Fields of Miding

View of 'fields of Miding' at Pipit Wetlands
Location: In middle of Zones G, H and A

I have a loving weakness for Miding.  These freely obtainable and freshly plucked ferns are my favourite vegetables.  My love affair with this  no maintenance, healthy and wild growing fern seems to find no end.  The two areas at the park that have been reserved for the 'cultivation' of these ferns are quite established now.  One field of Miding is situated at the Keruak Wetlands and the other at the Pipit Wetlands.  The Miding is one of the most expensive vegetable sold at the 'tamu' or jungle produce market in Bintulu town.  The price ranges from RM 8 - RM 10 per kilo. At the park however these delicious ferns are free for the taking. Believe me some things are really free in life, 'Miding' included.  Just take a little effort to grow them naturally so as to enjoy Nature's free gift daily.

Field of  Miding at Keruak Wetlands
Location : Between Zone B and C

Highlights today at the park - 20 Aug'16

Cricket

Plumeria obtusa beginning to bloom

Little Spiderhnter

Young 'Miding' ferns just harvested ( Stenochlaena  palustris)

Free, fresh and fulfilling fern

Lunch at the park.

A small basketful of Miding

 It is one of my favourite food at the park.  It is free, fresh and fulfilling.  This morning I collected the 'Miding' ferns ( Stenochlaena palustris) in ample quantities for a decent lunch (see inset).  These ferns grow wild and naturally in damp areas near the Kruak wetlands.  The quantity I collected this morning would have cost me RM 2 if I were to buy it at the local 'tamu' ( jungle produce market).  The miding ferns have first of all to be fried with the famous shrimp paste of Bintulu called 'belachen' in the local Melanau dialect ( Belacan - Malay) .   The paste is pounded with other ingredients like anchovies, red chillies etc. Once fried you need to consume the freshly cooked miding  with hot rice and perhaps a little fish meat. That's the fun of it.  Quick to get, quick to eat.  Very fulfilling. Thanks to nature.

Free, fresh and fulfilling fern.

Photoshoot session with the Great Eggfly butterfly

Purple iridescence surround the white spots on upper side.

Great Eggfly
Hypolimnas bolina

It was seen resting on the long leaves of the  'Miding' fern ( Stenochlaena palustris) then at the broad leaves of the Simpoh Air (Shrubby dillenia).  I kept chasing it to have a clearer view of its upperside and underside.  On the underside there is a beautiful lace-like pattern of white on brown.  On the upperside there are three white dots on each side of the wings which are surrounded with purple iridescence.  The purple colours are really attractive, giving much added-value to its wings.

Note: All images above taken on 1 October, 2014.
Location: Provinsi Manila, The Kambatik Park, Bintulu.

Hot on heels on ferny trail (Part 1)

Two main fern species abundantly found around the pond are 'Miding' and 'Paku Uban'
Location : Waterlily pond, Provinsi Manila @ Zone B

Paku Uban (Iban) - Nephrolepis biserrata

 Ferns are fascinating plants because even though they are non-flowering they still can reproduce by spores which lie under their leaves.  They are delicious and I have blogged a fair bit about many vegetable ferns of Sarawak.  There are about 500 species of ferns in Malaysia and Sarawak for that matter.  Ferns can survive many kinds of climatic environments.  In the park they are species that have adapted well to open sun and open spaces  whilst others prefer moist and shady areas.  This new Fern Trail project will gather as many different species of ferns as possible.  Below are some examples....  

Miding (Stenochlaena palustris)

Lycopodium cernuum - Nodding Clubmoss
Location : Zone G

Lycopodium cernuum - Nodding Clubmoss  Location : Zone G

Dicranopteris linearis - Resam (Malay)
Location : Zone I

Dicranopteris linearis - Resam (Malay) or commonly as Bracken fern.
Location : Zone I

A Fern trail for the park

Wild ferns for vegetables sold at Tamu or jungle produce market in Bintulu town.

