edible Hawaiian Islands Winter 2012

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Celebrating the Harvest of the Aloha State, Season by Season No. 19 Winter 2012

Roof Top Gardens edible Communities 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year

Local Dining Guide Chicken Coop Chic Sweet Potatoes Member of Edible Communities

Winter 2012 Contents Departments 4 LETTER OF ALOHA 7 NOTABLE EDIBLES 29 COOKING FRESH 46 BOOK REVIEW 49 EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS LOCAL DINING GUIDE 53 FARMERS MARKETS 56 ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY 58 WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO YOU EAT IT

Features 8 13 19 22 27 37 42

LIMAHULI FARM BILL 2012 NEXT GENERATION FARMERS ROOF TOP GARDENS CHICKEN COOP CHIC EDIBLE NATION – FROM THE PLEASURES OF EATING SWEET POTATOES

Cover photo MA`O Beet Salad from Ed Kenny Pg. 31

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Letter of Aloha E komo mai, welcome to 2012. As I pondered what this first issue of the year should be about, I just kept thinking about how far we have come in celebrating all of those who support “local” in the state of Hawai`i.

This issue is filled not only with celebration, but with very interesting information on the state of farming and what’s going on and how important it is to help preserve it not only in our islands, but throughout our country. In this issue there is a wonderful story about the new young farmers of Hawai`i, as well as important information on the Farm Bill for 2012. We have articles ranging from botanical gardens to rooftop gardens.

In 2012, make a resolution to purchase “local” as much as you possibly can, to keep your dollars local. Speaking of local, in this issue we would like to introduce you to a new local cookbook: The Tofu Cookbook, from the people of Aloha Tofu in Honolulu, more info on pg 46.

We here at Edible Hawaiian Islands hope your new year is off to a great start. We wish you all the best for a healthy and happy 2012.

With warm Aloha, Gloria

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Hawaiian Islands Publisher/Editor in Chief Gloria Cohen Editor at Large Steven Cohen Advertising & Distribution FrontDesk@ediblealoha.com Dania Katz, O`ahu & Maui Terry Sullivan, Kaua`i Lana Grace, Hawai`i Island Contributors Kira Cohen • Melissa Petersen Tracey Ryder • Carole Topalian Photography Lauren Brandt • Oliver Cohen Steven Cohen • G. Natale Artists Cindy Conklin • Ed McCabe • Mary Ogle Writers Wendell Berry • Jade Eckardt Jill Engledow • Jill Richardson • Tim Ryan Sophia Schweitzer • G. Natale • Kawika Winter Copy Editor Doug Adrianson Food Research Editor John Cox • Ken Love Research & Events Editor Lila Martin Contact Us Edible Aloha PO Box 753, Kilauea, HI 96754 • 808-828-1559 FrontDesk@EdibleAloha.com www.EdibleAloha.com Subscribe * Give A Gift * Advertise Call: 808-828-1559 Or use the above email or web address Letters For the quickest response, email FrontDesk@EdibleAloha.com Edible Hawaiian Islands is published quarterly by Edible Hawaiian Islands LLC. All rights reserved. Spring * Summer * Fall * Winter Subscription is $28 annually. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. ©2012. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error has escaped our attention, please notify us and accept our sincere apologies. Mahalo!

Edible Hawaiian Islands is printed in Honolulu, HI

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notable Lana`i A new edible school garden has just been planted at Lana`i High and Elementary School. The garden is more than a step in the right direction for education and the future; it is the first school garden on Lana`i.

This program will teach kids about health and where their food comes from, and support sustainability and food security. Unique events are planned for the future. Call Lisa Galloway or Bridgette Beatty at 808565-7900.

Moloka`i Kumu Farms is more than an organic farm. It’s a local business that is community-minded and forwardthinking. They employ over 30 families on this remote island. Additionally they send extra produce to Maui Food Bank each week and educate the community about eating healthful local foods. Tuesday through Friday 9am–4pm they offer a “Farmers Market in the Field,” meaning you go right to the farm for freshpicked produce. www.kumufarms.com

Maui Pineapple Grill at Kapalua Resort offers award-winning Pacific Island cuisine at breakfast, lunch and dinner. To make guests feel right at home, Chef Luckey’s HomeStyle Breakfast Menu features fresh Maui fruit such as chunks of Maui Gold pineapple and wedges of sweet papaya. The main breakfast menu is about scrambles, hash selections and Benedicts. There’s something for everyone at any time, it’s local and it’s good.

Pineapple Grill is open daily. 808-669–9600; www.pineapplekapalua.com

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Kaua`i Cultivate Kauai has Katie Paul on the move in all they right ways. She sources fresh products from small farms all over Kaua`i, then distributes directly to chefs, restaurants and businesses on Kaua`i the same day the food is harvested … usually within a few hours.

Nothing compares to the quality and freshness. She takes time to find out what her customers need and then works directly with the farmers to fill that need.

Katie, we love your style! 808-639-6016

Hawai`i Island Kahumoku `Ohana Music & Lifestyle Workshop. Meals are more delicious when you plant, harvest, cook and share your own food. How about when you add music? Join our friend Keoki Kahumoku in Ka`u—the east side of Hawai`i Island—as he shares his secrets of pig hunting, imu and local food preparations while sitting by a fire playing music under the stars. This workshop is a place that inspires, teaches and creates new values for life. Visit www.konaweb.com/keoki/ or call Keoki at 808-938-6582.

O`ahu Morning Glass Coffee—I was in search of a farmers’ market when I found this gem in a quiet residential area known as Manoa Valley, an older, well-kept community just minutes from the downtown Honolulu.

These folks make a great cup of coffee. Each cup is fresh ground and made to order. Menu items include homemade baked goods like coconut ginger scones and breakfast items that are mostly locally sourced: fresh eggs, Shinsato pork and Ma`o greens. 808-6730065; www.morningglasscoffee.com

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Limahuli Garden and Preserve Modeling Sustainability Solutions

BY KAWIKA WINTER DIRECTOR, LIMAHULI GARDEN AND PRESERVE

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hile some hold the worldview that humans are innately detrimental to nature, and that in order to save ecosystems we must remove people from ecosystems, we subscribe to a different worldview.

We believe that people are the solution.

From the ancestral wisdom of indigenous cultures to the frontiers of both applied and theoretical ecology, and even into popular media via some of the greatest thinkers of our time—such as Michael Pollan—more and more people are subscribing to the idea that there are ways to manage resources such that nature is enhanced so that humankind may reap the benefits.

The methods of interacting with our natural world such that humankind benefits at the expense of nature are not the only option. In fact, these strategies are increasingly becoming the ways of the past. At Limahuli Garden and Preserve, on the North Shore of Kaua`i, we strive to be a model that demonstrates ways we can draw upon ancestral Hawaiian wisdom and couple it with the best of modern science to restore the collective health of our ecosystems and communities.

WHAT: A 1,000-acre botanical garden and nature preserve that is a branch of the nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden

didn’t manage the bees—and these are all things that benefit us. In other words, nature is enhanced and we reap the benefits.

This is just one example. In his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and more recently in the movie Food, Inc., Michael Pollan has popularized another example in Polyface Farm (in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley). There a farmer has created a system of management— through an ingenious system of rotation that gives the plants and animals what they want from each other—that takes very little input, produces a mind-blowing abundance of food and creates a relatively minuscule carbon footprint. These examples demonstrate that we can manage ecosystems in ways that mutually benefit both nature and humanity.

Well, what if all of our management systems used this approach?

And how can these concepts can be applied in Hawai`i? Luckily for us, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel because the ancient Hawaiians already figured it out. By looking back to their traditional resource management practices and philosophies we see find models that can be revived to address many of the key sustainability issues that we struggle with today. Demonstrating the relevance and potential benefits of these practices and philosophies through ecological and cultural restoration is what we do at Limahuli Garden and Preserve.

WHERE: Hā`ena, Kaua`i (¼ mile from Kē`ē beach)

Increasing ecosystem services

VOLUNTEER: VolunteerLimahuli@ntbg.org

Many Edible Hawaiian Islands readers are familiar with the term “ecosystem services.” This refers to the multitude of natural resources and processes supplied by ecosystems that benefit humankind. Common examples are clean drinking water and abundant fisheries, and there are countless others. At Limahuli, we use these two critical ecosystem services as examples of the benefit of returning to the ancient Hawaiian system of lo`i and loko, or taro fields and fishponds.

SUPPORT: donations@ntbg.org

The idea that humans are intrinsically detrimental to ecosystems is deeply ingrained in many people that I meet—particularly non-indigenous people—and the concept that humans can actually be beneficial to ecosystems is often met with skepticism. To get people on the same page, I give them the example of the humble beekeeper.

Bees and the honey they produce are a natural resource, right? Well, beekeepers manage this natural resource by creating habitat (i.e., beehives), thus giving the bees homes and protection which, in turn, facilitates an increase in their population. As a result of having more bees in an area, more flowers get pollinated. With more plants getting pollinated, nature is able to produce more fruits and seeds, which means more progeny for the plants themselves and more food for animals—both wildlife and humans.

So, through management of bees, humans enable nature to produce more fruits, more seeds and more honey than it would if humans

Far too often, people view taro-field agriculture and fishpond aquaculture as mutually exclusive components of the old Hawaiian system. In actuality, they are coupled components. Lo`i systems often involved converting a large percentage of a valley floor into a flooded taro-field system. This, in and of itself, helped to enhance several key ecosystem services. Many are aware that this floodedfield system helped to reduce topsoil loss during major rain events as the silt from storm-swollen steams was redistributed to the valley floor instead of being allowed to flow out into the ocean, where it could potentially harm coral reefs. These regular siltation events— similar to those that are famous from the Nile delta—helped to keep the fields fertile.

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Another ecosystem service of flooded-field agriculture is that it created wetland habitat for waterfowl—some of which, like the native duck or kĹ?loa, were an important food source. The presence of these waterfowl further helped to keep the fields fertile.

A third ecosystem service was that it provided habitat for important species of fish, such as mullet and others, which in the past would naturally migrate from the estuaries in the ocean to the base of the waterfalls in larger streams and rivers.

A fourth ecosystem service, which is arguably the most important, is that flooded-field agriculture helped recharge the aquifer by slowing down the water going through the valley and increasing its surface area. While this last point has yet to be demonstrated scientifically, common sense suggests that it is likely true. With more recharge of the aquifer occurring under this management system, the aquifer grew and springs popped out at higher and higher elevations, which then created more agricultural and habitation opportunities. In the past 150-plus years, abandonment of this system has led to a significant decline of these critical ecosystem services.

One unintended consequence of agriculture is nutrification, or an unnatural increase of nutrients in water systems. Nutrification in waterways has been well documented to cause algal blooms, which in turn can cause destruction of coral reefs and even massive fish dieoffs. Even the most well-intentioned organic farms have been known to contribute to nutrification. The ancient flooded-field system undoubtedly increased the amount of nutrients flowing towards the ocean, but the ancient Hawaiians had an ingenious solution that turned this potentially dangerous byproduct into a beneficial resource. They did this though the use of large fishponds along the coast—either in the sand dunes or out on the reefs themselves.

These fishponds contained the algal blooms for the purpose of raising herbivorous fish, such as mullet and others. The ecosystem service of managing nutrified water as described above was the reefs produced more herbivorous fish than it could on its own.

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Living off the fat of the land The old Hawaiians would say that all they were doing was living off the “fat” of the land. That’s just a humble way of expressing that the management practices and philosophies they employed yielded such an amazing abundance that the system produced in excess of the needs of the people (and keep in mind that the pre-contact population was approximately a million people). Beyond the practices described above, resource-management philosophies guided ancient society to push this system to sustainably produce a super abundance.

Some of the practices were described above, but what are the philosophies that led to such an amazing increase in abundance?

Well, at Limahuli, a big part of what we do is educate visitors, residents and school groups about what these are and how they can be reincorporated into our lives today.

