An Organic Farm in Dalian

On my recent trip to Dalian, I was fortunate enough to visit my family friend’s farm, the Li farm. Not just any farm, but an organic and self-sustainable farm just beyond the local hills of Dalian proper.

On this farm estate, there are several fruit trees, a fish farm pond, and abundant corps of all types of vegetables. So much natural beauty I couldn’t have imagined. There were some chickens, ducks, and rabbits, too. Mr. Li also liked to collect large stones. These stones weight up to 40 tons or more each. These solid stones rectangular in size were hugh.

Mr. Li, a friend of the family for almost 15 years, built this farm with a grand three story inn. With accommodations on the 2nd and 3rd floor with large 1st floor dining area, this lodge was well prepared for large parties. Though only for friends and family, I suggested that group getaway excursions, corporate retreats, or a detoxifying weekend could popularize his weekend home. His young daughter think life on the farm is boring, but I told him that they’ll learn soon enough.

Being that Dalian is close to the sea, I thought our lunch would be mostly seafood. I was pleasantly surprised to find only the shrimp to be the only item not grown or harvested from the farm. We had sweet corn on the cob, farm raised chicken, and loads of great vegetables. My favorite dish was a pan fried corn meal roll stuffed with vegetables. The crunchy outside texture was like biting into a savory cookie, with leafy green veggies. It was so good…I had two! We had farm raised fish with tofu made on the premise. A different twist with eating potatoes and green onions, we dipped them into a savory sour sauce, to offset the bite of the onion and the plainness of the potato. There was a also a deep friend stuffed cucumber that was also delicious.

i was quite fortunate to be visiting a city where I knew a good friend. Not only did I see the sights, but I was also able to see what visitors nor even some locals rarely see. Hopefully next year, I will get to visit his seaside project when it is finished renovating. Unfortunately, I won’t tell you the address of the farm, since it is Mr. Li’s private country paradise.