Novatek volunteers accompanied visually impaired students to experience the ecology of mushrooms and traditional rice dishes in Xinshe, Taichung
Volunteer Service
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Xinshe, Taichung is a well-known location for mushroom cultivation and sales throughout Taiwan. In the warm and blossoming month of March, Novatek volunteers accompanied visually impaired students to Xinshe, Taichung, embarking on a food and agricultural education journey with a focus on “mushrooms”.
Bai Gu Zhuang (Mushroom Garden) is a place for “ecological cycle and regeneration”, where the waste soil from the FIBC bags used to cultivate mushrooms is converted to organic fertilizer by mixing it a small amount of chicken manure. The cut-off mushroom heads can also be used as feed for the chickens, perfectly integrating with the operation system of the chicken coop. Here, visually impaired students not only learned about the cultivation methods and growth process of mushrooms, but also understood how the Garden promotes ecological cycle. Guided by Novatek volunteers, they also gained experiences from various activities: their first time walking into a mushroom shed, picking mushrooms by themselves, feeding chickens, collecting eggs, and making steamed egg with fresh ingredients. The steamed egg with mushrooms not only had a rich egg flavor, but also exhibited the characteristic fresh taste and aroma of mushrooms. Together with the mushroom milk tea and mushroom buns provided, the visually impaired students were satisfied with their meal!
“Red turtle cakes” are a dessert representing the traditional culture of Taiwanese people, often used in festivals, ceremonies, or birthday celebrations. In the afternoon, a hands-on activity of making red turtle cakes was held. Novatek volunteers guided visually impaired students in preparing the rice dough by mixing the red yeast and glutinous rice flour, filling the rice dough with red bean paste, pressing it into the mold, and putting it into a steamer. Taking a bite of the hot and delicious red turtle cake just out of the steamer was such as nice treat. Through the experience of making and enjoying the dishes, the visually impaired students were able to feel the beauty of traditional rice food culture.
Novatek volunteers accompanied 17 visually impaired students to experience and participate in the process of cultivating mushrooms in the mushroom garden. They gained a firsthand understanding of local ingredients from the source to the table, and learned to appreciate the value of the land and ingredients. Through the hands-on activity, they also enjoyed a sense of achievement from their own efforts.
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