SHL Product: Pure Calamansi Juice (Limau Kasturi)

OK, I admit it.  I love to have a glass of cool calamansi drink but am lazy to squeeze the juices out of the fruits each time.  I want it to be available as and when I want to make a drink;  This product was born out of my desire to have it ready-to-make whenever I want to have a calamansi drink or to add to my tea or to any other drink mix.  This juice is versatile can be used to make drinks as well as other culinary uses.  It is also less expensive than lemon.

The source of these fruits are from the farm so it is organically grown without any chemical pesticide or herbicide use.  The fruits are picked at its prime, when it is loaded with juice and squeezed, straining the seeds.  What is left is pure juice without any dilution hence it is concentrated.  It is a great source for vitamin A and C.  The main acids in this fruit is citric acid and ascorbic acid.

Calories	12	Sodium	0 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	37 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	3 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	1 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	12%	Calcium	1%
Vitamin C	10%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Suggestions for consumption:

1. Calamansi drink made by diluting with water and sweetened with honey, raw sugar or molasses. served either warm or cold
2. Added to your regular tea drink to make a citrus-flapored tea
3. Used in marinating fish
4. Used to flavour "soupy" dishes such as laksa and soups
5. Used to make salad dressings
6. As a natural preservative to cut fresh vegetables and fruits

To help maintain the freshness of cut fruits and vegetables (such as for salads when you are serving them without the dressing at parties), you can toss the cut fruits or vegetables with a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of the calamansi juice to prevent discolouration of the fruits as well as to retain the freshness.

The pure juice when stored in the refrigerator lasts for 3 months.  You can also turn them into "ice cubes" and store in freezer bags for longer storage.  When you want to use them, just add as many calamansi ice cubes as you like.

In alternative therapy, it is also used to treat coughs and colds, similar to how lemon is used.

All in all, this is a handy juice to have at hand as it can be used in many ways for consumption and provides nutrients to our daily food consumption without pain or undesirable taste :)

SHL Product: Bentong Ginger and Tumeric concentrate

Part of the objective of the farm is to promote and encourage natural and preservative-free foods.  In line with that, we have started producing and selling our Bentong Ginger and Turmeric concentrate in 325 ml  glass bottles.  Both the ginger and the turmeric is grown at the farm organically.  Being produced with no preservatives, this concentrate needs to be refrigerated and it lasts at least 2 months.  You can also freeze them for longer storage in a freezer-approved container and allow it to defrost in the fridge when you want to use it.  The idea is to have it as part of your normal drinks list, an alternative to carbonated drinks, regular tea and coffee to name a few.  This combination has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties as well as other therapeutic benefits.

Is this a traditional therapy?  I guess you can say in a way it is since it has been used in Ayurvedic, Malay and Chinese therapy for centuries and only recently is getting into the Western realm.  The approaches are different as Westernern therapy tends to the pill-popping culture whilst Easterners tend to consume them in liquid form and in as natural state as possible.  Our approach also tends to be different where our ancestors view them as a healthy addition to their diet  in maintaining good health - a proactive measure whereas the Western culture tends to view it as a medicine - a reactive measure.

Since this is a concentrate, it can be consumed in many ways.  I consume it:

1. Diluting 50 ml in either hot or cold water (depending on if I want a hot drink or a cold drink) and either unsweetened or sweetened with honey or raw sugar or brown sugar.  This dilution strength is within the recommended strength of 1.5-3g of turmeric root as well as for ginger (4g)  based on University of Maryland Medical Centre.
2. Add it to regular tea drink to taste
3. Add it to other fruit juices
4. Use it to make a marinate for chicken, fish or beef 
5. Use it to make a soupy dish either totally vegetarian or with chicken, beef or fish.

As I make it as part of regular food, I consume it almost everyday.  When I take it as a drink, I drink it once a day, either in the morning or in the evening as I wind down for the day.  Sometimes when I am working out at the farm with lots of physical activity, I will have another drink and this time as a cold drink.  When I first started taking it, I had it daily for about 2 months.  Amongst the outcomes are:

1. Regular bowel movements (I must warn you that the first few days, it has a strong smell which I attribute to it cleaning the digestive system).
2. Burping and passing gas
3. Reduced joint aches and pains
4. Lowered my blood pressure 

Now, I take it at least 3-4 times a week as I now have it more in "maintenance" mode.  I like to keep tabs on my body and I listen to it and I adjust my consumption accordingly.  Please note that this is not to be regarded as a replacement to your health practitioner's advise.

I only bring a limited number of bottles to our regular Sunday morning market.  We keep limited stock on hand as I want to sell it as fresh as possible.  It can also be ordered and pickup or delivery can be arranged (there may be a delivery charge depending on quantity).  For more information, you can send a message or messenger from our fb page: Suria Helang Lui.

Updated: Feb. 6, 2017