Last week, Feyma, the kids and I took a day trip up to Bukidnon to see our old friend, Father Franco Uras. Father Franco is an Italian Priest who lives in Buda, which is right on the Bukidnon/Davao border. We have known Father for years now, and we always enjoy spending a day visiting with him. Father Franco’s place there in Buda is really a farm, of sorts. Father grows tomatoes, egg plant, lettuce (many varieties) and lots of herbs and other veggies as well. Recently, Father Franco has gotten in to growing rice too. In addition to his crops, Father also raises rabbits at his place. The rabbits, mostly, are sold to Davao restaurants who have rabbit based dishes on their menus.
Feyma and I went up and visited with Father a couple of months ago, but for the kids it had been about 2 years or so since they had been up to Buda to visit Father Franco’s farm. In addition, we decided to invite the school girls that Feyma and I have been sponsoring, thanks to the generosity of the LiP Community and your donations back during the Christmas Drive last year. Of the four girls, only two were able to come with us, as the others had other activities planned ahead of time. Apple and Rezavie came with us, and we also invited Lanilou and Lorie Ann, the daughters of Bebe Metillo, my language teacher. So, we had a lot of people between Feyma and I, our kids, a few nieces and nephews and these other 4 girls! We took two vehicles up to Buda, since there was no way we could all fit into one!
Rezavie, Apple and Bebe’s two daughters rode with Feyma and I, and it was quite an interesting trip. For some of these girls, it was surely their first time to visit out in the Provinces like that. As you get up into the mountains, it is very common to see lots of people on horseback, riding small Philippine horses. When these girls saw this, they were just amazed, it was as if they had no idea that people actually rode horses! The views of the valleys and mountains really made an impact upon these girls too.
When we were in the Marilog District along the Davao/Bukidnon border, I told Feyma to keep an eye out along the roadside. In this area, there are lots of people selling beautiful plants and flowers along the road, and they are very cheap. What we were on the lookout for, though, were strawberries, which are also grown in the area. I had been wanting to have some strawberries lately, and they are not readily available (fresh) in the City, so I really was hoping to find some up here. We have been buying strawberries in this area for years, but it is sort of hit and miss – they are not always available, or have been sold out earlier in the day. Then, as we were passing through one area, something red caught my eye, and I thought… hmm… I think those were strawberries! So, I turned around, and sure enough, there were 5 containers of strawberries for sale along the roadside! Score! We stopped and bought 3 containers of strawberries (P100 each), took a few photos in the area and headed down the road. The girls were loving it, and having a great time! The weather was a bit cool, and the girls all said it was cold! Ha ha… Feyma and I were having a lot of fun.
You know, a lot of people think that the only place in the Philippines where strawberries are grown is in Baguio and that area up north. Wrong, wrong, wrong! You can usually find freshly picked strawberries along the Davao/Bukidnon border too! The strawberries are very sweet and good. Always fresh too! In this Buda area, along the border, you can find all kinds of crops. Father Franco himself grows perhaps a dozen different kinds of tomatoes! All through this area, you can find lots of fresh veggies and fruits along the roadside, and prices are about 1/3 of what you would expect to spend in the City. Not only are the vegetables way cheaper than in the city, the quality is also way better, and the product is very fresh, because it is literally picked only hours before you buy it. Whenever Feyma and I go up to this area, we always come back with plenty of fresh produce in the car!
Another 30 minutes down the road, and we were in Buda, at Father Franco’s place. It was nice to see him, and he was surprised at the number of people that we brought along. He could not complain, though, because we also brought lunch with us to feed everybody! We had made some spaghetti sauce, all with fresh ingredients, and brought french bread and pasta with us. All we had to do was heat up the sauce, cook the pasta, and cut up the bread and we were ready to go. Father, since he is Italian, told me that it was dangerous for us to bring pasta for him, as he was the pasta expert, and our meal might not meet his standards! Thankfully, though, he gave us the Fr. Franco seal of approval when he tasted the meal.
Anyway, it was great to see Father Franco again. It was great also to enjoy a trip with these girls that we have been sponsoring, because it was a whole new experience for them, and witnessing as they took it all in was very rewarding.