Many Hawai`i residents are familiar with the Hawaiian concept that the health of the land directly affects the health of the ocean, and vice versa. This is undoubtedly a key element to the body of philosophy that was at the foundation of the ancient resource management practices, but I would contend that there is one that is even more central, and that is to always give before you take. The concept of giving before taking is reflected in everything from Hawaiian proverbs to protocols to practices. While these all live today on some level, they are not practiced by a high enough percentage of our communities. So just stop for a moment and imagine… an entire society founded on the concept of giving before taking in every conceivable relationship—from interpersonal to interacting with natural resources such as the forest, the stream and the ocean. Hopefully, you will see an island community flourishing together with its ecosystem. Our goal at Limahuli is to play a role in manifesting a return to that state.

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Going Back to the Farm...Bill

BY JILL RICHARDSON

For Americans who want to see the food system change, an exciting year is upon us. The biggest piece of legislation that affects our food system—the Farm Bill—must be passed in 2012. Some argue that it should be called the “Food and Farm Bill,” which would be accurate as the largest share of the bill’s dollars go to buy food under federal nutrition programs such as The Program Formerly Known as Food Stamps (now called SNAP). But currently, the bill mostly benefits one kind of farms (big) and one kind of food (junk).

How can the farm bill promote healthy and sustainable food and farms instead? This article provides a basic description of how we can understand—and influence—the farm bill, with extra details about a few programs of interest for sustainable-ag advocates.

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THE BASICS Today’s farm bill is descended from the first farm bill, which was passed in 1933 as part of the New Deal. Passed every five or so years since then, each farm bill is divided into a number of different topics, called titles. Most significant among them are: Commodities (i.e. subsidies), Conservation, Nutrition (i.e. programs like SNAP) and Competition.

“The blessing and curse of the farm bill is that it’s so damn big. There’s something in it for everyone,” said Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch.

However, she provides a useful framework to understand this immense bill. One set of policies impact whether there are fair markets for farmers. These include whether antitrust laws are enforced and new ones are written and implemented to meet changing times, commodity policy and— to some extent—conservation.

The other important set of policies are ones that promote local and regional food systems, like programs to benefit young and beginning farmers; reorienting USDA research to study useful areas for small, diversified and organic farmers; and building infrastructure like processing plants to meet the needs of these farmers.

“It’s good to get new farmers on the land, but not if they get into the big ag machine that just spits them out again,” said Lovera.

COMMODITIES The Commodities title essentially seeks to find a way to ensure commodity farmers are fairly compensated for their crops.

There are three basic ways to do this: limit supply (i.e. by setting aside land for conser-

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vation), set a floor price, or let supply and demand rise and fall with the market and pay farmers subsidies when the price falls below a government-determined “fair” price. Over time, we’ve used all three of these methods, but now we tend to favor subsidies. Increasingly, we are shifting money from government subsidies to government-subsidized crop insurance.

For sustainable and fair food advocates, there are a few main principles any commodity, subsidy or crop insurance policy should adhere to. First, any taxpayer money spent as subsidies or subsidized crop insurance should go to those who most need it. For example, should a billionaire receive government money just because he or she happens to own a farm? What if—as Ferd Hoefner, policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), joked—Ted Turner decided to buy the entire state of Montana and he grew wheat on half of it. Should taxpayers pay 60% of his crop insurance premium? Directing money to those who need it most can be done with caps on the total amount of subsidies or other benefits farmers receive as well as by limits on the income of those who receive government money.

Second, farmers receiving taxpayer money should be required to adhere to a bare minimum of environmental stewardship.

While that might not mean requiring farmers to convert to organic production, historically it has at least required that farmers do not drain wetlands on their property and that farmers with erodable land make plans to avoid future soil erosion. These minimal standards should be extended to the newer programs farmers benefit from and—I would argue—the standards should be raised to meet the changing times (i.e. new methods and technology farmers can use to care for the environment, and a greater need to do so due to climate change).

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Last, which farmers benefit? Initially, subsidies went to farmers growing commodities that could be stored, because the government program involved buying farmers’ crops when prices fell too low, storing them and releasing them onto the market during times of scarcity. Now that farmers’ safety net no longer involves storing crops, how can we provide a safety net to farmers with diversified farms and those who grow perishable crops that is equal to the safety net of commodity farmers?

Now that farmers’ safety net no longer involves storing crops, how can we provide a safety net to farmers with diversified farms and those who grow perishable crops that is equal to the safety net of commodity farmers?

COMPETITION REFORM A term you might hear as the farm bill debate heats up is “the GIPSA rule.” The name itself, which refers to the USDA’s Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Agency, is not important. What IS important is that the 2008 farm bill was the first farm bill to include a Competition title that dealt with problems of unfair markets for livestock farmers. The farm bill directed the USDA to write a rule to make livestock markets fair, and when GIPSA released its proposed rule, the highly consolidated and very powerful meatpacking industry went berserk. To them, the idea of fair markets and fair competition sounds terrible. The GIPSA rule needs to be implemented. It’s also likely that more gains for fair competition should be written into the next farm

bill. Last, we need to be on our guard so that the 2012 farm bill doesn’t revoke the gains made in the 2008 farm bill.

HELP FOR NEW FARMERS The last farm bill funded a brand new grant program for beginning farmers and ranchers. Hoefner says the program was highly successful, as it provided $75 million in grants and helped farmers make down payments on their farms by lowering loan interest rates to 1%. In the 2012 farm bill, NSAC is advocating a renewal of the program, with an increase in grant funds to $125 million. Additionally, they are requesting a microloan program for young beginning farmers, as a new farmer might need a loan for $20,000, not $300,000.

Another part of this effort involves working with the Veterans Administration to help vets use their GI benefits for farmer training. Currently, NSAC is working with Congress to introduce the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011, which will outline specific requests that they hope to see included as part of the 2012 farm bill.

COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS Another successful program sustainable food advocates can rally around is the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program. In bureaucratic speak, the grants go to projects “designed to (1): (A) meet the food needs of low-income people; (B) increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food needs; and (C) promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues; and/or (2) meet specific state, local, or neighborhood food and agriculture needs for (A) infrastructure improvement and development; (B) planning for longterm solutions; or (C) the creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and lowincome consumers.”

The farm bill directed the USDA to write a rule to make livestock markets fair, and when GIPSA released its proposed rule, the highly consolidated and very powerful meatpacking industry went berserk. To them, the idea of fair markets and fair competition sounds terrible.

In more understandable terms, examples of grantees in the past include the Hopi Community Food System Restoration, a project to expand a CSA among the Hopi people and to revitalize traditional terrace gardens and farming practices; the Green Market Community Food Project, a Californiabased project designed to link low-income immigrant farmers in the Central Coast region with immigrant food microentrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay area; and SEE-LA’s Farmer’s Kitchen, which created a teaching and retail kitchen in Los Angeles “to support educational programs emphasizing fresh produce consumption, job training, and food and nutrition education” for Hollywood’s low-income population.

THE TIMELINE If Congress does not pass a new farm bill by the time the previous farm bill ends (in this case, September 30, 2012), then the law will revert back to the 1949 farm bill. If it appears that Congress will not meet its deadline (as happened in 2007), it can temporarily extend the last farm bill to buy some time. Thus, the 2012 farm bill might actually become the 2013 farm bill.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED The 2012 farm bill will likely be more of a marathon than a sprint. The debate is still being framed, and issues that need immediate and intense support will pop up occasionally throughout the entire process. If you would like to stay informed and contact your elected representatives when issues arise that require action, head over to the Food and Water Watch and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition websites and sign up for their mailing lists.

Last farm bill, sustainable food advocates fought hard to maintain Community Food Projects’ funding at $5 million per year, despite initial hopes of increasing funding to $10 million. This year, with the fanaticism for budget cutting steering Congress, we might be up for a fight once again, whether we are fighting for more money or just the same amount we got last time.

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Next Generation YOUNG FARMERS TAKE ROOT IN THEIR FAMILIES’ FIELD

BY JILL ENGLEDOW PHOTO BY STEVE BRINKMAN

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aui’s young farmers like lots of things about their work, from Heidi Watanabe’s love of “the smell of fresh-plowed dirt growing something to nourish other people” to Pomai Weigert’s passion for “getting people reconnected to nature and to where their food comes from.”

Still, for every positive experience that draws young folks back to the farm, there is also a tough reality. That’s why young farmers are so rare. The average age of farmers on Maui is 62.5, even older than the nationwide average of 60. But there’s hope in a list of energetic farmers and ranchers who are part of the Growing Future Farmers initiative of the Maui County Farm Bureau.

In 2009, the bureau launched its Next Generation of Maui Farmers initiative to identify young leaders in agriculture and track their journeys. Charlene Kauhane, a slow-food advocate who works with the bureau, describes them this way: “An eclectic bunch, they derive inspiration from new business models, a new eco-consciousness, sincere ideals, a quest for quality, a longing for culture and a variety of crops.”

To further inspire and support this new generation, the Farm Bureau and six Maui chefs are working together both to increase the use of locally produced food and to award grants to start or enhance ag businesses in Maui County. The Growing Future Farmers project is spearheaded by Scott McGill (TS Restaurants—on Maui, Hula Grill Kā`anapali and Duke’s Beach House); Mark Ellman (Mala’s Ocean Tavern, Mala’s Wailea and Honu Maui); Jenna Haugaard, (Flatbread Co.); James McDonald (i’o and Pacific`O); Tylun Pang (The Fairmont Kea Lani) and Isaac Bancaco (HumuhuWWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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munukunukuapuaa at the Grand Wailea). They’ve introduced a new twist on the bureau’s Localicious: Dine Out Maui promotion, in which participating restaurants offer a special “Grown on Maui” salad. The idea was twofold: encourage the use of more local produce and raise a little money to help young farmers by donating a dollar for each salad sold to the nonprofit Hawaii Agricultural Foundation to build a fund for grants.

“To keep ag viable in Maui County, we need to increase current market sales while supporting new agricultural operations,” said Warren K. Watanabe, Farm Bureau executive director. Chefs supporting the initiative agree. “We’re well aware of the fact that our restaurants rely on fresh and local ingredients,” said McGill, who estimates that his 13 Hawai`i-based TS Restaurants use between 75% and 90% local produce.

Chef McDonald also features local produce at i`o and Pacific`O, the Feast at Lele luau, Aina Gourmet Market and Aina Gourmet Coffee.

Even though the company produces a lot of its produce on its own Kula farm, it still relies on other farmers. McDonald keeps the local input at around 80% to 90% by “building the menu around what’s available. We’re always looking to get something locally produced and of good quality.”

The next-generation farmers who supply this produce are a diverse group. The plantation crops of sugar and pineapple that once dominated the Maui ag scene both have representatives on the “Next Generation” list. One is Rick Volner Jr., plantation general manager of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. Another is Darren Strand, who held on through the trying times when Maui Land & Pineapple Co. stopped planting pineapples and now is president of the new Hali`imaile Pineapple Co. Others in the group practice a broad spectrum of farming, from the most traditional kalo and breadfruit cultivation to aquaculture, ranching and biotech. Several are part of multi-generation farm families, like Heidi Watanabe and her brother Tommy of Watanabe Vegetable Processing. Neither of them set out to be farmers, and their parents encouraged them to try other things. Tommy went to work for a produce wholesaler, and Heidi designed granite countertops.

But both found themselves drawn back to the farm where their grandparents grew head lettuce and celery. Now they raise everything from green onions and leeks to eggplant and Swiss chard. “I like the challenge of growing things people said I’d never be able to,” says Tommy, who enjoys outdoor work. Heidi takes care of the people side of the business—sales, human resources, public relations—and likes meeting people when she does deliveries.

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Chauncy Monden got into farming after earning a finance degree.

“My dad told me, ‘Don’t come back to the farm.’ He knew what a hard life it would be,” Chauncy says. But the fourth-generation Kula farmer and his city-bred wife, Teena, wanted to rear their kids on a farm. Now they share their joy in farming with anyone who drives by their Kula Country Farms stand. It’s a lively spot surrounded by gardens, with hens scratching in the dirt. The farm stand is a favorite of school groups, and the Mondens have installed a special garden with a kid-sized shed and tools for visiting youngsters.

