Organic green salad with edible flowers from Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay, crispy mushrooms and mushroom sauces from Joyce Mushroom Kitchen, pure bee honey from Marshal’s Farm that can also be used as a face cream, handcrafted Lumos soy candles, fresh herbs like Italian oregano, java mint, and tarragon—these were just some of the great finds Cavite’s Happy Garden, held recently at SM City Dasmariñas, SM City Bacoor and SM City Molino.

Cavite’s Happy Garden, a treasure trove of local produce, plants and wellness products, offered healthier and more natural options from local farmers and small entrepreneurs in Cavite and nearby towns. Held to support microbusinesses, the exhibit showcased a variety of crops, herbal and medicinal plants, and different organic byproducts. There were plenty of plants, pots and racks for the continuously growing plantito and plantita community in the region.

This is not surprising as Cavite is a largely agricultural province, characterized by rolling hinterlands, coastal and alluvial plains, and forest lands. It also has a scenic upland mountainous area where one can find the beautiful city of Tagaytay. The southern parts of Silang and Amadeo have pineapple and coffee plantations as well as cut flower production.

Cavite’s Happy Garden featured food and wellness options from Sonya’s Garden like fruit jams, Spanish specialties like Tendon Callos in Olive Oil, and organic skin and hair care products. Joyce Mushroom Kitchen’s booth offered its famous white oyster mushrooms as well as its mushroom bagoong and chili sauce while Hive’s and Marshal’s Farm sold their raw organic honey.