edible Hawaiian Islands Summer 2011

edible

hawaiian islands 速

Celebrating the Harvest of the Aloha State, Season by Season No. 17 Summer 2011

Edible Flowers

Strawberry Bread White House Initiative Wine Adventure Dining Guide

edible Communities 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year

Member of Edible Communities

Summer 2011 Contents Features

Departments 4 7 27 35

LETTER OF ALOHA NOTABLE EDIBLES COOKING FRESH With Chef Kevin Hanney EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS – LOCAL DINING GUIDE

39 WINE – A Summer Adventure 47 RECIPE WAVE – Strawberry Galette 51 BOOK REVIEW 53 FARMERS’ MARKETS 56 ADVERTISER DIRECTORY 58 WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO YOU EAT IT

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HEALTHIER TOMORROW – White House Initiative

By Jon Letman

13 DOING THE RIGHT THING By Tim Ryan 17 EDIBLE FLOWERS By Ken Love 21 ONO POPS – SWEET TREATS By Martha Cheng 23 HAWAIIAN SOUL FRUIT /THE MANGO By Jon Letman 42 STRAWBERRIES FROM MAUI By Rob Parsons 48 TALK STORY / POHOLE

Loquat

Cover Image THEADORA BY K. MOREAU

Photo by G. Natale

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Letter of Aloha As many of you may know, this has been a very exciting few months for Edible Hawaiian Islands and all of the Edible Communities organization. We have been honored with the prestigious Publication of the Year award by the James Beard Foundation. The Beard Awards are considered the Oscars of the food world, so we are extremely thankful to everyone who has contributed to our publication and we are extremely proud of all of you who support our mission, be it by spreading the word, advertising or subscribing. It all means a great deal to us. You can read more about this award on our website, www.ediblehawaiianislands.com

Last but not least, it’s our birthday. This issue marks our fifth year as the only award-winning 100% food magazine in the state of Hawai`i. Thank you again to all of our writers, photographers, sales reps, art department and copy editors. Thank you also to all of the advertisers who have helped to keep this magazine in your hands, and to all of our subscribers not only in Hawai`i but all across North America. We are grateful.

A hui hou, Gloria

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Photo by G. Natale

The next exciting announcement is that we have launched our iTunes app. You can download it and have all of our farmers’ market listings, links to all of our advertisers and restaurants, our Eat Local Dining Guide and, of course, our fine stories and mouth-watering recipes. The best is that you can take us with you wherever you go. It is available for iPhone and iPad.

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edible

Hawaiian Islands Publisher/Editor in Chief Gloria Cohen Editor at Large Steven Cohen Distribution & Advertising FrontDesk@ediblealoha.com Dania Katz, O`ahu & Maui Terry Sullivan, Kaua`i Judith Roberts, Hawai`i Island Contributors Kira Moreau • Melissa Petersen • Tracey Ryder • Carole Topalian Photography Lauren Brandt • Oliver Cohen Steven Cohen • G. Natale Artists Cindy Conklin • Ed McCabe • Mary Ogle Writers Martha Cheng • Peter Dartley & Keith Palmer Jon Letman • Ken Love • Rob Parsons G. Natale • Tim Ryan Copy Editor Doug Adrianson Food Research Editors 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. ©2010. 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

edibles

Lana`i

Kaua`i

Every town should have a restaurant like Blue Ginger Café. Located in the heart of Lana`i City, right off the only town square in Hawai`i, the food is local and is all home-made, from saimin to loco moco and fresh fish and baked goods. Open seven days a week including holidays. Come eat and you will feel like `ohana (family). Blue Ginger Café, 409 Seventh St., Lana`i City; 808-565-6363; http://www.bluegingercafelanai.com

Who loves PIE? Recently on Kaua`i at Coconut Marketplace Farmers’ Market I found a company that bakes pie just like my mom made but a little better (sorry, Mom). They bake classic pies like peach and apple.

But they also make piña colada, guava and spice pie (plus tantric, hmmmm). Pies are baked in glass dishes to cut down on waste (deposit required). For more information call 808-212-8320 or visit rightslice.com.

Moloka`i

What are you doing on July 22? Well, how about from July 22 through July 31? The 26th Annual Koloa Plantation Days is coming to sunny Poipu. Everything revolves around food, family and culture. Visit www.koloaplantationdays.com then send us a note and share what your favorite activity was!

Back in April, did you go to the Maui Ag Festival? We tasted locally raised shrimp that was so sweet and delicious—for weeks we were dreaming about these shrimp. So I decided to do some investigating. This led us to John Austin of Keawa Nui Prawn Farm, where he cultivates sustainable sweet shrimp. We suggest you visit them on Moloka`i (www.keawanuifarms.com). If you are a chef or home cook and want these delicate delicious shrimp, call William at Maui Prime Fine Foods: 808-385-2192. Please tell William that Edible Hawaiian Islands sent you!

Maui Tell me, who doesn’t like a good secret? In Haiku some Maui folks have started a sustainable Berkshire hog farm. Berkshire hogs are prized by many worldwide for their flavor. The farm is still in the breeding stages with much success. Give them some time and by early 2012 you may find locally raised Berkshire pork at your favorite Maui restaurant. If you want to read more, visit http://www.malamafarms.com or call Lehua at 808-633-3959. Limited farms tours available by mentioning this story.