The Mondens grow a range of crops that include strawberries, blueberries, onions, corn and tuberose to sell to local stores and wholesalers as well as clients in Kaua`i, Honolulu and California. They also pack and deliver boxes full of fresh produce to retail customers. And just as they had in mind, their children help out at the farm stand.

Pomai Weigert, who handles marketing and community relations for Ali`i Kula Lavender, found her way to farming through both a family connection and a commitment to environmental work. Pomai’s mother is Lani Medina Weigert, co-owner and CEO for Ali`i Kula Lavender. Pomai was working in travel and tourism when she realized that she wanted to do more work for her community and her culture.

After looking into various environmental jobs, “I broke down and told my mom, ‘I think I’m ready to work with you.’ It’s really changed and enhanced the quality of my life,” Pomai says. Still, she adds, “You have to be passionate to be in agriculture. People love it, otherwise why are they here? You have to be tenacious.”

Challenges are definitely part of the package, the farmers agree. Besides fighting pests and diseases, praying for good weather and enough rain, and paying for imported fertilizer, irrigation supplies and pretty much everything else they need, farmers face of burgeoning list of regulations. Food safety is a current focus, perhaps because of so many highly publicized problems with food-borne illnesses on the mainland and in Europe. “A lot of things are common sense,” says Heidi Watanabe, but some of the regulations require a lot of bookkeeping—recording certain operations as many as three times per day, for instance.

Heidi and Tommy Watanabe say it’s hard to be as successful as their parents were while dealing with all the new regulations. Even though he sometimes feels discouraged by such obstacles, Tommy says he bounces back after a good night’s sleep. Now the father of a 6-yearold daughter and a new son, he won’t demand that his kids consider a farming career. But like others of the “Next Generation,” it’s likely he’ll plant the seeds of farming in fertile little minds and coax them to flower in the same soil their forbears tilled.

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RooftoP D

GaRdeninG

Benefits abound when planting moves to a higher level

BY TIM RYAN

riving through Waimanalo along O`ahu’s windward coast, it’s no surprise to see horses grazing by the side of the road, but when a life-size, multicolor replica with a painted “Aloha” pops up that calls for a photo.

But this rainbow horse is only the beginning of the intrigue that is Sweet Home Waimanalo café, a former rural gas station now transformed into a popular healthy food restaurant. Even more startling is that most of SHW’s vegetables are grown on the restaurant’s roof.

“Our greens travel zero food miles so there’s no fossil fuel burning or pollution created because it’s all grown right above us,” says Joanne Kapololu, one of SHW’s four partners. “The roof was an unused space so why not utilize it?”

The 600-square-foot roof garden weekly produces nearly 35 pounds of produce, including 13 varieties of greens like baby lettuce, kale, Asian greens, baby romaine and red and green oak.

FarmRoof of Waimanalo, founded by Alan Joaquin in 2008, developed the unique “sock” growing system that has been refined to be

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used on rooftops in Hawai`i and at ground level on the company’s mountainside farm.

In the case of SWH, the weight for each square foot when soaked with water is 4.5 pounds, or about 2,700 pounds in total.

For allowing FarmRoof to use the SHW roof to grow vegetables, the restaurant receives 10 pounds of produce a week— more than enough to supply its customers, Kapololu says.

Rooftop farming is a specialized application of what is often referred to as a roof garden. In addition to the aesthetic, recreational, ecological and architectural benefits provided by roof gardens, rooftop farming’s focus on local food production supplies its maintainers and the community with fresh produce and promotes small-scale local agriculture as well as a tangible connection to the food source.

FarmRoof takes the rest to either sell at the Kapiolani Community College’s farmers’ market or give to the school’s culinary arts program.

So what is the roof garden sock system?

There are seven porous “socks” nearly 30 feet long at SHW, each filled with what Joaquin calls “super mineral filled organic soil” with a drip line inside each sock. Pukas are cut in the socks where the vegetable seeds are placed to grow.

Rooftop farming is most common in urban areas, where ground-level agricultural opportunities are scarce. It works wonders for urban planning as well since rooftop farms absorb solar radiation, reducing the “urban heat island effect”; insulates and cools the host building, reducing electricity use; and manages storm water by delaying and reducing rainfall runoff.

Underneath the socks are wood chips that help control any runoff.

The entire system is enclosed by socks in a rectangular shape to further control runoff. The socks sit on several layers of various roofprotecting membranes.

Joaquin is quick to point out that garden roofs are not for everyone, because of the cost and time needed to maintain the system.

“Our growing soil … has 70 different mineral and trace elements and billions of indigenous micro-organisms,” says Joaquin. “We grow our soil before we even plant our first seed.”

After Kapololu read an article about the “sock” system, she called Joaquin.

“I wanted to put herbs in front of the restaurant using their sock and drip irrigation system,” she said. “That’s when Joaquin mentioned the roof garden system.”

She was sold, but before any construction could begin a structural engineer was called in to calculate the weight-bearing capacity of the roof—an essential step for any roof garden system. Having to reinforce the roof likely would have been a deal breaker. Fortunately, the SHW roof was judged strong enough for the FarmRoof garden.

“We specialize in sustainable and edible green roof engineered systems,” says Joaquin. “We can control the weight of the load by adjusting several variables in our system. Then we design the farm roof within those tolerances.”

“The person has to be an experienced farmer to make the system actually work the way it is supposed to work,” says Joaquin. “That involves seeding, maintenance, pest control and renewing the soil.”

A farm roof system like the one at SHW costs about $30 a square foot, or $18,000. It wouldn’t be financially viable for a homeowner if he expected to produce enough food to pay for his own use for the system, says Joaquin.

FarmRoof does all the care and maintenance for the SHW garden, which took just six hours to install. The garden is irrigated daily from 8am to 4pm, for four to 10 minutes once every three or four hours.

“We save money on all counts and we get a garden,” says Kapololu.

While roof gardens in Hawaii are still rare, there are an increasing number of “green” roofs on commercial buildings that use primarily succulents and grasses using a high-quality waterproofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and environmentally friendly irrigation.

On O`ahu there are green roof systems at the University of Hawai`i’s C-MORE Hale, Disney’s `AMA `AMA restaurant at Aulani Resort in WWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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Ko Olina, and on 150 square feet of second-floor deck at Philip K. White Architects’ business offices near downtown Honolulu, where employees planted ferns, naupaka papa, rhoeo and plectranthus.

Green roofs can be modular—with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, interlocking grids—or each component of the system may be installed separately.

In North America, unlike in Europe, the benefits of green roof technologies are poorly understood and the market remains slow, despite the efforts of several industry leaders.

But in Europe—particularly Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland—these technologies have become well established in part because of government financial incentives or legislation re-

Green roofs can reduce overcrowding of landfills by prolonging the life of waterproofing membranes and by using recycled materials in the growing medium.

•

They can help prolong the service life of air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems through decreased use.

•

With green roofs water is stored by the substrate and then taken up by the plants, which return it to the atmosphere through transpiration and evaporation.

•

•

In summer, depending on the plants and depth of growing medium, green roofs retain 70% to 90% of the precipitation that falls on them; in winter they retain between 25% and 40%, according to various studies.

Green roofs act as natural filters for any of the water that happens to run off. Green roofs reduce the amount of storm water runoff and also delay the time at which runoff occurs, resulting in decreased stress on sewer systems at peak flow periods.

•

Green roof plantings are able to cool cities during hot summer months and reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect.

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The greater insulation offered by green roofs can reduce the amount of energy needed to moderate the temperature of a building, since roofs are the site of the greatest cooling heat loss in the hottest temperatures in summer.

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Green roofs provide excellent noise reduction, especially for low-frequency sounds.

Green roofs can sustain a variety of plants and invertebrates, and provide a habitat for various bird species.

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Steve Poulosis, special projects engineer based at the UH Manoa CMORE Hale, helped in the building’s design, which integrates the science of environmental friendliness into the physical plant in ways that earned LEED certification. His focus was on the design of the building’s “green” roof.

(LEED, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system for buildings, equivalent to a gas mileage rating for cars. Under LEED, buildings accumulate points for things such as saving energy, having access to mass transit and mitigating storm water runoff.)

The primary purpose for making C- Hale’s 2,700-square-foot green was to reduce the building’s air conditioning costs yet still cool the laboratories immediately under the roof. The engineer and other designers including the building’s architect, Group 70 of Honolulu, expect the temperature in the level below the roof to drop as much as 10°.

Benefits of green roofs: •

quiring new buildings to have green roofs. About 100 million square feet of rooftops in Europe have gone green.

Of the three main green roof systems in use, C-MORE Hale uses LiveRoof, a “hybrid” interlocking tray system. The plants chosen include portulaca (red), aloe vera, akulikuli and aki aki grass. The plants were grown in the trays at the Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery in Waimanalo, then shipped to the UH campus.

Weight of the fully wetted plants, soil, irrigation system and onefoot by two-foot, four and half inch deep trays is about 81,000 pounds or 30 pounds a square foot.

That’s a lot of weight but C-MORE Hale was built to support the load. Each fully vegetated, wetted tray weighs about 60 pounds and cost about $50.

Unlike some other green garden systems, the LiveRoof system when installed with its already mature plants “looks like a green carpet from day one,” says Daniel Pender, LiveRoof’s coordinator in Hawai`i.

“Succulents are favored because they’re drought tolerant, low growing and require little water or weeding,” says Pender. “Taller plants need a deeper roof [tray] system and eventually will outgrow the tray.”

The GreenGrid System by Weston Solutions used at Disney’s Aulani Resort sits on the 4,500-square-foot roof of the `AMA `AMA restaurant.

Like LiveRoof, GreenGrid offers a modular design that arrives preplanted and ready for installation, says Mark Ambler, Weston’s senior project engineer in Hawai`i.

“Unlike layered-style and some hybrid systems, GreenGrid modules remain modular once they’re installed,” he says. “That allows for easy access to the underlying waterproofing system.”

Roof repairs are inevitable at some point along the life of the roofing materials. The advantage of being able to easily access the roof saves the cost of having to also repair the area of vegetation that must be disturbed to access the roof, says Ambler. GreenGrid modules can be removed, set aside and replaced once repairs are made.

The modules are made in the United States from 100% recycled plastics.

GreenGrid’s modules have an integrated irrigation line channel so running permanent irrigation tubing beneath the modules with pop-up spray heads is intuitively designed. The bottom of a GreenGrid module uses a waffle-pattern design with drainage holes and water retention cups to contain some excess water for the plants to draw from in time of drought and for storm water storage. When the retention cups are at capacity, water drains through the raised drainage holes through the drainage channels.

Plants used on the Disney restaurant’s roof are native to Hawaii, including purple sweet potato, bacopa (green) and artennesia (silver,) and were laid out in a tapa pattern.

Disney wanted for the green roof to soften roof views, but to also show the resort’s sustainability philosophy and respect for the Hawaiian culture, said Peter Apo, director of public affairs at Aulani Resort. The resort also is working for LEED certification.

“The green roof ties in nicely with Disney’s vision,” says GreenGrid’s Ambler.

Meanwhile, FarmRoof is moving beyond the Sweet Home Waimanalo–type projects with plans to create roof gardens atop high-rise condominiums and some businesses, including the massive former Comp USA building in downtown O`ahu.

“We’re working with Kamehameha Schools to revitalize Kaka`ako including using that building’s 35,000-square-foot roof for growing a certified organic system up there for the people of Kaka`ako,” says Joaquin.

For more information contact: www.sweethomewaimanalo.com www.farmroof.com www.liveroof.com www.hawaiiansunshinenursery.com www.greengridroofs.com

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Chicken Coop

Chic

Islanders are flocking to backyard food source

BY JADE ECKARDT

A

chicken pecked at the door, and Nancy Wood opened it to find a hen she’d never seen before glaring accusingly before barging into her Big Island home. Perplexed, Wood soon realized that “She was the mother of a dozen eggs a neighbor brought by hours earlier, [who] took full responsibility for them when I brought them to her. I still wonder how she tracked them down from a quarter mile away.”

It was a happy ending. The eggs hatched, and 15 years later Wood has a backyard flock of 95 hens.

