Jingliao’s “Happiness Without Rice” radishes

“They’re huge!” “Aren’t they just adorable?” Young students from Jingliao Elementary School recently had a whale of a time participating in a rural radish-pulling event at Uncle Wen-lin’s farm, where they unearthed all manner of radishes, from huge monsters to mere itty-bitty dwarfs.

Wen Lin-bo said that as the half-hectare piece of land adjacent to Bazhang River was lying fallow he decided to sow radish and mustard leaf and open it up to the community and tourists to experience the fun of farming. After pulling up their own radishes and getting great pictures taken with the teachers, some of the kids said they wanted to take the radishes home to cook and others donated theirs to the school to augment the nutritious campus meals.

Jingliao Community planner Huang Yong-quan (黃永全) expressed his commitment to the promotion and development of “Happiness Without Rice” social enterprises. It is hoped that Uncle Wen-Lin’s fallow land can facilitate a number of projects including empowering young locals with a better understanding of the naturally preserved pickled white radish industry, a traditional product made by local women; using the proceeds of various locally processed radish products to assist community charities; and providing tourists with locally-produced culinary delicacies like radish soup, pickled white radish, and radish stew etc.

以下為中文對照

「好大喔！」「有沒有好可愛?」，菁寮國小附幼學童前往文林伯農地拔蘿蔔，不管拔出的蘿蔔大小，都開心不已，也是農村小校特有的體驗。

文林伯表示，農地面積五分多，是八掌溪的溪埔地，利用休耕期間灑蘿蔔與芥菜種子，開放社區民眾與遊客體驗農趣。幼童拔完蘿蔔不忘讓老師拍照留念，有些說要帶回家煮，有些讓學校營養午餐加菜。

菁寮社區規劃師黃永全表示，致力推動以社會企業發展無米樂農村，認養文林伯的休耕地，希望社區學童也能了解，蘿蔔由社區媽媽醃製天然無防腐劑的菜脯，農特產品加工後還可回饋給社團義賣，遊客到社區也可品嘗蘿蔔湯、菜脯、滷蘿蔔等農村美食。