You can see more pictures of our trip to Bukidnon by visiting my Facebook Photo Album of the event.
Great photo’s and narration, Bob! Take a peek at my profile to see the recent video’s and pics of my trip to Cebu and Davao.
Great photo’s and narration, Bob! Take a peek at my profile to see the recent video’s and pics of my trip to Cebu and Davao.
Everytime Meriam and I travel to CDO we enjoy looking at the strawberries. Just wish the bus would stop and let us shop.
🙂
Hi Gary – ha ha… yeah, that’s a disadvantage to riding the bus! I do love that area up around Buda, though, it’s beautiful, cool and just all around nice!
Gary- did you ever try telling the bus driver that if he stopped so you could buy some strawberries at the side of the road that you would buy him a box ?
Hi Bob;
Ah, fresh Strawberries, a treat to be sure. I’m waiting for my daughter to return from Baguio Sunday with some for me (and them also). Strawberry shortcake Sunday night is something to dream about.
I enjoyed the pictures and the ladies seem to be having a great time.
You are right, Paul, the ladies, and everybody else had a great time that day. I know that I did. The strawberries were great too! 😉
Bob
What a good looking family and friends. Those strawberries really look and so big. Like Paul T. says. Strawberry shortcake is a dream. Spaghetti looks so good too. Thats real italian spaghetti and not the sweet filipino right? Father Franco is almost self sustaining there. Will definately visit that area when i retire. Take care and have a beautiful day.
Thank you Papa Duck! Yep, that’s Italian Spaghetti, not the sugar laced stuff! 😆 You are right, Father Franco is nearly self sustaining with his farm.
Looks like fun Bob! I’m jealous, lol. Can you give us an update on the girls situations? Just curious how it’s going.
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark – I think that the girls are doing well. Of course, they are still poor, and their situation is not much different. We sponsored their school lunch until recently when school was out for summer. I promised the girls I would try to find them summer jobs, but unfortunately, despite efforts in doing so, I have been unable to find jobs for them. I have thought about asking the LiP community to help sponsor some kind of summer jobs for the 4 girls, but I hate to ask! Ha ha… We do keep in touch with the girls, though, and will likely to pay their school lunches again when school is back in session in June.
Bob
Glad the girls are doing good. You and Feyma deserve much of the credit and i’m sure the girls greatly appreciate it.
Thank you very much, Papa Duck.
Hi Roger – Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the story. I certainly enjoyed the trip! I hope your recent trip was great too!
What a wonderful day. And it’s always a special treat to experience something like that through the eyes of someone young and seeing for the first time.
You are so right about that, Gary. Feyma and I have taken that trip dozens and dozens of times, yet it was a lot more enjoyable having those kids with us and seeing how they enjoyed it so much!
Great to see the stawberries! We’ll be in Bukidnon, (Manolo Fortich) in late June- mid August. Do you know if they are available then too?
Hi Dave – Strawberries are available 12 months of the year. Your problem is though.. Buda is where you will find strawberries. Manolo Fortich is about 4 to 5 hours drive from Buda… so it’s quite far from where you are going.
Here is a tip, though, Dave… if you are in Manolo, check out the Del Monte Clubhouse. It is on the Del Monte Golf Course, and they serve some awesome steaks there! Highly recommended.
Hi Bob – Del Monte’s steaks are a thing of the past nowadays the food is not so good there.
But there is a Cowboy Grill at Dahilayan where the new Zipline is and it’s the place for steaks in Bukidnon.
Regards.
Jim.
Hi Jim – I am sorry to hear that about the Del Monte steaks! I have been there many, many times and always had a good steak, but it’s been a couple years since I visited. Hmm… Dahilayan? Let me check my map! 😉
hi bob,
i think dahilayan is closer to CDO than the Bu(kidnon)Da(vao) border is to the davao city center. coming from CDO, the drive takes less than an hour to reach the adventure park in dahilayan where asia’s longest zipline is found hehe ” )
btw how long does the drive take from davao city proper to where the roadside strawberry & fresh veggie stands are along BuDa?
