Discover Heartfelt Gifts and Must-Visit Destinations for the New Year from the “Smart Farmer Award 2024” – From Golden Banana Delights and Pak Chong Avocados to a Japanese Café in a Lemon Grove

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Mitihoon – When the yearend celebrations roll around, welcoming the New Year, many people are on the lookout for gifts to exchange while also planning family trips for relaxation. After reading this article, you should have everything you need!

This is your ultimate guide to heartfelt, health-conscious gifts and must-visit destinations, all handpicked from the “Smart Farmer Award 2024”, marking its 16th year. The project is a collaboration between the Ruam Duay Chuay Kan Samnuek Rakbankerd Foundation, the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, True Corporation Public Company Limited, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. This year’s theme is “Creative Local Agriculture for Thai Farmers’ Value”.

With the diverse range of farmers and entrepreneurs involved in this project, the guide features everything from delectable, innovative products crafted from golden bananas—so transformed that you’d hardly recognize them as bananas—to premium Pak Chong avocados, guaranteed to be “large, beautifully colored, smooth in texture, and buttery in taste.” There’s even a cozy Japanese-style café serving delightful creations made from fresh lemons grown in local orchards.

Now it’s time to pick the perfect gifts and plan a fun trip together!

Visit Lemon Me Farm for fresh lemons, agricultural learning experiences, and a warm Japanese-inspired café

If you’re interested in lemon and lime products, this is the place to be! Lemon Me Farm is a citrus paradise located in Nakhon Pathom, specializing in growing Thai lime varieties, particularly the unique “Pan Mae Look Dok” strain, specially developed for exceptional quality. The farm also cultivates lemons and was founded by Chatchai Deesawat, who transitioned from being an engineer to expanding his father’s lifelong lime orchard beyond just selling fresh produce.

Chatchai has pioneered a zero-waste approach to lime processing, maximizing the use of every part of the fruit. Starting with lime juice blended with sugar and various desserts, he has further developed innovative products such as lime jams, jellies, candied peels, essential oils, scented candles, perfumes, and organic skincare and haircare items. There are plans to launch even more exciting products in the future.

Another highlight of Lemon Me Farm is its Japanese-style minimalist café, nestled in the lime orchard. The café serves beverages, baked goods, and delicious meals made from ingredients sourced directly from the farm. Visitors can also immerse themselves in nature and gain insights into sustainable agricultural practices. The farm shares its knowledge with the community, farmers, and interested individuals, serving as a model for environmentally conscious farming combined with modern technology.

The farm’s innovative practices earned it the Grand Prize in Smart Farmer Award 2024, recognizing its outstanding contributions to agriculture and sustainability.

Contact: Facebook Lemon Me Farm

Choose Grande Farm’s Pak Chong avocados—known for their large size, smooth texture, and buttery flavor—as the perfect gift for health-conscious loved ones

“Large size, smooth texture, creamy buttery flavor, and a beautiful hue” are the standout qualities of Pak Chong avocados, proudly guaranteed by Natthakorn Eksamai, the owner of Grande Farm. What began as a journey to find delicious avocados led him to experiment with growing them himself. Eventually, Natthakorn transformed his father’s custard apple orchard into Grande Farm, a thriving avocado plantation with a strong network of local farmers, supplying high-quality avocados to meet market demand.

While the farm grows over 40 avocado varieties, Natthakorn highlights that the most delicious and globally popular variety is Hass, celebrated for its rich flavor, smooth texture, and perfect size for single servings. Hass avocados are so good they can be enjoyed fresh without the need for seasoning. At Grande Farm, it’s not just about selling produce; it’s about offering a memorable avocado experience while also fostering local development. The farm actively supports area farmers, boosting their income and quality of life. This commitment to quality and community earned Grande Farm Second Runner-Up in Smart Farmer Award 2024.