The passion and stories coop lovers share leave no wonder why chickens have earned a reputation as man’s new best friend. Once a backyard staple, coops are experiencing a renaissance throughout the islands as people recognize the chic in chickens.

A growing consciousness about sustainability has shed light on the green aspects of backyard coops. Carton waste is eliminated, preused materials find a second life and the yard becomes a local source for a household staple. Hens bring more to the table than a rainbow of chocolate brown, light blue, green and pale pink eggs—chickens are highly intelligent, friendly and make great pets.

Those in fear of a 4am cock-a-doodle-do can rest easy: Hens don’t need roosters to lay eggs.

Home-laid, free-range eggs are generally more nutritious than those raised commercially. One university study showed that eggs laid by free-range hens contain twice as much vitamin E, six times as much beta carotene (a form of vitamin A), four times as much omega-3 fatty acid and half of the cholesterol as eggs from commercial farms.

Happy hens and a good coop are key to regular egg production. The Internet offers an abundance of free coop floor plans, or you can easily design your own while including a few basic necessities. They can be big or small, modest or extravagant, and can be constructed from 100% recycled materials.

At O`ahu’s Tin Roof Ranch, an organic, sustainable three-acre ranch near Haleiwa, Luann Casey and Gary Gunder house a brood of over 300 hens in a beautiful coop constructed with pre-used materials. Salvaged hotel closet doors serve as solid walls and recycled roofing was also used. Four years ago the couple unexpectedly adopted 25 hens and began collecting their eggs. Today, the ranch is the North Shore’s go-to spot for organic, free-range eggs distributed in recycled cartons.

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Whether you’re transforming an old shed, building a mobile coop or getting creative with a mini classic barn complete with red paint and swinging doors, several elements are always necessary. Nesting boxes are where hens lay eggs, and they’re a must. One box for every two hens will usually suffice. It’s important to keep them clean, changing the hay or wood shavings, available at feed shops and pet stores, every few weeks.

Hens instinctively sleep high up on a perch, called a roost. Depending on length, one is usually enough. It’s essential that with more than one perch, they must be 18 inches apart so hens don’t sleep under each other. Roosts must be round or have smoothed edges to prevent hurting hens’ feet. An old broomstick, ladder or a guava branch from the yard will do.

Mongooses, dogs and rats are common predators for chickens, so a tightly sealed coop is essential. Screen or chicken wire should cover all gaps in the siding, but not all dogs threaten hens. “My pit bull, Rottweiler and chickens get along great,” says Akila Aipa, an O`ahu resident with 20 hens. “The dogs nap with hens on their backs.”

“Extra eggs have become currency for us...I trade them with neighbors, and what’s left over I sell at the farmers’ market.”

After your coop is established, the fun part begins: hen selection.

Hundreds of different breeds determine varying egg color, sizes and personality traits. Araucanas lay greenish blue eggs and make friendly pets. Browns are extremely mellow and start laying brown eggs at five months old. Sumatrans have beautiful black feathers with a shiny green sheen, and lay tinted or white eggs. A dozen hens will provide any family, and some neighbors too, with plenty of eggs. “Extra eggs have become currency for us,” says Wood. “I trade them with neighbors, and what’s left over I sell at the farmers’ market.”

Although all hens lay eggs, smaller and lighter chickens called layers offer high production. Heavier and larger chickens called broilers lay fewer and are known as meat birds. For those willing to put in extra work caring for chicks, getting them days old forms a unique bond.

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of age, so those who like instant gratification may want to buy mature hens. After three years most hens lay fewer eggs. McMurray Hatchery and Ideal Poultry are reliable online hatcheries and ship2day-old chicks to Hawai`i. Local farms and feed stores often sell chicks, and O`ahu’s Asagi Hatchery sells all types, including fertilized eggs.

While a couple of chickens will usually do fine and make friends with the house cat or dog, they fare much better in groups. Highly social creatures, a chicken’s world revolves around a strict pecking order. Raising chickens is sure to offer some entertainment watching hens interact. The chicken and human relationship is not to be underestimated, either; they’re very loyal creatures and are known for bonding with their owners.

“Our new Brown took to my 2-year old and runs to him every time he’s outside. He holds and pets her and carries her everywhere. Our Porcelain D’Uccle favors my wife, and our Buff Silkie follows me everywhere,” says Aipa.

Like humans, chickens enjoy a well-kept home. Daily maintenance includes food and water. Free-ranging chickens dig up a substantial amount of slugs, seeds, snails and insects. Yet they need a balanced diet of 18% protein coming from chicken scratch, a mix of grain and seeds, available in an organic option. Feeders are an option, but tossing a handful on the ground ensures even distribution for everyone. Fresh water is essential—if a laying hen goes for 12 hours without water, she can stop laying for weeks.

Plant-based kitchen scraps are a great addition to their diet and they’ll eat nearly all fruits, vegetables and grains. “My chickens devour our compost and wait outside of my car for crumbs from my son’s car seat,” laughs Aipa. And the yard can even provide daily snacks for chickens. “We planted flax and clover near the coop. The hens love it and it doubles as a maintainable ground cover,” says Casey.

On islands that import over 80% of their food, a daily dozen from the yard is a small but significant step towards a sustainable future, and backyard coops reflect Hawai`i’s efforts. And we have hens to thank for their help.

Wood advises: “Collect your eggs; eat, trade or sell them. Whatever works. But don’t forget to give your hens some love. Pick one up and give her a nice belly rub as a thank you now and then.”

Cooking Fresh with Ed Kenny of Town and Downtown

Extra Helping of Aloha for the First Lady

M

y time spent with and cooking for First Lady Michelle Obama is, without a doubt, the highlight of my culinary career thus far. From the symbolic gesture of planting the first-ever White House kitchen garden to the implementation of her Let’s Move campaign, she is one of the most powerful voices in the current movement to reform the American food system and it was a huge honor to be chosen.

On the Saturday prior to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) spouses luncheon, I was fortunate to be invited to accompany her on a visit to MA`O Organic Farm in Waianae. During the visit, the young adults of the MA`O Youth Leadership Training program were given the opportunity to share with Mrs. Obama how the program had provided them with valuable life skills, direction and opportunity. Her friendly, approachable demeanor put everyone at ease. She was genuinely moved by their words and vowed to return again.

The following day we prepared and served lunch for Mrs. Obama, 10 APEC leaders’ spouses and President Obama’s half-sister, Maya

Soetoro-Ng, at Kualoa Ranch. The backdrop of Chinaman’s Hat, Kaneohe Bay and the Ko`olau Mountains was breathtaking. So beautiful that I joked while introducing the menu that we could serve hot dogs and no one would notice. The menu was a continuation of the prior day’s events, a culmination of the sights and sounds during her visit to MA`O. Although her guests, with the exception of Soetoro-Ng, did not visit the farm the day before, our hope was to offer a menu that, along with the conversations at the table, created a connection to where their meal came from and embodied the Aloha spirit. Two MA`O interns, Manny Miles and Ku`u Samson, were with us preparing the lunch, bringing true meaning to the term “farm to fork.”

The salad course was 95% MA`O. Even the Naked Cow feta was from Waianae. We chose to use beets as a nod to the first beet I received in a MA`O delivery box nearly 10 years ago. That single beet marked the beginning of a co-producership that has made an impact on the way Hawai`i eats.

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The entrée course was our take on East Meets West cuisine (that is, Ko`olaupoko meets Waianae). During the introduction I mentioned how the ancient land division of Ko`olaupoko (Kualoa to Waimanalo) is one of the island's most fruitful agricultural areas.

On the plate we sought to expose Mrs. Obama and her guests to some of the more traditional food items of old Hawai`i while connecting them to this beautiful land. The taro was grown around the corner in Waiahole while the limu came from Paepae o He`eia, just a stone’s throw away. The printed menu simply read “fresh fish from Kaneohe Bay” because at the time of printing we did not know what we’d be serving.

Thankfully the fisherman actually caught something. The roasted root vegetables and herbs for the sauce tied it all back to MA`O. At last year’s MA`O fundraiser we served Meyer Lemon Tart as a dessert selection and one of the interns said she couldn’t believe that this yummy tart was made from lemons

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that they harvested the day before. If it was good enough for the farmer who grew it, then it was good enough for the First Lady.

By the way, all of her plates came back clean.

“Local first, organic whenever possible, with Aloha always.”

Ed Kenney Chef/Owner TOWN 3435 Waialae Ave. #103 Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 ph. 808-735-5900 • fax. 808-735-5017 Downtown@ the HiSAM / UPtown Events 250 S. Hotel St., Ground Floor Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 ph. 808-536-5900 • fax. 808-536-5988

Michelle Obama’s MA`O Beet Salad Serves: 4 1 MA`O Organic Farms orange 12 young MA`O Farms beets (mixed varieties) Extra-virgin olive oil Salt Pepper 2 ounces MA`O Organic Farms arugula 20 MA`O Organic Farms small mint leaves 12 pistachios (hulled) Naked Cow Dairy feta Pistachio purée (see below) Poppy seed vinaigrette — (see below) Zest the orange; reserve for the vinaigrette. Segment the orange and reserve the membrane/core. Squeeze the juice from the core and reserve for the pistachio purée. Slice one raw Chiogga (striped) beet into ice water; reserve. Toss the rest of the unpeeled beets with olive oil, salt, and pepper Place the beets snugly in a roasting pan with the orange core. Cover the beets and roast at 375° F. for 25 minutes. (They are ready when they can be pierced by the tip of a knife.) When cool, peel the beets. Leave some whole and cut others into varying shapes. Roughly chop the pistachios; reserve.

Make Pistachio Purée ½ cup hulled pistachios 2 cups water 1 tablespoon sugar Salt, to taste Reserved orange juice Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour. Purée the pistachios in a blender, adding cooking liquid as necessary to achieve a smooth consistency. Reserve.

Make Poppy Seed Vinaigrette 1 teaspoon shallot (minced) 1 teaspoon coarse mustard 1 teaspoon toasted poppy seeds Zest of ½ orange ¼ cup sherry vinegar ½ cup neutral oil ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste Macerate the shallots in the vinegar for 30 minutes. Add mustard, poppy seeds and orange zest. Whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly Smear ½ teaspoon of the purée on each plate. Scatter the beets, orange, mint and arugula over the purée in a random fashion. Scatter feta and pistachios over the salad. Drizzle the salad with the poppy seed vinaigrette. Eat.

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Michelle Obama’s Mahi Mahi, Pa`i `ai, MA`O Roots and Pickled Limu Serves: 4 4 pieces fresh mahi mahi (6 ounces each) 8 ounces Pa`i `ai MA`O Organic root vegetables 4 tablespoons salsa verde Pickled limu (see below) 4 tablespoons butter (unsalted)

Make Pickled Limu 2 ounces fresh limu 1 cup rice wine vinegar ½ cup sugar 2 cups ice cubes Bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the simmering liquid over the limu. Allow the limu to steep in the hot liquid for 2 minutes, then add the ice. Reserve. The pickled limu will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Make Salsa Verde 1 cup MA`O parsley, chopped and loosely packed ¼ cup MA`O basil, chopped and loosely packed 1 tablespoon capers, chopped Zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon shallot, minced 1 anchovy (optional) ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more or less Chile flakes (optional) Salt and pepper Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender. With the machine running, pour in the oil and blend until the sauce is smooth and bright green. Reserve.

Roast the MA`O Root Vegetables (Carrots, Hakurrei Turnips, Radishes). Peel the carrots and turnips and remove the tops. Cut the vegetables so they are all roughly the same size. That is, leave some of the young veggies whole and split some of the larger ones.

Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a sheet pan. Roast the vegetables for 12 minutes at 424° F. Keep warm.

Pan-Fry the Fish and Pa`i `Ai Heat two sauté pans over medium heat. Swirl 2 tablespoons of butter in each pan. Season the pa`i `ai and fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the fish in one pan and the pa`i `ai in the other. Cook on one side for 3 minutes.

Flip the fish and pa`i `ai and add the rest of the butter to the pans.

