Off to the Kranji countryside we go
During the September holidays, we took a long drive to Kranji Countryside and visited some farms. (Thanks, Life in the Wee Hours, for the idea!)
First up was the goat farm at Hay Dairies.
We arrived just in time to see the mummy goats being milked. The kids were very intrigued by the mechanical milking process - they still talk about it today!
The owner Mr Hay brought us through the milking process and offered many interesting tidbits of information about the goats. We learnt that baby goats at the farm do not feed directly from their mothers (because it is considered unhygienic), mother goats always give birth to two babies and the horns of the female goats are burned when they are 10 days old to prevent their horns from growing so that they do not hurt the pregnant goats when they fight.
We had a little walkabout around the farm to see the other goats and finished off our little tour with a round of fresh chocolate goat milk.
The benefits of goat milk are aplenty - it has less allergenic properties, is easily digestible, lower in lactose, naturally lower in cholesterol and highly nutritious. The boys liked it and so did I - because it was not too sweet! I am actually contemplating replacing the boys' costly soy formula milk with fresh goat milk (you can order it at the website).
The place is a bit hard to get to but I highly recommend it for young children. Do go early (before 10am) to catch the milking.
Hay Diaries
3 Lim Chu Kang Lane 4
Singapore 718859
Operating hours: 9:00am to 4:00pm (everyday except Tuesday)
Then we popped over to Jurong Frog Farm.
The place is a bit dark and damp but the boys had a fun time peering into the tanks and tossing food to the very fat bullfrogs. My boys also enjoyed seeing the tadpoles, some with legs and arms growing out - it was a very good science lesson for them :) (I, on the other hand, was a bit creeped out by the idea that I was surrounded by thousands of slimy frogs! *shivers*)
There are lots of colourful murals on the walls that really liven up the place. There was also a small shop selling frog meat, crocodile meat, Hashima, etc. I wasn't sure if my mum knew how to cook frog meat, else I would have bought some!
JFF Pte Ltd (Jurong Frog Farm)
51 Lim Chu Kang Lane 6
Singapore 718864
Operating hours: Tues-Fri by appointment; open to public Sat, Sun, PH 9-530pm
Finally we adjourned to Bollywood Veggies. We traipsed through the farm and pointed out many species of plants and flowers to my city kids. The kids got very sweaty from exploring the farm and running around. Really makes me want to bring them to stay in a kampung :)
We settled down for lunch and ordered a Warrior's Platter to share. I appreciated the natural flavours and freshness of the dishes, especially right after seeing some of the ingredients like lemongrass and pumpkins being grown in the farm.
Bollywood Veggies
100 Neo Tiew Road,
Singapore 719026 (Kranji)
It was a fun morning, with a healthy dose of fresh air, sunshine and good wholesome food to boot!
First up was the goat farm at Hay Dairies.
We arrived just in time to see the mummy goats being milked. The kids were very intrigued by the mechanical milking process - they still talk about it today!
The owner Mr Hay brought us through the milking process and offered many interesting tidbits of information about the goats. We learnt that baby goats at the farm do not feed directly from their mothers (because it is considered unhygienic), mother goats always give birth to two babies and the horns of the female goats are burned when they are 10 days old to prevent their horns from growing so that they do not hurt the pregnant goats when they fight.
We had a little walkabout around the farm to see the other goats and finished off our little tour with a round of fresh chocolate goat milk.
The benefits of goat milk are aplenty - it has less allergenic properties, is easily digestible, lower in lactose, naturally lower in cholesterol and highly nutritious. The boys liked it and so did I - because it was not too sweet! I am actually contemplating replacing the boys' costly soy formula milk with fresh goat milk (you can order it at the website).
The place is a bit hard to get to but I highly recommend it for young children. Do go early (before 10am) to catch the milking.
Hay Diaries
3 Lim Chu Kang Lane 4
Singapore 718859
Operating hours: 9:00am to 4:00pm (everyday except Tuesday)
Then we popped over to Jurong Frog Farm.
The place is a bit dark and damp but the boys had a fun time peering into the tanks and tossing food to the very fat bullfrogs. My boys also enjoyed seeing the tadpoles, some with legs and arms growing out - it was a very good science lesson for them :) (I, on the other hand, was a bit creeped out by the idea that I was surrounded by thousands of slimy frogs! *shivers*)
There are lots of colourful murals on the walls that really liven up the place. There was also a small shop selling frog meat, crocodile meat, Hashima, etc. I wasn't sure if my mum knew how to cook frog meat, else I would have bought some!
JFF Pte Ltd (Jurong Frog Farm)
51 Lim Chu Kang Lane 6
Singapore 718864
Operating hours: Tues-Fri by appointment; open to public Sat, Sun, PH 9-530pm
Finally we adjourned to Bollywood Veggies. We traipsed through the farm and pointed out many species of plants and flowers to my city kids. The kids got very sweaty from exploring the farm and running around. Really makes me want to bring them to stay in a kampung :)
We settled down for lunch and ordered a Warrior's Platter to share. I appreciated the natural flavours and freshness of the dishes, especially right after seeing some of the ingredients like lemongrass and pumpkins being grown in the farm.
Bollywood Veggies
100 Neo Tiew Road,
Singapore 719026 (Kranji)
It was a fun morning, with a healthy dose of fresh air, sunshine and good wholesome food to boot!