That’s about an 80 or 90 minute drive, Biz Doc.
hi bob,
i too fell in love with the place when i first crossed over via BuDa road with its roadside veggie & fruit stands. but it’s such a long way to the sea! hehe ” )
cheers,
Hi Biz – I personally don’t consider a 90 minute drive to be far. In my opinion, it’s a perfect distance… just far enough to be outside the city, yet not too far for a quick visit any time you want.
Hi Bob – I bet everyone enjoyed their visit to Father Franco’s place in Buda as he makes you so welcome when you visit.
You never mentioned his grape growing project, did he manage to grow any yet? Mind you they were only for communion wine hic,hic, I think.
I owe him a bottle of whiskey which I promised to deliver on my next visit for medicinal purposes on the cold nights up there.
Great story enjoyed every word and I’m going to try growing Strawberries here in the Bukid next year so watch this space or rather I’ll tell you when there finished incase we get too many visitors wanting freebee’s
Regards.
Jim.
Hi Jim – Last year, Father went back to Italy for about 6 months or so. Unfortunately… his staff did not properly care for his crops, and nearly everything died. Including the grape vines, I believe. He is in the rebuilding stage right now.
Good luck on the strawberries! I hope they turn out well for you. Do you deliver? 😉
Bob;
Glad to see everyone had a lot of fun. It’s good to get people out of the concrete and steel city and have them see country life. Kinda opens up the world to them. It’s amazing to think that so many people in the world havn’t been around farm animals or countryside. I know they had a blast. Very enjoyable story.
You are so right, Bruce. There is something about going out into the countryside, to the farm and such, that lightens up the burdens of city life, and just makes a person feel good! I’m glad you enjoyed the story.
HIi bob looks like you all had a great time the girls look really happy ,this makes me feel good about giving to the chrismas drive .I must say those strawberries would look fantastic on top of a pavlova with thick wipped cream ,i didnt know that they acually grew them there ,when i visited my wifes cousin she to used a wood fired stove brought back thoughts of my time there ,all the best
chris
Hi Chris – Yes indeed, we had a great time that day, and I look forward to the next one like that. You can bet that all of the contributions to the Christmas drive were put to good use, and helped benefit people like these poor kids that went with us up to Buda! Thanks for your contribution.
Hi Bob. That looks like a great trip. Definately the kind of trip I plan to do when we get to the Philippines. I have a question. How safe is it eating the fresh fruit and vegetables (not peeled or cooked) ? I would probably risk it for those stawberries. I love a crispy salad and know I cannot go months without one. How big a risk am I taking? What precautions are you taking?
Hi Alan – Yep, it was a great trip, and an eye opener for those girls who came along.
Personally, I don’t think that there is any big risk to eating fresh fruits and vegetables here. In fact, we ate those strawberries without even washing them. Heck, I’ve been eating fresh fruits and veggies here for 11 years (and on trips here for the past 20 years) and have never been sick from it.
Bob,
Didn’t know they have strawberries in Buda… now, I can ask favor from my brother. ^!^
I will definitely make sure to stop by there next time we go to Iligan from Gensan.
Hi Lea – Indeed, there are strawberries in Buda! 😆 We’ve been buying strawberries there for a decade. A lot of people, even those living in the area, seem to not know about it.
hi bob,
Wow! just like with common pinoys who have not went to davao, I am not aware that they can grow strawberries there! weather there for sure is sufficient enough to grow that kind of fruit. 100 pesos of a container?? that is soooo cheap I must say! compared to what I can get here for 9 dollars per pack (12 pieces only) not so fresh as well. another reason for me to visit davao the next time I come home for a vacation!
Thanks for a good article bob! additional awareness for me 🙂
Hi dans – Even a lot of people here in Davao don’t realize that you can get freshly picked strawberries in Buda! You are right, they are super fresh, and delicious too!
If you come to Davao, be sure to let me know, I’d enjoy meeting you!
Dans
That is expensive for strawberries. I think i would do without before buying them. Strawberries grow best there in the higher elevations because its cooler. Here where i live in Florida we grow strawberries in the winter because its cooler out. Winter strawberry capital of the US. But those in the photo are alot bigger than ours. If you don’t mind me asking what country do you live in? Take care and be safe.
For here, that’s cheap for the berries, Papa Duck.
Hi Papa duck,
I am in middle east right now, fruits and vegetables here are mostly imported from syria, egypt or from other countries where the weather is a lot cooler to grow those things, believe it or not, there are no locally grown bananas here, at least for me, I have not seen one yet, most produce are imported from SEA or from south America by Del Monte, most apples are from Egypt, US or Japan, grapes and some berries are either from France or Egypt, even the pure grape juice is from France, most beef are from Australia and Argentina. at one point, the price of strawberry here went from 9 dollars a pack to 13 dollars a pack (less than 20 pieces).
Hi Bob – When I think of Bukidnon, pineapple just always comes to mind. He he. Didn’t know they had strawberries too. The strawberries looks big and sweet and not like the little one they sell in the fruit stands and groceries here. 🙂
Mountains, valleys, strawberries, pasta, family, friends sure makes up for fun trip. By the way, great title too for the post too.
Hi sugar – Pineapple is grown up in the northern part of Bukidnon. The strawberries and other types of fruits can be found in the south/southeast part of the province around the Davao border.
You are right, having special friends along for the trip just kind of tie it all together and make the trip that much more special!
Hi Bob!
Those pictures are so refreshing I can almost feel the cool breeze blowing! And those strawberries are sooo fresh! You always make me feel homesick Bob heheheh…Great time with your family and great post!
Hi Jonathan – Ha ha… I didn’t mean to make you homesick! But, I can see why the photos would do it! 😆 Glad you enjoyed the article!
Again, nice post Bob! What a beautiful area to live or visit. Looking forward to checking some of those places in Mindanao when I and the gang arrive. Glad to know there are places strawberries grow year round. We have been enjoying many in the states, since this is that time of the year here, when they tend to be on sale for half the price, about $2 per pound. What is the weight per p100? Also, what is the approx. elevation in that Buda area?
Thanks again for the great info and dialog.
Thank you Ken. To be honest, I have no idea of the weight of the strawberries.. I only bought and ate them, didn’t weigh them, or even think about how much they weighed! Sorry about that. The elevation up in the Buda area is about 4,000 feet.
hi bob,
if i’m not mistaken, the strawberry trays in your pics above are about the size of a jollibee spaghetti container with lid removed, and would fit about 500 grams. P100 for a pack weighing approximately that much would be much cheaper than the 100-gram to quarter-kilo trays being sold in manila for nearly the same price (depending on location). but it’s very possible that locals passing BuDa road get to haggle for prices much lower than anybody with very kano-looking features & complexion hehe ” )
cheers,
Hi Biz Doc… I am a local! 😉
Hi Bob, beautiful description of a country outing. Those strawberries really looked good. They are as big as the Sam’s Club strawberries pack that cost around $5.00 from California. Slice those things, mix it with whipped cream (the real thing and not the light one), and put a generous topping on any cake like Angels Food or Pound Cake and you are in business followed by a nice cup of home brewed coffee. It’s heaven!
Hi Mars – I like to eat my strawberries straight… no whipped cream, nothing like that! Just pure enjoyment! 😆
I want to buy a strawberries … Saan sa Davao ?
hello there, hnmm..
i want to try planting strwberries in Leyte, but doubt it , that it will give us fruits like in Davao…. leyte has no good weather, in summer very very hot, but in rainy season when it start raining it will not stop anymore hahaa… yeah i dont want to overide, but it is so, it may stop for a few min. then there it goes again.. kinda Leyte is no good to plant other than coconuts and rice..haha.. but anyway … i really wanted to try strawberries..i luv it… 🙂
do you have contact no? i would like to buy starwberries from you and lettuce because i want to start a dessert business.im from cagayan de oro
Actually, if you had read the article a little more carefully (or read it at all) you would realize that I am not a strawberry dealer, just a guy who bought strawberries on a trip through Bukidnon. Sorry, I can’t help you.