Butter baste until almost cooked through, 3 more minutes.

Assemble the Dish Spoon some of the sauce on the plate. Place down the pa`i `ai. Top the pa`i `ai with a piece of fish. Scatter the root vegetables around the fish. Scatter some pickled limu around the plate. Grind!

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Michelle Obama’s MA`O Meyer Lemon Tart

by Jimmy Subia, Pastry Chef, Downtown @ the HiSAM Yield: 1 (9-inch) tart The Crust 175 grams all-purpose flour 140 grams unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes 65 grams granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3+ tablespoons ice water Combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the cold butter until a meal is formed. Add the vanilla and, while you knead the dough, add the water a tablespoon at a time until it just comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch. Place the crust in a prepared tart pan. Dock the crust with a fork and par-bake at 350° F. for 20–25 minutes. Cool.

Filling 4 egg yolks 1½ teaspoons cornstarch 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed MA`O Meyer lemon juice ¾ cup heavy cream Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Pass mixture through a fine strainer. Pour mixture into prepared tart crust.

Bake at 250° F. for 18 minutes or until set. Portion and serve.

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edible nation Edible Hawaiian Islands is honored to share this eloquent argument for food consciousness. Excerpted from a classic essay, it speaks to why it is vital that we understand where and how our food is produced.

What City People Can do From The Pleasures Of Eating

BY WENDELL BERRY

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any times, after I have finished a lecture on the decline of American farming and rural life, someone in the audience has asked, “What can city people do?”

“Eat responsibly,” I have usually answered. I have tried to explain what I mean by that, but afterwards I have invariably felt there was more to be said. I would like to attempt a better explanation.

I begin with the proposition that eating is an agricultural act. Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth. Most eaters, however, are no longer aware that this is true. They think of food as an agricultural product, perhaps, but they do not think of themselves as participants in agriculture.

They think of themselves as “consumers.” If they think beyond that, they recognize that they are passive consumers. They buy what they want—or what they have been persuaded to want—within the limits of what they can get. They pay, mostly without protest, what they are charged. And they mostly ignore certain critical questions about the quality and the cost of what they are sold: How fresh is it?

How pure or clean is it, how free of dangerous chemicals? How far was it transported, and what did transportation add to the cost?

How much did manufacturing or packaging or advertising add to the cost? When the food product has been manufactured or “processed” or “precooked,” how has that affected its quality or price or nutritional value?

Most urban shoppers would tell you that food is produced on farms.

But most do not know what farms, or what kinds of farms, or where the farms are, or what knowledge or skills are involved in farming.

They apparently have little doubt that farms will continue to produce, but they do not know how or over what obstacles. For them, food is

pretty much an abstract idea—something they do not know or imagine—until it appears on the grocery shelf or on the table.

The specialization of production induces specialization of consumption. Patrons of the food industry have tended more and more to be mere consumers—passive, uncritical, and dependent. Indeed, this may be one of the chief goals of industrial production. The food industrialists have persuaded millions of consumers to prefer food that is already prepared. They will grow, deliver, and cook your food for you and (just like your mother) beg you to eat it. That they do not yet offer to insert it, prechewed, into our mouth is only because they have found no profitable way to do so. We may rest assured that they would be glad to find such a way. The ideal industrial food consumer would be strapped to a table with a tube running from the food factory directly into his or her stomach.

Perhaps I exaggerate, but not by much. The industrial eater no longer knows or imagines the connections between eating and the land, and is therefore passive and uncritical—in short, a victim.

When food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with farming and with the land, the eaters suffer a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous.

Like industrial sex, industrial eating has become a degraded, poor, and paltry thing. Our kitchens and other eating places more and more resemble filling stations, as our homes more and more resemble motels. “Life is not very interesting,” we seem to have decided.

“Let its satisfactions be minimal, perfunctory, and fast.” We hurry through our meals to go to work and hurry through our work in order to “recreate” ourselves in the evenings and on weekends. And all this is carried out in a remarkable obliviousness to the causes and

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effects, the possibilities and the purposes, of the life of the body in this world.

transaction between him and a supplier and then as a purely appetitive transaction between him and his food.

One will find this obliviousness represented in virgin purity in the advertisements of the food industry, in which food wears as much makeup as the actors. If one gained one’s whole knowledge of food from these advertisements (as some presumably do), one would not know that the various edibles were ever living creatures, or that they all come from the soil, or that they were produced by work. The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared food, confronts inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived. The products of nature and agriculture have been made, to all appearances, the products of industry. Both eater and eaten are thus in exile from biological reality. And the result is a kind of solitude, unprecedented in human experience, in which the eater may think of eating as, first, a purely commercial

And this peculiar specialization of the act of eating is, again, of obvious benefit to the food industry, which has good reasons to obscure the connection between food and farming. It would not do for the consumer to know that the hamburger she is eating came from a steer who spent much of his life standing deep in his own excrement in a feedlot, helping to pollute the local streams, or that the calf that yielded the veal cutlet on her plate spent its life in a box in which it did not have room to turn around. And, though her sympathy for the slaw might be less tender, she should not be encouraged to meditate on the hygienic and biological implications of mile-square fields of cabbage, for vegetables grown in huge monocultures are dependent on toxic chemicals—just as animals in close confinements are dependent on antibiotics and other drugs.

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The consumer, that is to say, must be kept from discovering that, in the food industry—as in any other industry—the overriding concerns are not quality and health, but volume and price. For decades

the entire industrial food economy has been obsessed with volume.

It has relentlessly increased scale in order (probably) to reduce costs.

But as scale increases, diversity declines; so does health; and dependence on drugs and chemicals increases. Capital replaces labor by substituting machines, drugs, and chemicals for human workers and for the natural health and fertility of the soil. The food is produced by any means or any shortcuts that will increase profits. And the business of the cosmeticians of advertising is to persuade the consumer that food so produced is good, tasty, healthful, and a guarantee of marital fidelity and long life.

It is possible, then, to be liberated from the husbandry and wifery of the old household food economy, but only by entering a trap (unless one sees ignorance and helplessness as the signs of privilege, as many apparently do). How does one escape this trap? Only voluntarily, the same way one went in: by restoring one’s consciousness of what is involved in eating; by reclaiming responsibility for one’s own part in the food economy. One might begin with the illuminating principle of Sir Albert Howard’s The Soil and Health, that we should under-

stand “the whole problem of health in soil, plant, animal, and man as one great subject.” Eaters, that is, must understand that eating takes place inescapably in the world, that it is inescapably an agricultural act, and how we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used. This is a simple way of describing a relationship that is inexpressibly complex. To eat responsibly is to understand and enact, so far as we can, this complex relationship. What can one do? Here is a list, probably not definitive:

1. Participate in food production to the extent that you can. If you have a yard or even just a porch box or a pot in a sunny window, grow something to eat in it. Make a little compost of your kitchen scraps and use it for fertilizer. Only by growing some food for yourself can you become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to seed to flower to fruit to food to offal to decay, and around again. You will be fully responsible for any food that you grow for yourself, and you will know all about it. You will appreciate it fully, having known it all its life.

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2. Prepare your own food. This means reviving in your own mind and life the arts of kitchen and household. This should enable you to eat more cheaply, and will give you a measure of “quality control.�

3. Learn the origins of the food you buy, and buy the food that is produced closest to your home. The idea that every locality should be, as much as possible, the source of its own food makes several kinds of sense. The locally produced food supply is the most secure, freshest, and the easiest for local consumers to know about and to influence.

4. Whenever possible, deal directly with a local farmer, gardener, or orchardist. All the reasons listed for the previous suggestion apply here. In addition, by such dealing you eliminate the whole pack of merchants, transporters, processors, packagers, and advertisers who thrive at the expense of both producers and consumers.

5. Learn, in self-defense, as much as you can of the economy and technology of industrial food production.

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What is added to the food that is not food, and what do you pay for those additions?

6. Learn what is involved in the best farming and gardening.

7. Learn as much as you can, by direct observation and experience if possible, of the life histories of the food species.

The last suggestion seems particularly important to me. Many people are now as much estranged from the lives of domestic plants and animals (except for flowers and dogs and cats) as they are from the lives of the wild ones. This is regrettable, for there is such pleasure in knowing them. And farming, animal husbandry, horticulture, and gardening, at their best, are complex and comely arts; there is much pleasure in knowing them, too.

It follows that there is great displeasure in knowing about a food economy that degrades and abuses those arts and those plants and animals and the soil from which they come. For anyone who does know something of the modern history of food, eating away from

home can be a chore. My own inclination is to eat seafood instead of red meat or poultry when I am traveling. Though I am by no means a vegetarian, I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable in order to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade. And I am getting almost as fussy about food plants. I like to eat vegetables and fruits that I know have lived happily and healthily in good soil, not the products of the huge, bechemicaled factoryfields that I have seen, for example, in the Central Valley of California. The industrial farm is said to have been patterned on the factory production line. In practice, it looks more like a concentration camp.

The pleasure of eating should be an extensive pleasure, not that of the mere gourmet. People who know the garden in which their vegetables have grown and know that the garden is healthy and remember the beauty of the growing plants, perhaps in the dewy first light of morning when gardens are at their best. Such a memory is one of the pleasures of eating. The knowledge of the good health of the garden relieves and frees and comforts the eater. The same goes for eating meat. The thought of the good pasture and of the calf contentedly grazing flavors the steak. Some, I know, will think of it as bloodthirsty or worse to eat a fellow creature you have known all its life. On the contrary, I think it means that you eat with understanding and with gratitude. A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one’s accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes. The pleasure of eating, then, may be the best available standard of our health. And this pleasure, I think, is pretty fully available to the urban consumer who will make the necessary effort.

Wendell Berry, born 1934, is a Kentucky-based writer and farmer who believes the good life includes sustainable agriculture, healthy rural communities, connection to place, the pleasures of good food, husbandry, good work, local economics, the miracle of life, fidelity, frugality, and the interconnectedness of life.

“The Pleasures of Eating” from What Are People For? by Wendell Berry. Copyright (c) 1990 by Wendell Berry. Reprinted by permission of North Point Press, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

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I

n North Kohala on the Big Island, Fara Boisvert of Sage Farms sells her locally grown produce twice weekly, at the Hāwī farmers’ market and near the local hardware store. Her sweet potatoes, hefty indigo-fleshed tubers coming in around a pound each, sell swiftly to hungry fellow community members.

A few miles south, Stanford University ecologist Peter Vitousek, PhD, and his team are into sweet potatoes as well. They grow them to understand how ancient Hawaiian communities fed themselves and have been exploring an agricultural field system of about 25 square miles dating back to the 1200s. It appears that for hundreds of years, while the Hawaiian population was expanding, Hawaiians farmed sweet potatoes or `uala in this area, vast amounts, intensively.

“The early Polynesians were fantastic farmers,” says Vitousek. “They were able to develop and sustain intensive agricultural systems in tropical environments that are very difficult to farm.” Indeed, there’s evidence elsewhere that Hawaiian farmers would fill even leeward lava cavities with organic matter for sweet potato cultivation.

Sweet Potatoes: The complex flavors of an island staple.

BY SOPHIA V. SCHWEITZER

Further down along the coast and on neighbor islands a culinary community thrives, centered around chefs who merge Hawai`i’s heritage of farming into contemporary tastes. Chefs statewide love sweet potatoes for their flavor, creamy texture and bright color. They transform them into edible art, ravioli, gnocchi, pie.

But it wasn’t always this way in the islands. In the late 1970s, you might have found Ipomoea batatas, a relative of the morning glory, only by digging around rural family plots. There’s a gap in history, when sweet potato rooted only underground.

Ancient Hawai`i Polynesian voyagers from the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific, the first Hawaiians may have arrived in the islands as early as 300 A.D. They brought with them on their canoes a variety of about 24 to 30 agricultural plants, among them `uala. Their agricultural effort gave rise to a new pantheon of gods: In the oral traditions that trace the genealogy of the Hawaiian people, North Kohala with its fertile soil became the domain of Kamapua`a, the pig-god who craved `uala. Food production began driving settlement patterns. When Kohala developed the field system that Vitousek studies, a dense population established itself. Kohala became a powerful district.

