Nowadays, whenever Filipino actress Mylene Dizon is not doing shoots and celebrity activities, she can be seen tending her vegetable garden in her new home in Silang, Cavite.
Besides acting, the actress is also passionate about farming. In one of her Instagram posts, Mylene shared a video of her in farming outfit while making a vegetable plant bed. She captioned it with “Let’s grow our own gulay…”
“I have a small patch of gulayan, pambahay lang, hindi naman yun pambenta, hindi naman pangmalakihan. I only plant seeds na tutubo sa area ko, except for cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage kasi pang-high altitude climates yan, hindi yan tutubo sakin. Matagal ko nang hilig ‘yan even when I was still living in a condo, yung balkonahe ko may mga pagulay-gulay ako na pakonti-konti. I think the joy that I get from it is I am learning something. I am able to produce something out of what I’m learning, and maybe the challenge of it because it’s not easy. It’s not just for the sake of showing off on Instagram. It is something that I wish to inspire other people because like what my friend said, we have to learn how to grow our own food.
Backyard gardening can inspire you to take an interest in the origins of your food and make better choices about what you put on your plate. When you grow your own food, you savor it more because of the effort it took to get to the table. You will be amazed by how much fun gardening can be, and the pride you take in sharing healthy food nurtured by your own efforts. This can be the very inspiration behind Mylene’s new-found love in growing her own food.
“Ngayon kakatubo pa lang ng punla ko tapos yung soil binu-brew pa kumbaga…so hinaluan ko na siya ng cow manure, konting ash…I’m trying to make it as organic as possible. I’m a bit OC. I want to do everything, I insist on things, it’s my project kumbaga,” shared Mylene who personally looks after her plants and does her own research about farming. “Nag-re-research ako at nagpapatulong ako sa friend ko from DowntoEarth (a farm store) who encourages everyone na maski maliit na lupa lang na pwede nating pagtaniman ng gulay, we should plant our own vegetables for food security. Because whatever happens, meron at meron kang madudukot na pagkain mula sa lupa,” she continued.
“Now, I understand and I have this high respect for farmers, especially the organic farmers. Organic farming is very difficult because you have to wake up early para aabangan mo talaga yung mga peste, pipigain mo talaga sila nang isa-isa because there’s no other way, because I refuse to put pesticides. You will realize that some seeds like ampalaya and tomatoes are planted side by side because the pests ayaw yung halaman na ganito…they call it companion farming, then you’ll also learn that hindi ka pala basta-basta tanim nang tanim kasi kelangan papahingahin mo yung lupa.
Mylene clarified that she’s not completely vegetarian because she loves eating fried chicken. “But I love vegetables. That’s happiness for me. Ever since mahilig na ako sa gulay at prutas. It feels refreshing. Gusto ko refreshing yung kinakain ko, hindi mabigat.” Still, Mylene watches what she eats that’s why she maintains a slim, healthy figure. “I mean what we eat is di ba what comes out?” she said.
That’s why Mylene tries to bring her own baon to the set or location because she wants to have a balanced diet.
“I bring my own food because I’d like to be able to somehow…because I am at work three times a week and that’s where I get my breakfast up to my midnight snack. Kung yun at yun ang kakainin ko, it’s not balanced for me. I wouldn’t feel happy because I want more vegetables in my meals so I have to bring my own vegetables. Na-we-weirdo-han nga sa ‘kin yung mga kasamahan ko sa trabaho kasi malaki yung cooler ko tapos kung ano-anong mga kagulayan or healthy food, which I share with the people that I work with.”
With additional reports: The Philippine Star, Honey Orio-Escullar
Photo Sources: instagram-Mylene Dizon, goodhousekeeping.com, abanteTnT
