Penang Organic Durian at Green Acres Eco-Retreat |Malaysia

Wow, I kept repeating. For once, I wasn’t talking about the durian. I was talking about the durian farm.

Last summer, my friend Ryan and I visited Green Acres, an eco-retreat center built on an organic durian farm. I’ve visited more than my share of pretty awesome durian farms, but right away I knew this solar-powered, off-the-grid farm was in another league of coolness.

And yes, that is a durian tree house. My unfulfilled childhood dreams just died of happiness.

Green Acres is a 16 acre farm in the hillsides above Balik Pulau. The farm has been primarily organic for about 50 years, a feature that attracted Eric and Kim Chong when they purchased the property in 2009.

The couple then poured their energy into converting a rustic durian farm into an eloquent, peaceful nature retreat that goes above and beyond environmental conscientiousness.

Which is why I’m about to show a whole bunch of photos of the buildings before I show you the durians (although here is one to keep your durian obsessive brain paying attention). Mmmmmm.

Recycled Buildings

The three structures on the farm, including the Musang King Tree House, are built using the recycled timber of old village houses. As we stepped into the lower house, I found myself taking a deep breath. The dark wood, smoothed and polished by centuries, created an immediate sense of mellowness.

Each board was set precisely in its place and fastened in the old style, without nails. Everything fit together just so, with this perfect sense of symmetry and alignment that I expect in Japanese tea gardens, but not in durian farms. It was a perfectionism that seemed to pervade Green Acres.

We were a tiny bit in awe. I think Kim could see that.

I could see why the farm attracts more yoga and meditation retreats than wild durian jubilees. Although with durians thumping on to the ground nearby, I bet it’s hard to meditate on much besides the next durian meal.

“Apart for noise of the grass cutting, it is very peaceful here,” Kim explained.

“We are not commercial. We don’t want to take that many people, but we do want to take people who appreciate this lifestyle.”

That means hardcore dedication to sustainability. At the main lodge, Eric informed us that the house was built from half recycled wood, half durian timber felled on the land.

I looked at Eric, slightly horrified that he would cut down a durian tree. He laughed, and said the trees were unproductive or sick. By cutting them down, he was saving a forest tree somewhere else. He has a point

Eric explains something, probably about the electricity

It turns out durian wood is also beautiful. As we stood in a house made of durian on a durian farm, I couldn’t help but feel like it was just one more tiny, perfect detail that makes Green Acres so special.

Take for instance the story of where the recycled wood came from. Half the house was originally a nearly 100-year-old village house in the district of Titi Serong, in Perak. Green Acres is also located in a district called Titi Serong, but in Penang. Hence the house traveled from Titi Serong to Titi Serong.

Here are some of the other details.

Two solar panels generate enough electricity to power lights and fans and allow guests to recharge mobile phones.

The water pump uses kinetic energy instead of electricity to push fresh spring water uphill from the foot of the farm.

The shape of the wide porch, covered by a thin shade cloth, imitates a Chinese symbol called Pak Kua, which signifies the 8 elements: Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Wood, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Lake.

In the center of the deck two pools fed by a small a stream symbolize the Yin and Yang, the duality of harmony.

With durian so easily in reach, I think harmony might be achievable.

We tore ourselves from the view to troupe up the stairs into a cavernous hall way. It was surprisingly cool here, maybe an optical illusion from the dark wood, or from the gentle breeze that slid through the slatted bamboo curtains.

The heavy doors lead to bedrooms for guests.

Animal Friendly Farm

Eric is always trying new ideas. As we finished the tour and prepared to go eat durians, he showed us something new he’s been experimenting with. It’s a small black box that emits ultra-sonic sound waves, intended to discourage squirrels and other pests from eating the durian.

If you’re ever heard a shot ring out while eating durian on a farm, I’m 95% certain you just heard a squirrel die. I’ve come to an uncomfortable acceptance that my durian habit (and more realistically, my fruit habits) results in the murder of many hundreds of durian loving animals every year. Agriculture is not kind to animals. Usually.

But Eric is. It’s a small effort toward animal welfare, but it also makes Green Acres the only durian farm I’ve ever visited that might, dare I say it, be vegan.

To me, it was just one more small, perfect detail.

Penang Organic Durians

Now the part I know you’ve been waiting for… the durians.

We had barely opened our mouths to say “Hello” to Kim when a durian plopped onto the cement just behind her and began rolling. Ryan caught it with his foot.

Kim laughed. “We always tell guests that if the durian rolls up to them, it’s theirs.” I thought it was pretty magical moment, but by the way Kim reacted durians must welcome guests pretty frequently.

We set the durian aside while Eric gave us the tour, and when we were finally through oohing and aahing over the buildings it was time to eat it.

As he opened the durians, Eric lamented that he didn’t have a lot of experience with durian yet. He’s only been a durian farmer for a few years now, he explained. Despite his disclaimer, he sure seemed like he knew what he was doing.

We began with a bulky, lopsided durian called Goldfish. I’d tasted this variety before at Bao Sheng’s Durian farm, but there it had been slightly overripe and unimpressive.

At least two people have told me that they call it Goldfish because it tends to have only one seed pod per locule, giving it a plump, tapering airflow of a fat goldfish. It was mild and bittersweet.

Can you tell by the elongated shape and bright golden-orange of this durian what it is? If you guessed Hor Lor, you’re right.

I was less impressed by this durian, but then Hor Lor has never quite been my style. It was dense and sticky, very sweet and a gorgeous color. Maybe someday I’ll learn to love durians that taste like Jiffy peanut butter.

The best though, IMO (and you’ll have to check with Ryan on this) was the D15 I showed you earlier.

This thing had wrinkles. It had black spots. It was so fat and soft the roils of plumpness were almost falling off the seed like a snake sheds skin. It was the best D15 I’ve ever had.

For this D15 alone, even if I didn’t care about the environment or climate change or self-sufficiency or cool eco-technologies or amazing back-to-nature architecture, I’m going back to Green Acres Farm.

Gluttonous motivations aside, I’m grateful there are people like Eric and Kim who have the courage and vision to dream a durian farm that is environmentally and animal friendly with a flourish that is simply beautiful.

You can book an overnight stay or just a delicious durian meal with Eric and Kim by clicking this link.*

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