【Stay at a Homestay on Tuesdays】Jasmine Tea Aroma Fills the Air—Fengchunyuan in Yilan

Walking through the garden path that connects the villa gate to the main building, the vast green lawn complements the white Tudor-style structure, exuding a strong European garden ambiance. Ms. Xu Lihua, the homestay owner with a warm smile, mentioned that after relocating her self-operated factory to mainland China, she chose to purchase land in the mountains to build a villa and established the homestay in 2000. She also planted fruit trees such as grapes, bananas, peaches, and pomelos in the courtyard, using natural enzymes and neem oil instead of chemical pesticides for disinfection and pest control, allowing guests to enjoy natural flavors in different seasons. But because she often forgets to harvest the fruits, by the time she remembers, most have already been eaten by birds.

On a certain holiday, she happened to encounter a bird-watching guest staying at the homestay. In the evening, the excited guest volunteered to act as a guide around the property, showing her the nighttime resting scenes of birds. It was then that she discovered the fruits planted at her homestay attract many birds such as the fairy pitta, kingfisher, white ???, red dove, and grey-cheeked fulvetta to feed. Overjoyed, she also took the guest’s suggestion to name the homestay rooms after the birds visible in the area. Counting them up, there are at least nearly ten kinds of bird guests in the area.

Although in recent years the fruits from the garden have mainly fed the bird guests, Xu Lihua hasn’t forgotten to incorporate these pesticide-free seasonal fruits into the homestay’s creative cuisine. Combined with locally sourced ingredients from the Lanyang Plain, she prepares what she humorously calls “Taiwanese rural kaiseki” for her guests. For example, the “Fengchun Trio,” which combines water bamboo shoots, fresh shrimp, and preserved duck, not only uses in-season water bamboo shoots from Yilan but also features a unique twist with homemade pomelo flesh in the preserved duck. The pomelo peel is grated and sprinkled on top to enhance the flavor—the fruity sourness perfectly complements the savory saltiness of the preserved duck, while the slightly bitter pomelo peel adds another layer of taste. As for the “Pumpkin Ribs” cooked on the day of serving using freshly bought market ingredients, the pork leg bones are simply seasoned and braised, then sprinkled with a bit of lemon zest for aroma. The meat is firm and delicate without any gaminess or off-flavors, while the refreshing scent of lemon zest helps cut through the richness and enhances the taste.

After the meal, Xu Lihua leads guests to the Zen-inspired tea room to share her favorite tea ceremony. Having loved brewing tea since childhood, she began learning tea ceremony skills in Taipei every week four years ago and brings what she learns back to share with guests at the homestay. During the session, she displays a different side from her usual bold and cheerful personality, dedicating herself to the process of warming the teapot, placing the tea, brewing, and serving with a calm and graceful demeanor, leaving everyone entranced.