Today we know that sweet potatoes are packed with phytonutrients.

The plant is a good source of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Orange- and purple-fleshed varieties are rich in antioxi-

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dants. The Hawaiians understood this intuitively. They ate the tender tips of sweet potato vines and young leaves, boiled or raw.

Families roasted or steamed the tubers alongside other foods in earth oven pits or imu. They made a steamed pudding of mashed sweet potato and coconut cream, even an `uala beer. Sweet potato also served as medicine.

But then came radical change. In the wake of Captain James Cook’s arrival in the islands in 1778, the lifestyle of the native planters was largely destroyed.

The era of sugar plantations By the late 1800s, sugar cane plantations dominated the islands.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrant plantation laborers, largely from Asia, brought their own culinary diversity. They planted small gardens with foods from home such as bitter melon, star fruit and a variety of choys. And sweet potatoes. Easy to grow, delivering harvests within a mere four to five months after planting, the tuber had long been established in their countries back home.

Responsive to stream-rich valley conditions, rice emerged as a major crop. The polished grain sent the homely root quietly to the back burner. While several sweet potato varietals had grown dominant, including the purple Okinawan type, from then on the tubers were considered a peasants’ food. Upscale plantation cookbooks didn’t even bother with recipes for them.

When sugar phased out in the decades following World War II, plantation workers eventually had to find new employment in the budding tourist industry. For the first time in island history, agriculture seemed without a future. Figuratively and literally, the Hawaiian and ethnic populations in the islands became disconnected from their roots. The new beachside resort menus featured an imitation of continental cuisine relying on frozen items. Farmlands lay fallow.

New Culinary Interest Fortunate for `uala, a cultural turn-around occurred. Spurred by the successful cross-Pacific sailing of a voyaging canoe built in traditional Hawaiian ways, the Hōkūle`a, a renewed interest in the culture and traditions of the people of Hawai`i began in the 1970s.

Young Hawaiian farmers began planting canoe crops again. In 1991, Hui o Laulima, which took the lead in promoting Okinawan culture, put out a series of recipe contests to encourage interest in the use of the Okinawan purple sweet potato. Although the project took nine years, sweet potato returned to local family tables. Back came sweet potato croquettes, stews and breads and specialties such WWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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as mashed sweet potatoes with condensed milk or freshly grated ginger, or topped with roasted sesame seeds.

A group of inspired young chefs caught on. In the late 1980s, they began promoting a new cooking style named Hawai`i Regional Cuisine (HRC): “We deliberately attempted to revitalize and build on the skill and product of existing or dormant agriculture in Hawai`i,” says Chef Peter Merriman, whose pioneering HRC namesake restaurant in Waimea on the Big Island celebrates its 24th anniversary in 2012. Locally grown. Local agriculture. Sweet potatoes on the menu. The concept was exciting, risky, huge. HRC added its own twist to old recipes and infused island agriculture with new possibility.

Planting for the future So where are we today? Statewide, sweet potatoes were estimated at a record-high commercial production of 8.1 million pounds in 2008, up 14% from 2007. Farm value came in just below $4.8 million, which accounts for 20% of the total value of the state’s 19 most prominent diversified crops. About 90% of today’s sweet potato production in Hawai`i occurs on the Hāmākua Coast of the Big Island, where the purple Okinawan varietal thrives. Hawai`i’s diverse communities are united in their appreciation of `uala.

Questions remain about varietals, however. There may be as many as 3,000 cultivars worldwide today, many of which are indigenous to the Pacific islands. The problem is, sweet potato is a hexaploid: Hybrids form all the time, making clear distinctions sketchy. A lack of historical records complicates the count. Kahanu Garden on Maui, part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, specializes in conserving and perpetuating the survival and cultural knowledge of the Hawaiian canoe plants. It cultivates about 20 cultivars, which may share genetics with the 200-some varietals that are thought to have grown in Hawai`i before the arrival of western ships. The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa (CTAHR), lists eight cultivars recommended for planting.

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Kamaui Aiona, a Hawaiian ethnobotanist and Kahanu Garden’s director, says that we probably can’t ever know for sure which varietals might have thrived in the islands centuries ago. “Even definitive identification of our current selection is problematic,” he says. “But what’s exciting is that this is a living culture, a continuum. There is new interest. We are discovering things. It comes down to building our future by taking better care of what our ancestors left us.”

Isolated Moloka`i grows three varietals, taking the best of old and new. Besides a common orange and a reddish-purple-skinned varietal, it produces a red-skinned potato with deep-purple flesh, known colloquially as Mokuau Purple. This latter one was first developed by the Mokuau family in 1978. Sweet potato farmer Lynn Decoite of L&R Farms, a Mokuau granddaughter, has been growing all three varieties since 2001 and has been branding her family crop avidly. L&R crunchy chips are munched nationwide.

One thing is certain in all the new developments: On the top of Hawai`i’s current leadership agendas is greater food self-reliance. “And sweet potato is an integral component of Hawai`i’s future food security,” says Scot Nelson, PhD, who teaches at CTAHR. “The crop is extremely nutritious, yields are high, harvests can be delayed, and the sweet potatoes can be stored for a long period of time.”

One tuber, farm, botanist, scientist and chef at a time, the Hawaiian Islands are bringing sweet potatoes back. They are a mirror of island culture, a symbol of modern sustainable island agriculture, a deeply connected food. Western sweet potato fries, Japanese mochi or imubaked, if history says anything about the future, Hawai`i and its sweet potato will always be inextricably entwined.

Sophie’s Baked Sweet Potatoes Tossed in a seasoned marinade and baked slowly, sweet potatoes blossom in sweetness while retaining creamy moistness.

Use a glass or earthenware deep baking dish.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (½-inch cubes) 2 tablespoons olive oil or macadamia nut oil 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped 2 teaspoons rice or balsamic vinegar (mild) Salt and fresh back pepper to taste Dash of ginger beer

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large mixing bowl, toss diced sweet potato with oil, rosemary, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add a dash of ginger beer, enough so that the potatoes are fully moistened and a thin layer of moisture can gather at the bottom of the baking dish.

Cover dish tightly with foil. Place in preheated oven. Immediately lower temperature to 350° F. Bake for 40 minutes. Check for doneness. If the potatoes are still hard, and the dish is drying out, add water, stir the potatoes, cover tightly again and continue to bake. Serves 4.

Note: If you have a clay ovenproof container like a Römertopf, use it! The potatoes will be even creamier. Make sure to follow clay dish baking instructions.

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Book Review

BY G. NATALE

Aloha Tofu Cookbook Featuring Peko Nishimura with contributions from Misa Uyehara.

In 1950, Kamesaburo and Tsuruko Uyehara took over a friend’s tofu factory. Normally it would take a lifetime to master the art of tofu making, but Kamesaburo had only a week to learn everything not only about tofu, but also how to keep the business running. Aloha Tofu was built on the belief that the people of Hawai`i deserve the freshest tofu possible, and the company uses non-GMO soybeans.

I love this book, which explains every which way to prepare tofu, as well as its history. Recipes include tofu donuts, tofu poke, spring rolls, variations on tofu burgers, just to name a few. Throughout the book there are tips from Peko, mahalo Peko. Be sure also to read the messages in the front of the book, including one from Chef Sam Chow. I also love that this book is in English and Japanese; this was done to broaden the appeal of western ingredients to Japanese and Japanese ingredients to westerners. Throughout the book there are explanations to familiarize the reader with ingredients they may not recognize. Congratulations to all at Aloha Tofu as they celebrate their 60th anniversary.

Located at 961 Akepo Lane, Honolulu, HI 96817; 808-845-2669 Available at a bookseller near you. $16.95 Published by: Mutual Publishing

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edible HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

LOCAL DINING GUIDE Restaurants are chosen for this dining guide because of their emphasis on using local, seasonal ingredients in their menus, creating a distinctly Hawaiian Islands Experience. — Let them know we sent you. Aloha!

O`ahu 12th Ave Grill An Award Winning Neighborhood Gem offering the Ripeness of the Season and the Best of Hawai`i’s farms and ranches. Wine list, unique microbrew beers and scratch bar cocktails are the perfect pairings for any palate. Warm service in a Bistro style complement this serious Contemporary American Cooking. Reservations 732.9469. www.12thavegrill.com. Follow us on Twitter @12thavenuegrillnow

EAT Honolulu Chef David Passanisi serves up Hawaiian Regional Cuisine in his own fantastic Rustic Gourmet way. Our unique private dining concept includes EAT-ATE-TAE, a 24 course Seasonal Deconstruction and EATnPrivate, which seats up to 14 people, available by reservations only. We incorporate as much locally made and produced items as possible and work with all styles of cuisines. www.EATHonolulu.com

Town — Eat the change you want to see in the world. www.townkaimuki.com • www.slowdowntown.com

V Lounge keeps the craft of the pizzaiolo alive. We adhere to the principles of any great pizzaiolo; “Never take shortcuts and make the pizza the way that it is supposed to be made.” The final product is the same type of pizza and flavors that you would get in Naples. Open Mon-Sat, 5pm-4am.

808-953-0007 www.vloungehawaii.com

Maui Flatbread Company — Fresh, local, organic, salads, authentic wood-fire handmade, locally grown produce, micro beers, martini’s & mojito’s, open daily Sun-Thur 11:30-10PM FRI & SAT 11:3011PM (808)579-8989 Located at 89 Hana Hwy Paia www.flatbreadcompany.com - Like us on Facebook Lahaina Grill features innovative New American cuisine that uses the freshest ingredients from Maui’s local farms, dairies and surrounding waters.

Voted “Best Maui Restaurant” for eighteen consecutive years by HONOLULU Magazine readers’ poll (1994-2011), Lahaina Grill delivers impeccable service and a delicious meal. Open nightly from 6pm, 127 Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina, www.lahainagrill.com, reservations recommended (808) 6675117

Mala Ocean Tavern: Fantastic Ocean View. Chef Mark Ellman and his wife Judy, and daughters, Michelle & Ariana make Mala a family business.

Farm fresh organic foods, Mark has been delighting Maui for 25+ years along with his other restaurants, Avalon, Maui Tacos, & Penne Pasta Cafe. Remember to Practice Aloha. 834 Front Street Lahaina (808) 667-9394 M-F 11am-10pm, Sat/Sun 9am-9pm Chef Mark Ellman presents Mala Wailea - offering stunning sunset vistas over the Pacific. Mala upholds a tradition of organic, healthy, fresh, and delicious food. Authentic menu of Mediterranean and Pacific Rim cuisine, award winning beautifully crafted dishes will please the palates of revered guests.

Breakfast & Dinner (808) 875-9394 Located inside

Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop features casual family style dining in a comfortable plantation era atmosphere. Our glorified comfort food menu includes an assortment of handcrafted sandwiches, pizzas, and salads, daily specials and of course, sweet and savory pies. Located at 820 Olowalu Village Road off of Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina - we are open 7 days a week from 10:30am until 8:30pm, call us at (808) 662-3600 or visit us online at www.leodas.com.

