Ube jam & inspiring, soul-enriching stories

Anthony Ceniza, cultural worker and choreographer extraordinaire, enjoys the pristine waters of Anda Pearl Premier Resort in Anda town. Photo: Leo Udtohan

It’s Feb. 28, 2021.  Feel-good Sunday, last day of the month of February. Again, take time out from political sizzlers and negative things out there for more inspiring, spirit-lifting stories.

1.The starfish story (author a unknown, contributed by Anthony Ceniza, cultural worker and choreographer extraordinaire and now supervisor of Marilou Resort in Panglao).  

An old man walked across the beach until he came across a young boy throwing something into the breaking waves. Upon closer inspection, the old man could see that the boy was tossing stranded starfish from the sandy beach, back into the ocean.

“What are you doing, young man?” He asked. 

“If the starfish are still on the beach when the sun rises, they will die,” the boy answered.

“That is ridiculous. There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. It doesn’t matter how many you throw in; you can’t make a difference.”

“It matters to this one,” the boy said as he threw another starfish into the waves. “And it matters to this one.”

2.The seasons of life (author also not known, contributed by teacher Edison Gumapac of Manga National High School). 

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall.

Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

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The Pearl of Anda

Countless beaches are available throughout the Bohol province, so when the "The Doctor Is In" decided to hold its first out of town public health service last Saturday, they chose Anda. 

 "The Doctor Is In," the only phenomenal public health program hosted by Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan, was held in Anda Pearl Premier Resort.  

It’s a U-shaped cove with white sand and warm turquoise water. 

Situated in Virgen village, the Anda Pearl Primier Resort has 22 villas with a large swimming pool. 

The beach is rarely crowded, and popular activities here include kayaking and snorkeling. 

Thanks to Bohol 3rd district Rep. Alexie Besas-Tutor and Mayor Christopher Tutor for the warm hospitality!

Note: More of Anda Pearl Premier Resort and Anda town in the next issue. 

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The yummiest Ubi jam 

Ube halaya, also known as ube jam (ubi in Bohol!), is a Filipino dessert made from boiled and mashed ubi (purple yam) , milk, and butter. 

Thanks to the 21st Ubi Festival which  commenced last Saturday, February 27. 

The Ubi Festival is celebrated annually in recognition of the ubi growers across the province since 2000. 

Aside from ubi products and other agri-commodities, ornamental and flowering plants were also sold at the venue.

Wannabe chef Jessa Mae Jala shows her favorite ube jam. Her parents bought purple yams during the 21st Ubi Festival. Photo: Leo Udtohan

Dr. Larry Pamugas, acting provincial agriculturist, said Boholano farmers have produced  7.2 million kilos of yam this season from 1,200 hectares. 

The Ubi Festival is also a venue for educational fora to increase farm production.

Pamugas also emphasized the importance and impact of growing and yielding Ubi as a livelihood of the Boholanos, especially in alleviating hunger amid the pandemic.

He said his office encouraged farmers to plant yam while ubi tubers were given to at least 400 farmers who are members of Bohol Ubi Growers Association for a "plant now, pay later." 

Farmer Guillermo Lupas brought 400 kilograms of ubi (yam) to the exhibition site to sell it. 

Lupas, 58, started planting yam for 30 years. 

He said it was not difficult to sell his yam since farmers like him have to bring it at the site where buyers could buy for P70-P90 per kilo. 

"Dakog ikatabang (It's a big help)," Lupas said. 

There are various ways to prepare ube jam dessert but this recipe is the simplest and easiest to follow.

Ube Jam (Purple Yam Jam)

*Ingredients: 

1 kilo uncooked purple yam

1 can condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200 grams butter

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup white sugar

*Procedures: 

Boil the purple yam until tender then mash or grate.

In a pot, melt butter then add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla extra. Stir constantly until well-combined.

Add the purple yam then stir until the texture of the mixture becomes really thick (about 15 to 20 minutes over low fire). You may also add a drop of food coloring (optional).