Hawai`i Island A Celebration of Breadfruit on Saturday, September 24, 9am–3pm at the Amy B. H. Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook. Celebrating the rich culture of `ulu in Hawai`i and the Pacific. A great opportunity to learn all about breadfruit, called `ulu in Hawaiian. The event is free and open to the public. Learn how to grow and cultivate `ulu, watch cooking demonstrations, taste cooking contest entries.

Also experience a traditional Hawaiian blessing of a new building on the property. Give my friend Amy a call at 808-960-3727 or visit www.breadfruit.info Please tell her Edible Hawaiian Islands said Aloha!

O`ahu Recently we were told about a small family-owned restaurant called Sweet Home Waimanalo. They just celebrated their first anniversary and we decided to visit. We met and talked story with Joanne, one of the owners. As we talked I sat right next to my lunch growing in the garden. In the near future, look for cooking classes, a food truck and more. Stop by and meet Joanne at 41-1025 Kalanianaole Highway in Waimanalo; 808-259-5737; www.sweethomewaimanalo.com

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From Wai`anae to Washington Initiating a Healthier Tomorrow

BY JON LETMAN

O

ne of the great ironies of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in the United States is that, as a statistical population, they have gone from having one of the healthiest, most sustainable lifestyles to one of the least. One of the results of being dispossessed from their traditional roles as stewards of the land and sea has been a trend toward sharp declines in health for many in Native communities.

Among Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) and Pacific Islanders (P.I.), rates of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, hypertension and certain types of cancer are higher than the U.S. population as a whole.

In recognition of this, and with the goal of helping improve the health of these communities, in 1999 the Clinton administration established the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI Initiative). The initiative was renewed by President Bush until 2007, and most recently renewed by President Obama in 2009.

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Under Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, an appointed staff and commission members work on a broad range of issues related to Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities across the country from education and housing to business, employment, agriculture, nutrition and health.

The 17-member commission includes Kamuela Enos, the Wai`anaeborn director of community development at MA`O Organic Farms in Wai`anae, which fosters social entrepreneurship and youth leader training as it helps build a more sustainable Hawai`i through better local farming practices.

Enos works with the diverse commission representing Asian American and P.I. communities across the country by organizing programs and events to create healthier, more self-sufficient, vibrant communities and individuals.

This past April, as part of the AAPI Initiative, and in the spirit of Michelle Obama’s national Let’s Move campaign, a health and

fitness day was organized at the UCLA campus. The event was spearheaded by AAPI Commission vice chair Sefa Aina, fellow commissioner and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and others. Ward, who is of Korean-African-American descent, recruited teammate Troy Polamalu, who is of Samoan descent, to help raise the profile of the one-day event.

Polamalu and Ward were the celebrity faces of the fair that promoted exercise and nutrition as the cornerstone of an improved lifestyle. The aim of the event, Enos explains, was to convene a gathering of the Pacific Island diaspora to highlight critical health issues and work cooperatively to find the best solutions.

An estimated 1,500 young people participated in the one-day fair with its exhibitions, clinics, dietitians and entertainment targeting youth from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities from the western United States—particularly those in Southern California, where many P.I. communities face the challenges of an urban lifestyle.

Enos and Aina point out that many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (in particular Tongan, Samoan, Chamorro, Fijian, Marshallese and Micronesian) in California live in areas that are effectively food deserts—places where healthful, natural food, especially produce, is often difficult or impossible to purchase. Instead of being able to buy fruits and vegetables from a farmers’ market or grocer, food desert residents often have few options other than fast food, mini-marts and liquor stores. A diet mainly fueled by highcalorie processed snacks, burgers, fries and 44-ounce “super-size” sodas has dire health implications, Enos says.

“Nowadays, for many people, it’s almost impossible to afford Hawaiian food,” Enos says, referring to poi. On average, Hawaiians President’s Advisory Commission member Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, both of the NFL’s Pittsburgh’s Steelers, and Marcus McNeill of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, promote healthy living at UCLA with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move Campaign.

Credit: Ayesha Walker.

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President’s Advisory Commission member Kamuela Enos. Credit: White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders file photo.

traditionally ate two pounds of poi per day per person, he says. But even in Hawai`i, poi can cost as much as two to 10 times the price of rice.

“As island people from smaller communities, it can be hard to hold on to your culture in an urban setting,” Enos adds. “So much of the traditional Pacific Island diet was centered around sea- and landbased foods that these people can’t access. Instead, they are left with fast food.”

Enos wants to change that by re-engaging youth with traditional foods and teaching them how they could even grow their own taro or other crops in Southern California. Aina agrees: “It’s important that we, as P.I. communities, get back to eating a healthier diet and growing our own food.”

“Samoans and Hawaiians were never as big as they have come to be,” says Enos. “We were never a sedentary people. Our diet was based on lean, fresh fish protein like `opelu [mackerel scad], complex carbohydrates from kalo [taro], `ulu [breadfruit] and `uala [sweet potato] we grew ourselves. After we started adopting the Western diet, that’s when things shot up.”

Enos says he hopes to see Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders go “from worst back to first,” suggesting that even small changes in diet can lead to improved health while honoring one’s own traditions. He points to participants in the MA`O Organic Farms programs as ex10

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amples. “Our kids still eat Spam sometimes, but now they eat it with kale, chard or other locally grown greens.”