Market Fresh Bistro – Global Influence – Local Ingredients. We are striving to be the global platform showcasing Hawai`i’s finest produce & products. The Slow Food style of our restaurant is European, what makes it Hawaiʻian are our ingredients & Aloha Spirit. Breakfast & Lunch Tuesday thru Saturday, Farm Dinner Thursday, A la carte Dinner Friday & Saturday, Sunday Brunch . 3620 Baldwin Ave. Makawao (808) 572-4877

Star Noodle, an intimate restaurant blending many flavors across Asia. Specializing in a variety of house made noodles and inventive Asian share plates served in a contemporary stylish setting. Open 7 days a week for Lunch and Dinner at the top of Lahaina Business Park at 286 Kupuohi Street in Lahaina. (808)667-5400

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Kaua`i 22 north — Farm to table on a Farm We feature dishes created with the vegetables, fruit and herbs from the on-site farms here at Kilohana Plantation. Kaua`i-grown meats, produce and fresh fish paired with condiments and flavors from around the world. Check out our unique ‘farm-to-bar’ cocktail list. $10 2 course lunch, and $25 3 course dinner specials. 245-9593. 22northkauai.com

Bar Acuda: Kaua`i’s coolest place to relax with friends and share a tapas menu filled with locally sourced ingredients. You know it’s going to be a fun evening as soon as you walk in the door. The atmosphere is welcoming. The bar area is cool, with a large-screen TV showing anything from Blue Planet series to old B&W movies. In Hanalei Town 808-826-7081 The Hanalei Dolphin has greeted visitor and local alike as they enter the town of Hanalei. Both the restaurant and fishmarket are known for the freshest fish caught by local fisherman, produce grown by local farmers and a second-to-none ambiance; one can enjoy a peaceful riverside lunch on umbrella shaded tables, outstanding dinner fare in a nostalgic tropical setting or just hang out in the stylish, world class sushi lounge. 5-5015 Kuhio Hwy, at the entrance of Hanalei 808-826-6113 www.hanaleidolphin.com At Hukilau Lanai we love our local farmers & fishermen! Being in business for nine years, we can’t imagine life without them. We strive to use the finest ingredients & products from Kaua`i and the neighbor islands. Join us for dinner Tuesday Sunday, from 5-9pm for casual, ocean view dining.

We offer a 5 course tasting menu from 5-5:45 daily.

822-0600

Kaua`i Grill — A comfortable yet elegant hideaway—Kaua`i Grill is the latest in creative dining experiences from Michelin awarded Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Featuring a selection of signature appetizers, side dishes and accompaniments from his portfolio of domestic and international restaurants.

Kaua`i Grill opened from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Closed Sunday and Monday. For reservations contact The St. Regis Princeville Resort at 808826-9644 or www.stregisprinceville.com.

Lighthouse Bistro has been serving the North Shore of Kaua`i great food and live entertainment in an open air Hawaiian plantation garden setting since 1999. We pride ourselves on using fresh local produce and ingredients to create a unique European, pacific rim, fusion menu. Serving Lunch, Dinner and Happy Hour daily On the way to the Lighthouse. 808-828-0480 2484 Keneke Street, Kilauea, Hawai`i 96754. www.lighthousebistro.com

Makana Terrace Restaurant — Dining at the Makana Terrace Restaurant is a culinary journey that embraces island lifestyle and farm to table cuisine.

Enjoy weekly culinary experiences such as the Mailani Dinner Show on Thursdays or an evening dedicated to Hawaiian seafood and vegetables with tropical marinades and exotic spices. Open from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. For reservations contact The St. Regis Princeville Resort at 808-826-9644 or www.stregisprinceville.com.

Postcards Café’ — Casual/ Fine Dining in Hanalei We’re big on buying locally for our seafood and vegetarian restaurant. But we also grow our own organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, like garlic chives and basil. Our fresh, delectable dinners have made us one of Kaua`i’s top restaurants - for 15 years!

Open nightly from 6:00. Entering Hanalei, we’re first on the left. Reservations for 4 or more: 826.1191.

The Garden at Common Ground on Kaua`i’s north shore, provides fresh, healthy and locally acquired organic and natural foods that are prepared daily into delicious meals with all recipes from scratch at a great value. The dining environment is quaint and beautiful providing views of the fields where the daily harvest comes from for your meals.

Open for breakfast and lunch daily. Weekend brunch 4900 Kuawa Rd, Kilauea Hi 96754, 808-8281041 www.commongroundkauai.net Tidepools Open-air bungalows seemingly floating over tropical lagoons at the base of a waterfall provide Kauai’s most distinctive dining setting.

With contemporary Hawaiian fare inspired by the rich traditions and natural ingredients of Hawaii, tantalizing selections pay homage to the classics while creating fresh new taste sensations. The exceptional service, atmosphere and delicacies will wow you. Located at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. Call 808.240.6456 for reservations.

Hawai`i Island Experience the charm of Old Hawai`i at Cafe Pesto, Hilo Bay or a wonderful alternative to the resorts at Kawaihae. A family restaurant with a reputation for fresh, creative, affordable cuisine featuring local seafood and beef, exotic pizzas, eclectic salads, Asian inspired pastas and risottos.

Open daily from 11:00AM to 9:00PM. Ph: (808)8821071 in Kawaihae or (808) 969-6640 in Hilo. www.cafepesto.com

Living Foods Market and Café’ — The market’s cafe’-style restaurant offers a simple European-style menu; from poached eggs, grilled panini, pizzettas & crepes to Nicoise salads, and roasted chicken to enjoy on a 1,000+-sq ft open air deck. The cafe’ also roasts their own coffee on-site, with beans from each of the Hawaiian islands, and fresh fruit agua fresca throughout the day. Daily 8am to 8pm. In Kukui`ula Village 808-742-2323

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Advertising in this directory is by invitation.

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farmers’ Markets Kaua`i Farmers’ Markets SATURDAY Kaua`i Community Market At Kaua`i Community College Front Parking Lot (across from Grove Farm) • 9:30 am – 1:pm Kekaha Neighborhood Center (Sunshine Markets) Elepaio Road, Kekaha • 9 a.m.

A local tip: Get there early!

Pahoa Farmers’ Market Luquin’s/Akebono Theater parking lot 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

FRIDAY

Makuu Farmers’ Market Keaau-Pahoa bypass road • 8 a.m.–2 p.m.

Vidinha Stadium (Sunshine Markets) Hoolako Road, Lihue • 3 p.m.

Volcano Farmers’ Market Cooper Center, Wright Rd., Volcano 6:30–9 a.m.

Hawai`i Island Farmers’ Markets

South Kona Green Market At the Amy Greenwell, Ethnobotanical Garden Captain Cook • 9 a.m. – I pm

SATURDAY Hanalei Saturday Market Hanalei • 10 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

MONDAY Koloa Ball Park (Knudsen) (Sunshine Markets) Maluhia Road, Koloa • Noon Kukui Grove Shopping Center Lihue • 3 p.m.

TUESDAY Coconut Marketplace 4-484 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaa • 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Kalaheo Neighborhood Center (Sunshine Markets) Papalina Road off Kaumualii, Kalaheo • 3:30 p.m.

Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei Waipa, Hanalei • 2 p.m.

WEDNESDAY Kapa`a New Town Park (Sunshine Markets) Kahau Road, Kapa`a • 3 p.m.

Kaua`i Culinary Market 4:00pm – 6:00pm Kukui`ula Village, Po`ipu In Conjunction w/ Kaua`i County Farm Bureau

THURSDAY Coconut Marketplace 4-484 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaa • 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Hanapepe Park (Sunshine Markets) Old Hanapepe Town • 3 p.m.

SUNDAY

Kilauea Neighborhood Center (Sunshine Markets) Keneke off Lighthouse Road, Kilauea • 4:30 p.m.

Keauhou Farmers’ Market Keauhou Shopping Center, Keauhou 8a.m. – 12 noon

TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS Kekela Farms Organic Farmers Mkt 64-604 Mana Road, Waimea, HI 808-887-0023 • Tues. & Fri. 2:00-5:00pm 100% organic

Kino`ole Farmers’ Market Kino`ole Shopping Plaza 1990 Kino`ole St., Hilo • 7 a.m.-noon

WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

Space Farmers’ Market Space Performing Arts Center 12-247 West Pohakupele Loop Pahoa, HI 96778 • Sat. 8:00a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Waikoloa Village Farmers’ Market Waikoloa Community Church across from Waikoloa Elementary School 7:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

North Kohala Across from Hawi Post Office, under banyan tree • 7 a.m.–noon Waimea Town Market At Parker School, 65-1224 Lindsey Road Waimea/Kamuela HI 96743 Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm.

Waimea Hawaiian Homestead Farmers’ Market Mamalahoa Hwy., 2 miles east of Waimea town 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Honokaa Farmers’ Market Honokaa town near Honokaa Trading Co. Hilo Farmers’ Market

Corner of Mamo and Kamehameha Ave., downtown Hilo • Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

WEDNESDAYS Naalehu Farmers’ Market Ace Hardware lawn • 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Waimea Mid-Week Farmer’s Market Anna Ranch • 12:30 P.M. – 5:30 p.m.

O`ahu Farmers’ Markets SATURDAYS Banyan Court Mall (People’s Open Market) 800 North King Street, Honolulu • 6:15–7:30 a.m.

Kaumualii Street (People’s Open Market) at Kalihi Street, Honolulu • 8:15–9:30 a.m.

Kalihi Valley District Park (People’s Open Market) 1911 Kam IV Road, Honolulu • 10–10:45 a.m.

Salt Lake Municipal Lot (People’s Open Market) 5337 Likini Street, Honolulu • 11:15a.m. –Noon

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Manoa Marketplace Honolulu • 7–11 a.m.

Hawai`i Kai Park-n-Ride (People’s Open Market) 300 Keahole Street, Honolulu • 1–2 p.m.

North Shore Country Market at Sunset Sunset Beach Elementary School, Haleiwa 8 a.m. –2 p.m.

The Saturday Farmers’ Market at Kapiolani Community College Campus 4303 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu 7:30–11 a.m.

Waialua Farmers’ Market Waialua Sugar Mill • 8:30 a.m. –Noon

Country Market & Craft Fair Waimanalo Homestead Community Center 1330 Kalanianaole Hwy. • 9 a.m.–4p.m.

Waianae Framers’ Market Waianae High School, 85-251 Farrington Hwy 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

MONDAYS Manoa Valley District Park (People’s Open Market) 2721 Kaaipu Avenue, Honolulu • 6:45–7:45 a.m.

Hawai`i Kai Town Center Kalanianaole Highway at Keahole Street, Honolulu • 7:30 a.m. –3 p.m.

Makiki District Park (People’s Open Market) 1527 Keeaumoku Street, Honolulu 8:30–9:30 a.m.

Waianae Framers’ Market Makaha Resort, 84-626 Makaha Valley Road Waianae, 808-848-2074 1st and 3rd Sat of the month 7:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Mother Waldron Park (People’s Open Market) 525 Coral Street, Honolulu 10:15–11 a.m.

City Hall Parking Lot Deck (People’s Open Market) Alapai & Beretania Street, Honolulu 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

SUNDAYS Hale`iwa Farmers’ Market The Heart of Hale`iwa Traffic Signal @ Kamehameha Hwy. & Cane Haul Rd. Next to the North Shore Marketplace (free parking) • 9am.-1pm.

Kapolei Community Park (People’s Open Market) 91-1049 Kamaaha Loop, Kapolei • 7–8:30 a.m.

Royal Kunia Park-n-Ride (People’s Open Market) Kupuna Lp/Kupohi Street, Waipahu 9:30–11 a.m.

Waikele Community Park (People’s Open Market) Waipahu • 11:30 a.m. –12:30 p.m.

The Mililani Sunday Farmers’ Market at Mililani High School 95-1200 Meheula Parkway, Mililani High School Parking Lot • 8 a.m. –Noon

Hawai`i Kai Town Center Kalanianaole Highway at Keahole Street, Honolulu • 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

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Fort Street near Wilcox Park Honolulu (in front of Macy’s) • 8 a.m.–2 p.m.

Manoa Marketplace Honolulu • 7–11 a.m.

Waikiki Farmers’ Market Waikiki Community Center Parking Lot 7 a.m.–1 p.m.

WEDNESDAYS Palolo Valley District Park (People’s Open Market) 2007 Palolo Avenue, Honolulu • 6:30–7:30 a.m. .

Old Stadium Park (People’s Open Market) 2237 South King Street, Honolulu 8:15–9:15 a.m.

Queen Kapiolani Park (People’s Open Market) Monsarrat and Paki Street, Honolulu 10–11 a.m.

Hawai`i Kai Towne Center Kalanianaole Highway at Keahole Street, Honolulu • 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

TUESDAYS

Honolulu Farmers’ Market at Neal Blaisdell Center, Local Bounty 808-848-2074 • 4:00-7:00 pm

Waiau District Park (People’s Open Market) 98-1650 Kaahumanu Street, Pearl City 6:30–7:30 a.m.