Transfer the mixture to a mold or any container and let the temperature cool down.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with a dollop of butter when serving (optional).

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Ubi jam, the best dessert at Ubi fest

Wake-uppers:

Seen: Dominic Villafuerte is the newly-appointed councilor of Candijay town who replaced former councilor Sergio Amora Jr who died last year.

Seen: Spotted in Bohol last week were Michael V, Tom Taus and Katherine de Castro. Also spotted in Panglao town were LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas and his wife Korina Sanchez and Isabelle Daza who attended a VIP wedding.

AWARD-WINNING composer 

and lyricist Ralph Maligro. 

Contributed Photo 

Scene: During the 36th Cebu Popular Music Festival, Ralph Maligro's “Awit Ning Gugma,” arranged by Ralph Joey Cabusas and interpreted by Philip Mancol, emerged as the winning piece in the Love Song category. Maligro is from Tubigon town.

Scene: The "UNLIMITEXT" exhibit of  multi-awarded Boholano visual and performance artist Sam Penaso at Galleria Quattrocento,  2nd Floor Serendra, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Jan. 20 to Feb. 2.  For info, text/call (02)-8230935; 0917-8911322. Penaso is a multi-disciplinary artist that dabbles in painting, sculpture and performance art. He has held 23 solo exhibitions, five of which were held in Japan, Thailand, Austria, Germany, Singapore, New York and Abu Dhabi. He has also been a recipient of several Art grants including Asian Cultural Council (ACC) and the International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York and the Thailand-Philippines Art Exchange Program in Bangkok, Thailand.

Scene:  The United States Agency for International Development (USAid) General Counsel John Simpkins was here in the province on  January 26-27 to renew the U.S. government’s commitment to the province’s inclusive and sustainable development.  Simpkins joined other Bohol officials to launch the Stakeholders’ Forum, which was organized by the U.S. Embassy Manila’s USAid through its Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (Surge) Project. Simpkins visited Tagbilaran City Elementary School, where he handed out learning materials to Grade 2 students on behalf of the American people and led a reading activity for the children. In his interaction with school administrators and faculty, he reiterated the U.S. government’s commitment to help improve the reading skills of students through its basic education program, Basa Pilipinas.  Surge is the flagship activity of USAid’s Cities Development Initiative (CDI), which aims to transform secondary cities into engines of growth. Tagbilaran is one of the CDI partner cities.

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Couple Cipriano and Marcela Curay had to wake-up early last Wednesday.  They had to travel at least 100 kms from Alicia town to Tagbilaran, Bohol’s capital, to attend the 16th Ubi Festival.  The Curays brought 20 bukags (baskets), inside were ubi (yam) they would sell during the three-day festivity.

 Ubi (Dioscorea alata) growers and supporters have gathered last week for the Ubi Festival to honor the crop as a major agricultural product.

Ubi Festival 2016 on National New. Courtesy: GMA News

Curay, 53, started planting ubi in 2010. He said he found ubi a great potential for livelihood.

He planted 50 kilos of ubi tubers in July and harvested 650 kilos of ubi in his 200 sq meters farmland last December.

For the Curays, the rootcrop has helped their family needs.

“It is a great help for our family. Like now we could not plant rice and ubi could help us,” he said.

For  Dely Niluag, 68, the Ubi festival was an opportunity for her to make special desserts-- ubi jam/halaya and sorbetes (ice-cream).  Niluag took advantage to choose different varieties of ubi --- kabus-ok, kinlot, balagon-on, binanag, tam-isan, apale, iniling, lima-lima, kot, bot and kinampay, the most aromatic ubi in the world --- at low prices.

“I am happy if there is ubi festival,” she said, “I can ask for a discount unlike in malls.”

She said there would be enough ubi desserts this month.

Ubi is an important rootcrop in Bohol province, the country’s ubi capital.