Miding (Stenochlaena palustris)

 I am inspired today to start a new project called the 'Fern Trail'.  This trail will be about one kilometer long and will enable the  enthusiast to discover ferns on open spaces, valleys, hills, streams and jungle environments.  The list of vegetable ferns that grow naturally here is as below:
1) Stenochlaena palustris - Miding (Malay)
2) Diplazium esculentum - Paku Ikan (Iban)
3) Nephrolepsis biserrata - Paku Uban (Iban)
4) Helminthostachys spp. - Sumbok Gana (Iban), Tongkat Langit (Malay)
5) Blechum orientale - Paku Kelindang (Iban)

Besides the more popular vegetable ferns, other types of ferns could  be grown, transplanted and re-grouped in dramatic and interesting presentations.  There shall be established 5 fern stations along the trail and the biggest stations to assume a fernery.  The list of ferns to be transplanted or planted gradually are as follows:
1) Asplenium nidus - Bird's nest fern
2) Asplenium tenerum
3) Asplenium longissimum
4) Adiantum fabellulatum - Maiden's Hair
5) Athyrium esculentum
6) Blechnum orientale - Paku Ikan
7) Cyathea latebrosa - Tree fern
8) Davallia denticulata - Rabbit's Foot ern
9) Dicranopteris linearis - Resam
10) Drymoglossum piloselloides - Duit-Duit
11) Dipteris conjugata
12) Dipteris lobbiana
13) Gleichenia truncata
14) Platycerium coronarium - Disc Stag's Horn fern
15) Pityrogamma calomelanos - Silver Fern
16) Psilotum complanatum
17) Schizaea dichotoma - Grass Fern
18) Stenochlaena palustris - Miding

The fern trail project should keep me very busy for about three months from today.

Platycerium coronarium or Disc Stag's Horn Fern
Location : Botanic Island One, Zone D

Bird's nest fern - Asplenium nidus

Oil palm tree skirted with variety of ferns
Location : Zone C

Wonder fern at the park

Miding (Malay) - Stenochlaena palustris growing on the oil palm trunk

 There are many types of ferns at the park, some have epiphytic habits.  The Miding is one wonder fern here that grows luxuriously on wet areas as well as on palm trees.  Today the Miding is a 5-star vegetable that is served at many 5-star hotels or restaurants in Sarawak.  It is about the healthiest vegetable  at the park because it grows naturally without receiving fertiliser or pesticide.  Here's how to eat this fern vegetable. 

Collect as many young Miding stalks as you can (above).  They may vary in size and age, but that does not matter.  Separate the hard section of the leaf stalks to be thrown away as shown below.

How to cook the Miding:  Firstly, prepare a 'sambal' paste by pounding shallots, garlic, anchovies and 'belacan' or shrimp paste and chilies.  Secondly, stir fry the paste for about 2 minutes with a little bit of cooking oil.  Thirdly, put in the Miding vegetable and sprinkle salt to taste.  Cook for only two minutes because this type of vegetable gets cooked very fast.  Finally, served hot with rice. 

The fern Miding vegetanble cooked in sambal belacan paste, or what the Malays called "Miding tumis belacan".

Under the green umbrella

Oil palm trunk with a wide sampling of ferns, and seed plants taking advantage of the fertile fibrous growing medium found between the cut leaf bases and the trunk.

Fungi on rotten leaf bases

 The Oil palm trees (Elaies guineensis) or Sawit in Malay are the main identity of the Kambatik park.  They help sustain the park's operation.  When harvesting the fresh fruit bunches, the leaf bases that are cut leave a space between the cut branches and the trunk.  The leaf bases are constantly moist and they trap small insects, birds and other small animals' droppings, dead organic matter like fungi or mushrooms etc.. They provide ideal conditions for many plants to thrive on.  Chiefly among them are the epiphytic ferns, and plants that produce seeds and are eaten by birds and other animals and are later discharged in their droppings and got trapped in the fibrous and fertile growing medium between the leaf bases and the trunk.  It would not be surprising in future also to see orchids growing from these leaf bases.

Bird's nest fern (Asplenium nidus)

Climber

Ficus benjamina

Miding (Stenochlaena palustris) - at the centerr of the picture

Rabbit's foot fern ( Davallia denticulata)

Broad leaves of the Simpoh ( Dillenia suffructicosa)

Paku Uban (Iban) - Nephrolepsis acutifolia