Waialua Farmers’ Co-Op At the Sugar Mill • 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Waipahu District Park (People’s Open Market) 94-230 Paiwa Street, Waipahu • 8:15–9:15 a.m.

Wahiawa District Park (People’s Open Market) N. Cane & California Avenue, Wahiawa 10–11 a.m.

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Mililani District Park (People’s Open Market) 94-1150 Lanikuhana Avenue, Mililani 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

THURSDAYS Waimanalo Beach Park (People’s Open Market 41-741 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo 7:15–8:15 a.m.

Kailua District Park (People’s Open Market) 21 South Kainalu Drive, Kailua • 9–10 a.m.

Kaneohe District Park (People’s Open Market) 45-660 Keaahala Road, Kaneohe 10:45–11:45 a.m.

Manoa Marketplace Honolulu • 7–11 a.m.

The Kailua Thursday Night Farmers’ Market Kailua town 5–7:30 p.m. behind Longs on Kailua Road

FRIDAYS Halawa District Park (People’s Open Market) 99-795 Iwaiwa Street • 7–8 a.m.

Ewa Beach Community Park (People’s Open Market) 91-955 North Road, Ewa Beach • 9–10 a.m.

Pokai Bay Beach Park (People’s Open Market) 85-037 Pokai Bay Road, Waianae 11–11:45 a.m.

Fort Street near Wilcox Park Honolulu (In front of Macy’s) • 8 a.m. –2 p.m.

Waikiki Farmers’ Market Waikiki Community Center Parking Lot 7 a.m. –1 p.m.

Hana Fresh Farmer’s Market 4590 Hana Hwy, in Hana • 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

SUNDAY

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Honokowai 3636 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Kahana (Lahaina) • 7–11 a.m.

Kula Country Farms Kula Hwy at Kekaulike Ave, Kula • 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Hana Health 4590 Hana Hwy, Hana • 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Hana Health 4590 Hana Hwy, Hana • 9a.m. - 2p.m.

Ono Organic Farms Across from Hasagawa Store, Hana 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Ono Organic Farms Across from Hasagawa Store, Hana 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

THURSDAY

MONDAY

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei 61 Kihei Rd, Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei • 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei 61 Kihei Rd, Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei • 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Hana Health 4590 Hana Hwy, Hana • 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Honokowai 3636 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Kahana (Lahaina) • 7a.m.–11 a.m.

Ono Organic Farms Across from Hasagawa Store, Hana 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Hana Health 4590 Hana Hwy, Hana • 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Ono Organic Farms Across from Hasagawa Store, Hana 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

FRIDAY Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei 61 Kihei Rd, Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei • 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

TUESDAY

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Honokowai 3636 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Kahana (Lahaina) • 7–11 a.m.

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei 61 Kihei Rd, Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei • 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Hana Health 4590 Hana Hwy, Hana • 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Kula Country Farms Kula Hwy at Kekaulike Ave, Kula • 11 a.m. – 4 pm

Hana Health 4590 Hana Hwy, Hana • 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Lana`i Farmers’ Market

Maui Swap Meet University of Hawaii, Maui College 310 Ka`aumanu Ave in Kahului 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Ono Organic Farms Across from Hasagawa Store, Hana 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Lana`i Market Place Dole Park • 8 a.m.-1p.m.

Upcountry Farmer’s Market Kula Malu Shopping center 55 Kiopaa Street in Pukalani • 7 a.m. – 12 Noon

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei 61 Kihei Rd, Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei • 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Maui Farmers’ Markets SATURDAY

Lipoa Street Farmers Market 95 Lipoa Street in Kihei • 8 a.m. – 12 Noon

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY

Moloka`i Farmers’ Market SATURDAY Ala Malama Street Kaunakakai • 7a.m.-1p.m.

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advertiser directory This Directory is meant to help you quickly find our supporters listed by island, enjoy and let them know we sent you. Aloha

Kaua`i 22 North 3-2087 Kaumualii Hwy. Lihue 808-245-9593 • www.22northkauai.com Anahola Granola www.anaholagranola.com Aunty Lilikoi 9875 Waimea Rd., Waimea 866-545-4564 • www.auntylilikoi.com Bar Acuda Restaurant Reservations: 808-826-7081 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy Hanalei, Kaua`i www.restaurantbaracuda.com Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa www.grandhayattkauai.com Hanalei Dolphin 5-5016 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kaua`i 808-826-6113 Harvest Market Hanalei 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kaua`i 808-826-0089 Healthy Hut On the way to Kilauea Lighthouse 808-828-6626 • www.healthyhutkauai.com Hendrikus Organics 808-828-0099 • www.hendrikusorganics.com Hukilau Lanai Kapa`a Coast Resort Kapa`a Kaua`i Reservations Recommended 808-822-0600 • www.hukilaukauai.com Java Kai Kapaa 4-1384 Kuhio Hwy 808-823-6887 • www.javakaihawaii.com Kauai Grown Kauai County Farm Bureau 808-337-9944 • kcfb@hawaiiantel.net www.kauaigrown.org

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Kilauea Fish Market 4270 Kilauea Rd., Kilauea, Kaua`i 808-828-6244

The Shops at Kukui`ula Poipu Roundabout at Kalanikaumaka 808-742-9545

Kilauea Town Market 2474 Keneke St., Kilauea, Kaua`i 808-828-1512

The Wine Garden 4495 Puhi Road, Lihue 808-245-5766 • www.kauaiwinegarden.com

Koloa Rum Company 808-246-8900 • www.koloarum.com

O`ahu

Kukui`ula Village Kaua`i Culinary Market Po`ipu Roundabout at Kalanikaumaka 808-742-9545 • www.kukuiulavillage.com

EATHonolulu Gentry Pacific Design Center (808) 538-0597 • www.EATHonolulu.com

Living Foods Market Kukui`ula Village Po`ipu (on the south side) 808-742-2323 • www.livingfoodskauai.com

Farm Credit Services Of Hawai`i, ACA 2850 Pa`a St. Ste 100, Honolulu 808-836-8009 • www.hawaiifarmcredit.com

Moloa`a Sunrise Fruit Stand Corner of Kuhio Hwy and Koolau Road * Phone orders welcome 808-822-1441

Hagadone Printing Co. 274 Puuhale Road, Honolulu, HI 96819 808-847-5310 • www.hagadoneprinting.com

Nani Moon Mead 4-939 D Kuhio Hwy 808-823-0486 • www.nanimoonmead.com

Honu Group Inc. 1001 Bishop Street, ASB Tower, Suite 2800 Honolulu, Hawai`i 96722 808-550-4449 • tabenoja@honugroup.com www.honugroup.com

Papaya’s Natural Foods & Café Kaua`i Village Shopping Center In the courtyard by the waterfall, Kapa`a, Kaua`i 808-823-0190 • www.papayasnaturalfoods.com Postcards Café Hanalei • 808-826-1191 Princeville Center 5-4280 Kuhio Highway, Princeville 808-826-9497 T. • 808-826-9850 F. www.princevillecenter.com Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts 808-346-2942 • info@saltywahine.com The Coconut Cup Juice Bar & Café At the Coral Reef Resort, Kapa`a 808-823-8630 • www.coconutcupjuicebar.com The Garden at Common Ground 4900 Kauwa Road, Kilauea 808-828-1041 www.commongroundkauai.net/thegarden

EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Kula Fields On O`ahu 808-281-6141 On Maui 808-280-6533 www.kulafields.com Town Kaimuki, 3435 Wai’alae Ave #103 808.735.5900 • www.townkaimuki.com Whole Foods Market Kahala Mall in Honolulu, 4211 Wai`alae Ave www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Maui Aloha Mixed Plate 1285 Front Street Lahaina (808) 661-3322 • www.alohamixedplate.com Chef Lulu Agan 808-633-6707 • www.luluscuisine.com

Chef Dan Fiske Private chef serving all islands 808-280-1138 • www.privatemauichef.com da Local Banana 808-283-9646 • www.dalocalbanana.com Chef Jana McMahon 808-281-8393 • www.chefjana.com

Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop 820 Olowalu Village Road • 808-662-3600 Malama Farms Berkshire Hog Farm 808-633-3959 • www.malamafarm.com

Whole Foods Market Maui Mall, 70 East Ka’ahumanu Ave 808-872-3310 • www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Hawai`i Island

Mala Ocean Tavern & Honu Restaurant 1307 Front Street, Lahaina 808-667-9394 • www.malaoceantavern.com

Café Pesto Hilo Bay 808-969-6640 Kawaihae 808-882-1071 www.cafepesto.com

Flatbread Pizza Company 89 Hana Hwy, Paia 808-579-8989 • www.flatbreadcompany.com

Maui Country Farm Tours 808-280-1621 • www.mauicountryfarmtours.com

Flavor Waves 808-276-0144 • info@flavorwaves.com

Maui County Farm Bureau www.mauicountyfarmbureau.com

Gourmet-Delights www.gourmet-delights.com

Maui Gelato 2395 South Kihei Rd. #120 808-280-3198 • www.mauigelatocompany.com

Kona Coffee and Tea Toll Free 888-873-2035 In Kona 329-6577 www.konacoffeeandtea.com

Guava, Gouda & Caviar In the Wailea Gateway 808-874-3930 www.guavagoudaandcaviar.com

MauiGrown Coffee 277 Lahainaluna Road, Lahina 808-661-2728 • www.MauiGrownCoffee.com

Original Hawaiian Chocolate 808-322-2626 • 888-447-2626 (toll free) www.ohcf.us

Hana Herbs & Flowers 808-248-7407 • www.hanaherbs.com

Maui Preserved 808-214-8780 • www.mauipreserved

Hawaii Islands Land Trust Buy Back The Beach Benefit 808-244-5263 • www.hilt.org

Maui Prime Fine Foods 142 Kupuohi St. #F7 Emerald Plaza (By Lahaina Gateway) 808-661-4912 • www.mauiprime.com

Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods 2411 South Kihei Road 808-875-4356 • www.hawaiianmoons.com Joel Katz M.S. 808-280-0722 • www.joelkatzmaui.com Kula Country Farms Kula Highway across from Rice Park, Kula 808-878-8318 Kula Fields On Maui 808-280-2099 On O`ahu 808-280-6533 www.kulafields.com Lahaina Grill 127 Lahainaluna Road, Lahaina 808-667-5117 • www.lahainagrill.com

Farm Credit Services of Hawai`i,ACA 988 Kinoole St., Hilo 808-836-8009 • www.hawaiifarmcredit.com

Moloka`i Coffees of Hawai`i Order on website www.coffeesofhawaii.com

National

Ocean Vodka 250 Alamaha St, S9, Kahului 808-877-0009 • www.oceanvodka.com

Slow Food Hawai`i Island Shelby Floyd • sfloyd@ahfi.com

Old Lahaina Luau 1251 Front Street, Lahaina 808-667-1998 • www.oldlahainaluau.com Ono Organic Farms 808-248-7779 • www.onofarms.com

Slow Food Kaua`i Shelby Floyd • sfloyd@ahfi.com Slow Food Maui Jana McMahon/Susan Teton info@slowfoodmaui.org www.slowfoodmaui.org

Star Noodle 808-667-5400 • www.starnoodle.com Surfing Goat Dairy 3651 Omaopio Rd., Kula 808-878-2870 • www.surfinggoatdairy.com

Slow Food O`ahu Laurie Carlson • laurie@honoluluweekly.com Slow Food Nation www.slowfoodnation.org

WWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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What Is It and How Do You Eat It

Bitter Melon Bitter Melon – momordica charantia; this fruit is most often eaten green or as it turns yellow, at this stage, it is crunchy and similar to cucumber or green pepper, but bitter. As this fruit ripens, it becomes even more bitter, however the pith becomes sweet and can be eaten uncooked.

Bitter Melon is a popular ingredient in Asian salads, stir-fries and soups.

Cut length-wise; remove seeds and pith, sprinkle with salt and place in colander to drain for 15 minutes, pat dry. Use in stir -fry, also great with black bean dishes.

Send us your favorite Bitter Melon Recipe.

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EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS