We do not use artificial fertilizer in the garden. As fertilizer we use compost which we make ourselves in our rotating compost tank.

Composting grass takes about three weeks. The temperature rises to 68 degrees. We do not fill the tank only with grass, but also with other garden waste, and even dead animals like rats and snakes we put in. We do not shred everything what goes into the tank. There are also larger pieces of wood and complete coconuts. Because of the weight, these heavier things help to make the lighter things smaller.As is to be expected, many flowers can be seen in the garden. Of course many types of Orchids, which can be in bloom all year round. But also a lot of Bougainville in many colors. The bougainville is at its best after the rainy season, so around January, February and March.

Because we do not use poison or or artificial manure, our garden is also a good place to see many animals. We often see squirrels, lizards and snakes. But also fireflies. There are several bee nests in our garden, there are wild chickens (which can fly very well !!)For ornithologists our garden is almost a paradise. Of course we have many Common Miners Doves and Zebra pigeons, but also Herons, Swallows, Kingfishers, Flycatchers, Rooks, various types of Moorhens, Owls and Falcons.

We have a fairly large pond with lots of fish. This fish comes naturally. We are often surprised about this, because every few years we dry the pond completely to clean it. There is catfish in it, but also gupjes, snake-head fish, Doctor’s fish, and Siamese fighting fish (Labyrinth fish).

We also have a large concrete container where we consciously cultivate fish. This mainly includes Tilapia and “Snakeskin Fish”. Sometimes we pick a few what tastes very well on the BBQ.