The crop is heavily planted in the towns of Alburqueque, Alicia, Antequera, Baclayon, Corella, Cortes, Dauis, Dimiao, Garcia-Hernandez, Lila, Loay, Loon, Mabini, Maribojoc, Panglao, Sikatuna, and Ubay.

It is traditionally planted in May or June and harvested from December to January.

According to Zenaida Darunday, a plant pathologist and keynote organizer of Ubi festival, ubi is a healthy energy source with important nutritional benefits.

 "Ubi is an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. When you take ubi, you won't be constipated," said Darunday.

The kinampay, the queen of all ubi varieties, is a good source of anthocyanin, a strong anti-oxidant, she added.

"Of course, it's a good alternative for rice especially now that we are trying to cut on rice consumption, ubi is a substitute. You can eat ubi without eating rice. Compared to potato, it has more nutritional element."

Ubi is also good for people who have hormonal imbalance and women who suffer menstrual cramps.

"It has dioscorin and it is good for women with dysmenorrhea," said Darunday.

For almost half a millennium, the ubi tuber has been venerated by the Boholanos.

Boholanos considered ubi a "sacred" crop. In fact, ubi is the only staple food included in the Bohol hymn.

“Yes, ubi is sacred in Bohol,” confirmed Darunday.

“Boholanos kiss the ubi when it falls on the ground,” she added.  She said that ubi culture is authentic because it started from the earth.

“It's our culture because according to a legend there was a famine in Bohol. Boholanos were able to stay alive because they found ubi when they were scratching the ground because ubi survives during drought and famine. And when they saw ubi, ‘praise the Lord' because it saved them from starvation.  If ubi tuber falls, you have to kiss it," said Darunday.

UBI GROWER Cipriano Curay

 proudly shows his ubi kinampay,

 the queen of all ubi varieties.  Leo Udtohan/Chronicle

For the past years, the production of ubi has declined.

Darunday said that people who are planting ubi are aging.

Ireneo Gabato, municipal agricultural officer of Sikatuna town, said that only few farmers plant ubi. He said, only three out of 10 barangays joined this year's festival.

To encourage farmers to plant ubi, his office provided materials (tuber) to farmers.

"It's plant now, pay later. If they plant 20 kilos of ubi tuber, they would return 20 kilos of ubi to our office," he said.

The Ubi festival was also a venue for educational forum to increase farm production.

“I hope this is an avenue to invite farmers and attract young people to plant more ubi in Bohol,” she said, “Young people should be familiar with the importance of ubi.”

She also noted that climate change also affected the ubi production.

“One of the reasons why the harvest of ubi in the province now is low is due to the impact of climate change,” she said.

With that we hope we can innovate technologies that ubi can still survive even with the change of the climate, added Darunday.

Anyway, the most popular way of cooking ubi is to make it into ubi jam (halaya).  It is a sweet sticky jam-like concoction that may be eaten by itself or as an ingredient in other deserts like halo-halo.

Ubi Jam (Halaya) Recipe

Ingredients:

MORE USEFUL THAN RICE, Boholanos find time

 to honor ubi (yam), the province's most important crop, 

during the Ubi Festival 2016.  Leo Udtohan/Chronicle

1 kilo ubi  (kinampay, baligonhon, etc) mashed or 2 packs purple yam

2 cans condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar (amount optional)

1/4 cup grated cheese

Cooking Instructions:

1) Cook ubi in boiling water until soft. Peel and mash ubi until smooth in texture. A blender can be used for a better result.

2) In a big wok, melt butter or margarine. Place in the mashed ubi; pour the condensed milk and sugar over it. Keep  stirring on low heat for at least 30 minutes or the until mixture is well blended.

3) Add evaporated milk and continue mixing until well blended and thick. Stir constantly to prevent sticking to the pan. Let cool and transfer into a large greased tray or pans Sprinkle with grated cheese for extra flavor. Chill and serve.

Yam! Yam! Yam!

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.