These changes to the diet—eating kalo in a more natural form, rather than drowned in canned sweetened coconut milk, or choosing salads and real fruit juice over processed snack food and soda pop— are a step in the right direction, Enos and Aina say.

The same problems faced by P.I. and Native Hawaiian youth in California’s food deserts are, to a degree, facing youth in some parts of Hawai`i, particularly more remote leeward communities like O`ahu’s Wai`anae Coast.

Enos sees MA`O as a model for how Hawai`i-based programs can foster personal and professional growth while they educate young people and train them for careers that fuse green, sustainable practices with increased physical activity and better nutrition in a way that is consistent with Hawaiian and Pacific Island culture.

“The onus is on us to talk to the public about these issues,” Enos says. “We need to bring these topics to the table as we assert our communities while highlighting solutions. This is how the public can interface with the federal government in a way that is helpful; not just join the chorus of ‘here’s another sad, dying race of people,’ but to say, ‘here are innovative approaches that are rooted in our ancestry and have universal applications.’”

“It’s about bettering not only our own people, but our entire collective communities. Not just Hawaiians, but people of Hawai`i.”

Best practices used at MA`O and developed under the AAPI Inititative can also benefit people far from Hawai`i and the Pacific Islands, Enos suggests.

“The specifics may be unique to a particular community, but the general approach is something that can be replicated nationally, in Native American or rural South communities, for example.”

A population-focused program like the AAPI Initiative serves to highlight the good work being done around the country in pursuit of positive change. Enos says the synergy created each time the commission convenes translates into action at the grass-roots level back home, whether home is a small island in the Pacific, the food deserts of South L.A. or a suburb of Washington, D.C. “Organic farming didn’t begin in the ‘70s,” Enos says, “and environmentalism didn’t start with Rachel Carson [author of Silent Spring]. Those people did great work, but remember: Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have a long history of sustainability.

We created generational abundance in the most far-flung islands in the world for 2,000 years or so.”

The question today, he says, is how to shift the conversation back to Hawai`i. How do we sustain farmland? What are the best ways to advance community farming? And most importantly, how do we get healthful food back into all communities for all people?

That conversation has begun.

www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/aapi

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Doing the right thing Grants help local organizations make a difference

BY TIM RYAN

D

oing the right thing isn’t always as simple as just saying you’re going to do it. Sometimes people need to be encouraged, chastised or shown the paths to righteousness— such as the intrinsic value in not using plastic bags. And many times it takes money to clear obstacles from these paths.

That’s the idea behind five grants announced earlier this year by the Hawai`i Community Foundation’s (HCF) Island Innovation Fund.

Funded by the Omidyar `Ohana Fund, the grants will provide $461,199 to five nonprofit community organizations to implement fresh ideas and create meaningful change in Hawai`i.

Hawai`i Community Foundation’s mission is to help people make a difference by inspiring the spirit of giving and by investing in people and solutions to benefit every island community. The organization works to create a Hawai`i where people care about each other, our natural re-

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sources and diverse island cultures—a place where people’s ideas, initiatives and generosity support thriving, responsible communities.

•

HCF is a public, statewide charitable services and grant-making organization supported by donor contributions for the benefit of Hawai`i’s people. Established in 1916, HCF is one of the oldest community foundations in the United States. Currently, the organization ranks among the 40 largest community foundations out of 600 across the United States, and distributes more than $36 million in grants each year.

Two of the first five First Island Innovation Fund grants are intended to help local residents better connect with the local food supply: •

•

Hawai`i Agricultural Foundation will receive $100,000 for its Lei Fresh: Connecting Farmers to the Community project, which aims to develop and launch a mobile phone application to advance the local food movement by connecting consumers with Hawai`i farm products, giving specific locations and availability of locally sourced items. The Hawai`i Agricultural Foundation’s mission is to promote awareness of and appreciation for agriculture in Hawai`i and to ensure the long-term viability of the industry.

The North Kohala Community Resource Center will receive $82,415 to support its Community Harvest project, which focuses on an idea intrinsic in Hawaiian culture—preparing and sharing food together—to create a process that makes use of food that currently is going to waste. The project will bring together members of the community to harvest and collect such food, process and preserve it, then distribute it back into the community.

The other first-round recipients are: •

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Kanu Hawai`i will receive $100,000 for its Better Corporate Practices and Nonprofit Engagement Through Group Buying initiative, designed to foster good social and environmental business practices and increase public engagement with Hawai`i’s nonprofits, at scale. The program will allow consumers to participate in group buying with socially responsible businesses, with proceeds to benefit partner nonprofit organizations. Kanu Hawai`i started in 2005 as a local movement to maintain Hawai`is’ unique culture, foundation and way of life. The nonprofit focuses on island-style activism and values based on individual residents empowering themselves through positive choices.

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•

Wai`anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, in collaboration with Bay Clinic in Hilo and the Waimanalo Health Center, will receive $100,000 to launch its Improving Population Management Through Disease-Focused Registries program. This will establish an accessible registry of electronic medical records to improve quality of care for diabetes patients, particularly in rural communities. Information from the registry will enable doctors and health centers to provide more proactive care and treatment to diabetes patients. The Wai`anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center has provided more than 27,000 patients in the Wai`anae district with complete comprehensive health and related human services, including dental care and pharmacy services as well as primary, emergency and specialty care.

