{"id":27334,"date":"2026-10-24T07:49:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T14:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/?p=27334"},"modified":"2026-10-24T09:20:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T16:20:34","slug":"food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/","title":{"rendered":"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I couldn&#8217;t help but photograph and ask about every food garden I saw even though I was in Indonesia for another reason. It was a surf trip. But for a few days before and after the surfing, I explored parts of North Sumatra to observe what people grew and what they ate. This is what I saw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The main pattern I noticed was that three plants were ubiquitous: banana, mango, and papaya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/garden-of-bananas-and-sugar-cane-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27363\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7762190598232954;width:743px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/garden-of-bananas-and-sugar-cane-Indonesia.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/garden-of-bananas-and-sugar-cane-Indonesia-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/garden-of-bananas-and-sugar-cane-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bananas (and sugarcane) in a garden plot near Lake Toba.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bananas they grew were of two types, cooking or sweet. <em>Pisang<\/em> is their word for bananas, and they fry pisang and also eat pisang as a fresh snack. The most common sweet, snacking bananas were small and similar to the varieties I like to grow in California (such as Namwah).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"586\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bananas-on-Jiwa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27337\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7065284302608132;width:655px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bananas-on-Jiwa.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bananas-on-Jiwa-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bananas-on-Jiwa-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">For my surf trip, I stayed on a boat with six friends. Our boat was stocked with bunches of these small, sweet bananas for snacking.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mango trees were like weeds. Not only were they in every yard, but they were also in abandoned fields and road medians. Mango trees were everywhere I looked. All looked like seedlings, not grafted trees, but few had fruit left on them at this time, early October. It was the tail end of mango harvest season, unfortunately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"598\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mango-tree-Bukit-Lawang-Indonesia-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27359\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5050432894248078;width:675px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mango-tree-Bukit-Lawang-Indonesia-1-900x551.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mango-tree-Bukit-Lawang-Indonesia-1-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 900px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mango tree with a few mangos still hanging, Bukit Lawang.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had big dreams of being able to taste a bunch of fresh mangos off of local trees on this trip, but because of the season there were few mangos to try and most were stringy, bland or even off-flavored. Near the end though, I obtained this fine-tasting fruit which I was told had been grown on the neighboring island of Java:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mango-from-Java-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27378\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8948125764443484;width:633px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mango-from-Java-Indonesia.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/mango-from-Java-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rounding out the trio was papayas. On the boat we ate papaya with breakfast every morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/food-garden-north-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27346\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6556753528431774;width:715px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/food-garden-north-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/food-garden-north-Sumatra-Indonesia-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/food-garden-north-Sumatra-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Papaya tree in a garden among coconuts, bananas, dragon fruit, and more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What&#8217;s the climate like on Sumatra?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sumatra is the largest island of the chain that makes up the country of Indonesia, which is composed of thousands of islands. Although called an island, Sumatra is bigger than California, and I only visited a portion of the northern half of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The equator runs through Sumatra. There is no place more tropical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunset and sunrise are near 6 AM and 6 PM year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are clouds in the sky every day. It rained almost every day I was there. It rains almost every day of the whole year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it was warm rain. Even in the rain, even if it was rainy and windy, I never wanted to wear more than shorts and a t-shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Other fruits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So because of the constant rain and the constantly warm temperatures, all sorts of other tropical plants grew happily in gardens: sugarcane, rambutan, pineapple, coconut trees, dragon fruit, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"656\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-in-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27349\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5244269506830286;width:691px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-in-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-in-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-in-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dragon fruit plants in a home garden.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"564\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-Berastagi-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27376\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.773109809466101;width:619px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-Berastagi-Indonesia.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-Berastagi-Indonesia-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dragon-fruit-Berastagi-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All of the dragon fruit I found in the area was red fleshed and good quality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pineapple-plus-North-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27342\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.9305087230611346;width:707px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pineapple-plus-North-Sumatra-Indonesia.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pineapple-plus-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-980x518.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pineapple-plus-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pineapples in a home garden.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> I spotted just a few avocado trees too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"693\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/avocado-tree-Bukit-Lawang.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27351\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4430289581107367;width:627px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/avocado-tree-Bukit-Lawang.png 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/avocado-tree-Bukit-Lawang-980x551.png 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/avocado-tree-Bukit-Lawang-480x270.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This seedling avocado tree was growing on the grounds of a guesthouse in Bukit Lawang. It had a single fruit on it, which had green skin that was moderately bumpy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Coconut day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once during our stay on the boat, we swam to an island . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"602\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/swam-to-island-for-coconut.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27367\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6611580673647028;width:773px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/swam-to-island-for-coconut.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/swam-to-island-for-coconut-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/swam-to-island-for-coconut-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">where a family was growing coconut trees around their house . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/coconut-tree-home-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27365\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5290736493744013;width:705px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/coconut-tree-home-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/coconut-tree-home-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-1-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/coconut-tree-home-garden-North-Sumatra-Indonesia-1-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and they offered to harvest and open some for a small price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/machete-coconut.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27380\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5106114488929678;width:687px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/machete-coconut.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/machete-coconut-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/machete-coconut-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We drank the water and then ate the flesh, and then we all agreed that coconut never tasted so good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Vegetables<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of vegetables, I saw mostly tomatoes, cucumbers, and chili peppers. Food was very spicy. I like chili peppers, but I could not handle the level of spice that local Indos were comfortable with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-garden-Bukit-Lawang.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27353\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5571453911192574;width:649px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-garden-Bukit-Lawang-900x551.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-garden-Bukit-Lawang-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 900px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A plot of chili peppers being established near the edge of the jungle of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Note the weed growth and strategy of plastic mulch to suppress it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"626\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-market-Lubuk-Pakam.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27390\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5974766468518744;width:669px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-market-Lubuk-Pakam.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-market-Lubuk-Pakam-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/chili-peppers-market-Lubuk-Pakam-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chili peppers for sale at the street market in Lubuk Pakam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the most common vegetable that I saw in gardens was cassava. People eat the roots, and they also boil the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"617\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cassava-Bukit-Lawang-Indonesia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27347\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.458694508294331;width:697px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cassava-Bukit-Lawang-Indonesia-900x551.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cassava-Bukit-Lawang-Indonesia-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 900px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cassava plants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I found Indonesian people to be extremely hospitable. One day a large extended family was having a reunion near a river and they invited my brother and me to eat with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cassava-leaves-boiled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27355\" style=\"width:607px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cassava-leaves-boiled-900x551.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cassava-leaves-boiled-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 900px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">My plate at the family reunion: rice, fish, sambal (chili peppers), jengkol (seed), and cassava leaves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were many fruit trees and vegetable plants in home gardens that I was unable to identify, but the above were what I saw most of and could name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know what I never saw? Irrigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you for <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/supporting-the-yard-posts\/\">your support<\/a> of my Yard Posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Find a complete list of them <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/all-yard-posts\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I couldn&#8217;t help but photograph and ask about every food garden I saw even though I was in Indonesia for another reason. It was a surf trip. But for a few days before and after the surfing, I explored parts of North Sumatra to observe what people grew and what they ate. This is what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I couldn&#8217;t help but photograph and ask about every food garden I saw even though I was in Indonesia for another reason. It was a surf trip. But for a few days before and after the surfing, I explored parts of North Sumatra to observe what people grew and what they ate. This is what [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-24T14:49:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-24T16:20:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"535\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Alder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Greg Alder\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Greg Alder\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a\"},\"headline\":\"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-24T14:49:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-24T16:20:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":799,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Misc\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/\",\"name\":\"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-24T14:49:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-24T16:20:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":535},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/\",\"name\":\"Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening\",\"description\":\"Southern California food gardening\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\\\/yardposts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a\",\"name\":\"Greg Alder\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Greg Alder\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gregalder.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening","og_description":"I couldn&#8217;t help but photograph and ask about every food garden I saw even though I was in Indonesia for another reason. It was a surf trip. But for a few days before and after the surfing, I explored parts of North Sumatra to observe what people grew and what they ate. This is what [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/","og_site_name":"Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening","article_published_time":"2026-10-24T14:49:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-24T16:20:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":535,"url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Greg Alder","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Greg Alder","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/"},"author":{"name":"Greg Alder","@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/#\/schema\/person\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a"},"headline":"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia","datePublished":"2026-10-24T14:49:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-24T16:20:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/"},"wordCount":799,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/#\/schema\/person\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg","articleSection":["Misc"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/","url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/","name":"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-24T14:49:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-24T16:20:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg","width":1000,"height":535},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/food-gardens-in-sumatra-indonesia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Food gardens in Sumatra, Indonesia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/","name":"Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening","description":"Southern California food gardening","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/#\/schema\/person\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/#\/schema\/person\/7c17362732023b01ed23dc69d6fa703a","name":"Greg Alder","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Greg Alder"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ef6613d5043bdbb67157e2bfbbecb138148fad9c893cd424f6f14c5f7ff393e?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/gregalder.com"]}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fruit-Lubuk-Pakam-Indonesia.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27334"}],"version-history":[{"count":70,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27431,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27334\/revisions\/27431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}