The Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (TTDARES) held the 2016 Lohas Herb Festival on April 23 (Sat.) at the TTDARES grounds in Fengli. The event was full of fun and educational activities including an exhibition of the achievements of the TTDARES, demonstrations on growing 46 different kinds of herbs, a 100-meter Taiwan quinoa footpath, a drawing activity, a seminar on herbs and health, a DIY class on making herbal essence oil massage balls, a DIY class on making eco-friendly cleaning agents from lemongrass, an on-site explanation on how to grow herbs, and gifts of potted herbs. All who went had a great time!

Guided by instructors, people had fun making herbal essence oil massage balls and eco-friendly cleaning agents from lemongrass. For the drawing activity, over 100 kids found places, such as in the field of garden cosmos or the herb garden area, to set up their materials and draw what they saw, turning the reality in front of them into beautiful works of art. In addition, TTDARES researchers gave detailed, on-site explanations on how to grow herbs, helping people get a better idea of how to properly take care of their herb gardens. In all, a total of 1,058 people attended the event, and all of them said they had fun and learned a lot.

The TTDARES stated that those interested in growing herbs and learning techniques on extracting essence oils may contact grain lab assistant researcher Chen Zhenyi for help and information.