If you’re eager to order avocados from this farm, you might have to wait until next year, as the harvest season runs from June to November. However, the farm also offers other products, such as cold-pressed avocado oil and citrus salt.

Contact: Facebook Grande Farm

Shop a Variety of Delicious and Practical Products Made from Golden Bananas – Completely Transformed Beyond Recognition! By the Waiwan Community Enterprise

It’s hard to believe that the minimalist earth-toned clothing, bags, and shoes come from processing Phetchaburi golden bananas—a local surplus crop once overlooked. However, Waiwan Community Enterprise, led by modern farmer Panida Moonnanut, has innovatively transformed the banana plant from root to leaf, leaving nothing to waste. The result? A wide range of delectable, practical, and stylish products.

The journey begins with fragrant, chewy bananas turned into dried golden bananas, waffles, banana paste, banana cake flour, drinkable banana powder, syrup, and jelly. Banana hearts are made into snacks, while the trunks are processed into fibers to weave into fabric. Even the roots are used to soften fabrics in the dyeing process. These fabrics are then sewn into clothing, shoes, and bags. The enterprise also produces banana-based cosmetics, completely reimagining bananas in ways that retain none of their original form. This dedication to innovation and sustainability earned First Runner-Up in Smart Farm Award 2024, proving the high quality of their products.

With a vast selection, Waiwan Community Enterprise offers perfect gifts that come with a clever twist—symbolizing the wish for the recipient to achieve success as easily as “peeling a banana.”

Contact: Facebook BananaIndy

Indulge in Fragrant Coconut Ice Cream at Uncle Cha-aim’s Garden and Stroll Through Lush Organic Coconut Groves with a Friendly Flock of Ducks

In this delightful weather, we invite you to immerse yourself in nature at “Uncle Cha-aim’s Garden” in Ratchaburi Province. This serene organic coconut farm is home to charming white ducks swimming gracefully in the canals and offers a shop selling delicious coconut-based ice cream. The farm practices eco-friendly agriculture, focusing on harmony among people, plants, animals, and the environment. This vision is the inspiration of Chananya Chawengchote, a chef with over 15 years of international experience, who returned to transform her father’s garden into an organic oasis, reshaping traditional Thai agricultural perceptions.

Visitors can savor the famous fragrant coconut ice cream made purely from coconuts, with no milk, flour, or sugar added. There are also over 30 other flavors derived from unique local ingredients sourced from community networks. Other treats include creamy fresh coconut smoothies, silky soft young coconut pudding, and ready-to-drink coconut water—all offered at affordable prices as they are made directly on the farm. For souvenirs, you can find items such as coconut shell earrings crafted by local disabled artisans and stingless bee honey soap.

Contact: Facebook สวนลุงชะเอม

Savor Fresh Salacca with Painless Peeling Tips and Enjoy Pollination Walks – Return in 9 Months for a Free Harvest at at Uncle Than’s Sala Garden

“Uncle Than’s Sala Garden” is more than just a salacca plantation; it’s an organic agrotourism destination in Phatthalung Province. Established by Wichai Damrueang, the garden aims to spotlight the region’s unique produce and make it widely recognized. Visitors can enjoy activities such as sampling fresh salacca, shopping for processed products, and exploring how salacca flowers are pollinated. Since salacca trees have separate male and female plants, visitors can participate in pollination and tag their names on the tree. Nine months later, they’re welcome to return and harvest the fruit for free.

Wichai shares a tip for peeling salacca without hurting your hands: start at the base and twist it like a spiral to reveal its fragrant, sweet taste. Apart from fresh fruit, the garden also offers a variety of delicious treats made from salacca and other local products, such as sweet salacca in syrup, salacca juice, salacca wine, salacca drink powder, and even practical innovations like salacca and carrot shampoo, developed through real-world use.

The garden is open to tourists all year round, offering a serene environment and a taste of Thailand’s finest fruits.

Contact: Facebook สวนสะละลุงถัน

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