The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i will receive $78,784 for its Hawai`i Conservation Technology Initiative, which will create a centralized database of information for conservation efforts and tools, providing real-time information to help resource managers protect Hawai`i’s endangered native forests. The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i’s mission is to protect ecologically important lands for nature and people.

The Island Innovation Fund was established in 2010 as part of the $50 million commitment from Pam and Pierre Omidyar to the Hawai`i Community Foundation. Omidyar is best known as the founder and chairman of eBay. “It has been exciting to see the creativity and resourcefulness from within our island community. More than 180 ideas were submitted for consideration and it was a daunting task to select the grantees,” said Kina Mahi, HCF’s senior program officer in charge of the Island Innovation Fund.

These five grants represent the first of three rounds of awards planned over three years. The Hawai`i Community Foundation expects to distribute more than $2.5 million to fund innovations. Details on the Island Innovation Fund are available at www.islandinnovation.org and www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org.

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Edible Flowers This Bud’s for You

BY KEN LOVE

B

eing focused on tropical fruit, I used to think of flowers as something nice to look at—on someone else’s farm. For me, they have been more a source of worry as they might be a haven for some hidden insect or spore that will affect my fruit trees. Sometimes I have thought of them only as an attractant for pollinators. All in all I never paid that much attention to flowers, other than showing up with them on my anniversary.

That’s all changed now that I’ve seen the light—or maybe I should say the color. I’ve always thought of edible landscapes as a thing that included a lot of herbs and some fruit-bearing shrubs. I honestly don’t know why I never thought of flowers. Sure, I’ve seen them dress up dishes. Even back when airlines cared about customer service they put orchids on the then-free food they served.

What turned me towards making a habit of throwing some color onto my daily greens was being hooked on the creative lunches served at the Big Island’s Nasturtium Café in Kealakekua, where chef-owner Diane Tomac-Campogan works her culinary magic with anything that can be grown. I had to wonder what the sweet and spicy-peppery taste was in my salad. You guessed it: nasturtiums.

They are arguably the most notable of the edible flowers that are available to chefs around the state.

Photo by June M Sorbrito/Dreamstime.com

Others, like Epidendrum ibaguense, an orchid whose leaves are reminiscent of watermelon, can be found occasionally at a few farmers’ markets around the state and more often from Big Island wholesalers like Adaptations. Other beautiful edibles like Calendula pot marigolds, known for their medicinal qualities and sweet very delicate pepper taste, are also found in Big Island dishes. Johnny Jump Up (Viola cornuta) often made into candy, adds a deep purple to WWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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salad greens already brightened by Calendula’s burnt orange.

Alyssum, a mustard family member, adds another dimension to a no-longer-average salad or can be seen smiling from the surface of an omelet.

While many of these attractive little flowers are found on or mixed into today’s salads, we can’t forget a number of other flowers that have been enjoyed on the islands since the first immigrants came ashore shore. Banana flowers or entire male buds have been used in a variety of dishes. The individual flowers are sometimes plucked from the bud and used in Filipino soups and stews. Add to this the pumpkin, squash, gourd and other cucumber flowers and you have a good number of flowers enjoyed around the islands’ older communities. Edible hibiscus and okra flowers are favorites with other ethnic groups, while still others can’t wait for the kalamungai to grow or just enjoy the flowers of the moringa, sometimes referred to as drumsticks.

In India, many of the flowers from plants we consider invasive in Hawai`i, like ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis) and other small cucumber vines (Cucumis dipsaceus) are commonly found in chutneys and other dishes for both flavor and edible decoration.

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The beautiful feijoa or pineapple guava flower has a delicious flavor and crunchy texture, tasting like a melon-papaya mix. The Saraca asoca or ashoka tree introduced in Hawai`i in the early 1900s by botanist Joseph Rock has a number of medicinal qualities that are used by some of the states ayurvedic healers. Having spent a fair amount of time in South India, I suspect there are hundreds of other flowers in Hawai`i that are used in different treatments and to cure or help with different ailments. Not “edible” in the purest sense of the word, they are consumed for specific purposes—but as the adage says: “Don’t try this at home.”

I make tea from loquat leaves both because I like to drink it and because it sells well at our farmers’ market and on our online shop.

Loquat tea is well known though most of Asia, where you can also find guava tea, Surinam cherry tea and a host of others.

The easy-to-grow, tasty nasturtiums, small pansy, rose, carnation, “little gem” marigolds and small heirloom fuschia will brighten the salads as well as surprise the taste buds. They are a great way to start an edible flower collection of your own.

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ono PoPs Sweet Treats, Local Ingredients

BY MARTHA CHENG

A

walkthrough of the OnoPops kitchen offers a glimpse of some of Hawai`i’s most unique and beautiful fruit: mountain apples that give off a rose fragrance, boxes of sweet-perfumed mangoes, pink-fleshed variegated lemons streaked with pastel green.

This week, the OnoPops freezer will be stocked with ice pops made with Surinam cherry and a hint of clove; a “Yellow Gingatanical” infused with ginger, turmeric, lemon, vanilla, coriander and cinnamon—every bit of it sourced locally; a light palate-cleanser of calamansi and coriander; `awa and coconut water, a concoction that manages to remove all the unpleasant bitterness of `awa, leaving a delicate finish of licorice; vanilla ice cream frozen on a stick and dipped in lilikoi sorbet, like a tart, tropical version of an orange Creamsicle.

In flavors alone, OnoPops stands apart. But Josh Welch, who coowns OnoPops with his brother Joe, calls their sweet treats nothing short of a “conceptual ambassador” for the locavore movement. It is perhaps a grandiose statement for a mere popsicle. Josh, possessing degrees in studio art and English literature, in addition to an MFA in screenwriting, certainly has an appreciation for dramatic flair. But

through his impassioned telling of OnoPops’ local sourcing and the history of the paleta—the Latin American version of frozen fruit on a stick— one begins to think he may really be onto something.

What better vehicle than the simple, accessible ice pop?

More than half of OnoPops’ sweet treats are made entirely of local ingredients—from the sugar to dairy to fruit to chocolate. Local is always the first consideration, no matter the price or the labor costs; while it would be infinitely easier to open a jar of imported mango purée for their frozen treats, Josh processes Waianae mangoes by hand—so much that he’s become allergic to the fruit, perhaps the most tragic hazard of the OnoPops job.

“I hate any compromise at all to the locavore thing,” Josh says. “The fact is that ... as oil prices go up, Mainland food is going to be increasingly prohibitive. The only way to make the locavore movement benefit the entire population of the state is to have it positioned to benefit from economies of scale. You have to have it ramped up to meet the demand when people finally realize ‘I cannot buy mainland spinach from Costco anymore, it’s $15 a pound.’... If we’re this far away from $200 a barrel, this is how much time we

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have to build the locavore movement. And I think that’s an awesome challenge to be a part of.”

DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM PALETA HISTORY OnoPops calls its frozen pops paletas, not so much because Mexican paletas are fundamentally different from a popsicle, but because of their history. Joe first had the idea to sell popsicles in Hawai`i, but Josh, who was living in San Francisco at the time, was at first hesitant. Eventually, “what got the heartstrings for me was the paletas story from Tocumbo,” Josh says, referring to Mexico’s birthplace of the paleta. “Thirty years before Alice Waters, these guys were the original locavores... As their brand grew throughout Mexico, they adapted their flavor menu to match the fruits that a) they could obtain and b) the local prevailing tastes enjoyed. In doing so, they created an incredible list of flavors, everything that a post-modern locavore foodie wants, even the invitation to put pork in it.” He cites a classic: dill pickle juice with chicharrones.

“There’s an invitation from something that’s a true culinary tradition, that has a heart and soul, place and time in Mexico, that seemed like such a perfect story to port to Hawai`i,” Josh says.

So in addition to making paletas that use local fruit and ingredients, OnoPops transforms some of Hawai`i’s local favorite foods into popsicle form: butter mochi, POG, pickled green mango and li hing 22

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pineapple, made with OnoPops’ own all-natural blend of white licorice powder, pure ume and other ingredients, none of which include aspartame. For a recent Spam festival, Josh has even made a saimin pop: a frozen honey dashi suspending pieces of char siu, Spam, green onion, kamaboko and togarashi. He doesn’t shy away from experimentation: caramel shoyu pops and cucumber yogurt shiso honey, a riff on Indian raita, make frequent appearances on the OnoPops menu board.

For a frozen treat that most people associate with mostly water and sugar, Josh manages to create a surprising variety of textures: the guava chiffon is a guava pudding folded into lightly whipped cream, creating the dual lightness and creaminess of a slice of guava chiffon cake. Apple banana cream pie, an homage to their mother’s recipe, features a banana custard mixed with Naked Cow Dairy cream cheese, the whole thing laced with graham cracker crumbs and dried coconut. Many of the water-based flavors go through an ice cream machine to create a smooth, fine-grained texture like a sorbet; the dairy-based ones are churned in a soft-serve machine so that they more resemble ice cream on a stick than a traditional popsicle.

The brothers are certain that if they were to ever expand beyond Hawai`i, they would bring the philosophy of OnoPops with them, rather than the specific flavors. For them, OnoPops are about the local sourcing, a sense of place, a sense of culture ... fleetingly frozen onto a wooden stick.

hawaiian soul Fruit Photo by G. Natale

T he Mango

BY JON LETMAN

D

uring the hottest days of summer they hang like glowing, pendulous, fleshy orbs, heavy with juice, rosy and radiant or dusky purple, pink, green, red and gold. They’re coveted like treasure from a pirate’s chest, though they cost far less. Their form is found in time-worn silk Persian carpets, flowing arabesques, Kashmiri shawls and the henna-stained hands of brides from Agadir to Chittagong.

The tree in question is prized for its dense green foliage and cooling shade and admired for its handsome wood, but nothing can compete with its fruit.

In the southern Indian city of Kancheepuram in the courtyard of Sri Ekambareswarar, a Dravidian temple, one legendary tree is said to be more than 3,000 years old. This enormous tree is known for producing four different varieties of fruit in four different seasons. Each one represents one of the four Hindu Vedas and it’s beneath this tree that Shiva married Parvati.

On the Big Island, Ken Love, president of Hawai`i Tropical Fruit Growers, has spent years researching the horticultural and marketing aspects of mangoes. Asked if it’s accurate to call him a “local fruit grower’s advocate,” he quips, “I’ve been called worse.”

Mango—the name is rooted in the Tamil word manga—was introduced to Hawai`i sometime around 1824. Today, with over 60 varieties in Hawai`i, it is one of the islands’ most popular crops.

Love sees the biggest challenge for local mango growers coming not from climate, pest or disease, but from cheaply imported foreign fruit. Despite rising shipping costs, inexpensive foreign labor means large chains, big box stores and wholesalers can import mangoes WWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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MY FAVORITE MANGO: TO EACH THEIR OWN Griffin Shepard: “Mapulehu has to be picked tree-ripe, lasts only one day and is pastel orange and round and with a nipple. The flesh is amazing—it tastes like a supersmooth mango and is very fragrant.”

Marla Hunter: “My favorite mango is Golden Glow. It has a little coconut flavor and is sweet and gorgeous, but it’s not a heavy-producing tree.”

Mark Suiso: “There’s nothing like a tree-ripened mango.

There is no substitute.”

Ken Love: “I like Paris, Kurashige, Mapalehu and had a fantastic Ah Ping last week. Oh hell, there isn’t a mango I don’t like!”

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Photo by Jon Letman

Al Santoro: “Rapoza is a larger mango with a smaller seed and explosive mango flavor. We warn customers that after you eat a Rapoza, you’ll never eat any other kind.”

from South America and sell them far more cheaply than Hawai`igrown mangoes.

“It’s important to look for local fruit,” Love says. Eating local is not only good for Hawai`i’s farmers, Love says Hawai`i’s mangoes have a better texture, are less stringy and sweeter than most imported mangoes, rating as high as 21% compared with as low as 7% (on the Brix scale) for some imported fruit.

He echoes Hunter’s sentiment: “I tell people to start [farming] with a lot of money and don’t worry about ending up poor because you will have a lot of food.”

Poamoho Organic Produce, on O`ahu’s north shore, claims the title of O`ahu’s largest certified organic farm and the greatest producer of Rapoza mangoes. Owner Al Santoro grows over 120 mango trees on his farm, more than half of them Rapoza.

In a good year mango trees are such prolific bearers that two or three trees can produce a steady flow of fruit all season. The key, Love says, is taking proper care of the tree.

Poamoho sells its mangoes to large natural food retailers, restaurants, resorts and the public through a pick-to-order email list that lets customers know which trees are in season.

And while mangoes are easy trees to harvest from when maintained, Love says exporting Hawai`i-grown mangoes is not a viable option.

Hawai`i’s labor costs are prohibitively high, shipping costs are soaring and the treatment required to export mangoes renders the fruit almost inedible.

One of Hawai`i’s most passionate mango proponents is Mark Suiso of Makaha Mangoes on West O`ahu. His mango connections go back to trees his father planted in the 1950s. In those days, if you had a bit of land, you planted fruit trees. According to Suiso, having one or two fruit trees on your property is just part of living in Hawai`i—or should be.

“It’s hard to compete in the international marketplace,” Love says.

“There’s a mango war in Japan right now between Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, India and Australia. People argue Hawai`i has a “magical” name, but buyers still look at their wallet so there’s really no point to jump in that game.” Instead, Love suggests farmers in Hawai`i concentrate on reclaiming local markets.

Fourteen years ago Pete and Marla Hunter started with 20 mango trees in Na`ālehu near Ka Lae (South Point) on Hawai`i Island.

Today they are up to 60 and sell their fruit mostly in Hilo but also ship small trees off island. Farming in this remote part of the Big Island means contending with dry, windy conditions and vog.

Like most mango trees in Hawai`i, the Hunters’ mangoes usually flower January through spring, producing fruit until early autumn, but this year she expects to see fruit into late November. That said, Marla Hunter, like other farmers interviewed for this story, doesn’t expect 2011 to be a bumper crop year because last year was a good season (mangoes often alternate years) and because of the rainier than usual winter and spring.

Suiso laments the fact that in recent decades, as people are living on smaller lots with bigger houses, they are getting rid of large, established fruit trees in favor of smaller, non-fruit-bearing ornamental landscaping trees and shrubs.

“I remind people that food comes from the land, not from the store.

Without that connection to the land, people are missing something,” says Suiso. He likens a home without a fruit tree to a body without a soul and encourages everyone in Hawai`i to have at least one fruit tree.

The key, he says, is selecting an appropriate tree and being committed to its maintenance so the tree doesn’t grow into a sprawling mass, which leads to unpicked fruit, insects and disease. It can also result in a frustrated owner who may just cut the tree down to be rid of the problem. Suiso says the sooner you get involved in maintaining your fruit trees, the better.

Suiso’s mangoes are sold to people like chefs who favor quality over price, but he still gives away plenty of fruit to family and friends.

For these small-time farmers (it’s just Marla and Pete), this is a labor of love. “We’re always trying to catch up,” she says. “If you plan on getting rich, you probably don’t want to do small farming.”

“Old-timers shake their heads in disbelief that people actually think they have to pay for mangoes,” says Suiso.

On Kaua`i’s north shore, Griffin Shepard, owner of Aloha Organics, has been farming 27 acres for 10 years. He grows over 40 varieties of mangoes—some 350 trees in all. Shepard sells at farmers’ markets and health food stores with customers seeking him out to buy Mapulehu mangoes, a Moloka`i variety.

“People today are resigned to the idea they have to buy fruit, but for a really good quality of life that reflects this special experience of living in the Hawaiian Islands, grow your own fruit. Then you can exchange your mangoes with your neighbor’s lychee, and we’ll have a beautiful world.”

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Cooking Fresh Kevin Hanney 12th Ave Grill, Honolulu

U

pon moving to Hawai`i in 1992, I traveled to the Big Island to participate in the Winter Wine Escape, a food and wine festival at the Mauna Kea Resort.

There I met many local farmers who were only selling their produce on the Big Island. I asked them about shipping to O`ahu, but was met with some skepticism about the economic feasibility of it. I assured them that the restaurant I was produce buyer for at the time, 3660 On the Rise, could guarantee a large enough order to make it worthwhile. Some of these farms have become fairly large suppliers of produce on O`ahu since then.

In 2004, I opened 12th Ave Grill, an American Bistro style restaurant with a local and sustainable philosophy. At 12th Ave Grill I focus on the freshest seasonal ingredients available. This includes buying grass-fed beef from local ranchers and pork from Amy’s Pig Farm (also called Shinsato Hog Farm), a truly unique farm producing the highest quality pork in Hawai`i.

Summer is a feast of fresh ingredients. Everyone can be a great cook this season!

I traveled to the East Coast recently, where spring was quietly coloring neighborhoods! Fresh early strawberries energized our anticipation of a summer garden full of sweet fruit and savory greens, inspiring these recipes! A hearty salad can make a satisfying picnic, or try a crunchy yet simple bruschetta instead of the usual sandwich, or a casual family evening of savory slow-roasted fresh pork accented by bold local flavors. We all deserve these moments of treating ourselves this summer.

FOUR SUMMER PLATES: • • •

•

Wilted MA`O Organic Farms dandelion greens salad with housecured Shinsato Farms bacon Big Island watermelon, Nalo Farms baby tatsoi and North Shore feta salad Local tako bruschetta with Ka Lei soft-boiled egg aioli.( “Tako is the Japanese word for octopus that is so often used by locals that we find it sells a lot better than octopus.”)

Fresh Shinsato Farms pork roast w/Twinbridge Farm potatoes, Ho Farms tomatoes with olives

I am about to open SALT kitchen & tasting bar, where we will be taking this concept to an even higher level with our in-house charcuterie producing local salumi and fresh sausages.

12th Ave Grill 1145c 12th Ave, Honolulu 96816 Reservations 808-732-9469 • www.12thavegrill.com

SALT 3605 Waialae Ave, Honolulu 96816 • 808-744-7567

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Big Island Watermelon, Nalo Tatsoi and North Shore Feta Salad Serves 4

4 cups watermelon, cubed 1 pint Ho Farms Tomato Medley (can substitute cherry tomatoes)

For vinaigrette: In a blender, combine all ingredients except the olive oil, turn on blender and slowly add olive oil.

8 ounces Naked Cow Dairy feta, cubed 1 large handful tatsoi Âź cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), (can substitute pine nuts)

Manoa Honey-Shallot Vinaigrette 1 cup olive oil â…“ cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons Manoa honey 1 shallot, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste

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Place half of the vinaigrette a salad bowl. Add tatsoi, watermelon and feta and toss lightly.

Divide among 4 plates and garnish with tomatoes and pepitas.

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Fresh Shinsato Farms Pork Roast

1 fresh pork leg, boned and brined 4 Ho Farms tomatoes, chopped 1 pound Twin Bridge Farms Potato Medley 2 cups mixed olives (your choice) 1 cup herb mix, chopped (your choice from below)

For the brine, place water, sugar a salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and let cool.

Place pork leg in a container deep enough to cover with the brine. Cover with brine and refrigerate for 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Parsley Oregano Dill 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 cup garlic, chopped

Rub inside of the pork leg with herb mixture and garlic and sprinkle with salt.

Tie with string or place in pan rolled as tightly as possible. Salt the outer layer of the leg. Mix olives and tomatoes together and place in pan around the leg.

Add half of the stock.

1 quart pork stock

Place in preheated oven and roast for approximately 15 minutes per pound.

2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

Toss potatoes, rosemary, salt and olive oil together in a roasting pan and set aside.

¼ cup olive oil Salt Brine 1 gallon water 1 cup brown sugar ¾ cup kosher salt

Check the leg after about 45 minutes, stir tomatoes and olives, add more stock if necessary.

With about 10 minutes cooking time left, put potatoes in the oven.

Remove leg when done (about 155° F.) and let sit 15 to 20 minutes. Temperature should rise another 10°.

Remove potatoes when knife-tender (about 20–25 minutes.)

Put potatoes and tomato-olive mixture on a platter. Slice roasted leg, place on top of the mixture and serve.

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Tako Bruschetta with Ka Lei Soft-Boiled Egg Aioli Serves 8

2 pounds fresh local octopus (known locally by its Japanese name, tako) 2 quarts court bouillon 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped 1 onion, roughly chopped ½ fennel bulb, roughly chopped 2 bay leaves 1 lemon, cut in half 1 cup white wine 2 quarts water Aioli 2 soft-boiled eggs 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Zest and Juice from 1 lemon 1 cup olive oil ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ cup fine herbs (dill, tarragon, chives, chervil, parsley) 1 baguette, sliced into 16 slices

Place court bouillon and tako in soup pot. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer.

Simmer approximately 1½ hours, until tako is knifetender.

Remove tako and chill.

To make the aioli, simmer the eggs covered in water for 6 minutes. Remove and place immediately in ice water.

Peel.

Place all ingredients except olive oil in food processor and turn on.

Slowly drizzle in olive oil until you have a creamy mayonnaise-like texture.

Grill or toast bread under the broiler lightly.

Place grilled bread on a platter, pile tako on, add a dollop of aioli and sprinkle with torn herbs.

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Wilted Mao Farms Dandelion Greens Salad with Fried Ka Lei Egg and House-Cured Shinsato Bacon Serves 4

1 large handful dandelion greens 4 eggs 8 strips bacon ¼ cup breadcrumbs ¼ cup oven-dried tomatoes, cut into strips (can substitute sundried tomatoes)

Place vinaigrette ingredients in a frying pan and warm.

Remove from heat, add dandelion greens and toss quickly; separate onto 4 plates.

Fry eggs to preference (sunny side up or over easy); place one egg on each salad.

Garnish with bacon and tomatoes.

Sherry Vinaigrette

Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.

1 cup olive oil ¼ cup sherry vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

People always ask me what the secret is to good cooking. My answer is “fresh, local ingredients.”

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LOCAL DINING GUIDE This is the premier of our Local Dining Guide, we have only just begun to send out invitations, so be sure to check with each new issue. 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!

Lahaina Grill features innovative New American

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. . Also introducing SALT Opening May 1st, 2011

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. 808-9530007 http://vloungehawaii.com

Maui

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) 667-5117

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

Market Fresh Bistro – Global Influence – Local Award-winning Chef David Paul is back in Lahaina with a stunning new restaurant. Featuring unobstructed sunset views and “New Island” cuisine, David Paul’s Island Grill is one of Maui’s finest dining venues. Offering a marketdriven menu utilizing island-fresh ingredients, item include the award winning Maui Onion Opakapaka or Watermelon, crab and goat cheese salad. For reservations call 808-662-3000 or www.davidpaulsislandgrill.com 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

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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Living Foods Market and Café’ — The market’s

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. 808-8280480 2484 Keneke Street, Kilauea, Hawai`i 96754. www.lighthousebistro.com

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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

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

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)882-1071 in Kawaihae or (808) 969-6640 in Hilo. www.cafepesto.com

Advertising in this directory is by invitation.

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Photo by Karen Dartley

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a Wine aDventure

BY PETER DARTLEY & KEITH PALMER

A

quick trip to the local wine shop can prove to be anything but these days. Even the small shops seem to carry hundreds of different labels. I can recall many times when I would just stare at the shelf and wander the aisles for much longer than I really should, only to end up picking the same-old Chard or Cab that I always do.

Well … stop it! There are countries all over the globe making truly fantastic wines. Even all 50 states in the Union are now producing some great ones. Don’t get me wrong: There is no shame in enjoying a big Cabernet with a fat steak or a glass of chilled Chardonnay on a sunny afternoon picnic. But there is so much out there, varying degrees, with endless possibilities.

To set out on this seemingly daunting (albeit exciting) task, I think it is best to paint a very clear picture for maximum effect. And what better canvas to paint this landscape than the beautiful island of Kaua`i, a magical volcanic island in the Pacific with a microclimate to suit every wine varietal, and an equally bountiful variety of delectable foods. If my picture can convince you to think outside the wine box, maybe you’ll take that leap. And it is not even that much of a leap. I am betting that most of the wines I list here retail for less than your old faithful, somewhere between the “house wine” and the “not embarrassed to serve the guests” price points.

So let’s take the idea of food pairing and kick it up a notch with some atmosphere. That should help to sell the idea to even the most wine-challenged folks.

All right. First stop is to hit the local market and choose three different styles of poke. The ahi tuna doesn’t get any fresher than here.

Don’t be afraid to get a variety of flavors, from spicy siracha to sweet Maui onion to salty soy. Grab a bottle of 2009 Dr. L Riesling from Dr. Loosen ($10–$12). This racy, low-alcohol, off-dry white is a great introduction to the classic-style German Mosel Riesling, and can handle just about anything you throw at it. Toss it all in a backpack, don some hiking boots and head up the Waimea Canyon Road. There are plenty of places to stop for a little picnic and the views, well, Mark Twain called Waimea Canyon the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Enough said.

After a long afternoon of hiking, maybe tonight you decide to hang low by grabbing pizza and renting a movie. And while your first instinct may be to reach for a cold beer, instead opt for a mediumbodied red like Rosenblum’s Vintners Cuvee XXXIII ($9). The current blend is 88% Zinfandel (no, not the white zinfandel you drank in the ‘80s) and 12% Petite Sirah. The rich fruit intensity of this easy-drinking, well-balanced wine can stand up to the meatiest meat-lover’s pie, complement the spicy jalapeño and balance the red sauce on your veggie pizza—without the bloat that comes with the suds. Serve it slightly chilled for full effect.

So you fell asleep in front of the TV and had a great night’s rest, but the sun is peering through the window telling you to get up. You decide that it’s a great day to do some people-watching and snap photos of local surfers at Hanalei Bay. You aren’t that hungry since you had cold pizza for breakfast, but could use something cool, light WWW.EDIBLEALOHA.COM

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and refreshing while lounging on the beach. A perfect situation for a crisp, fresh Portuguese wine called Vinho Verde. That translates literally to “green wine”; luckily, they are referring to its youthfulness, not the color: fruity, floral aromas and an ever-so-slight effervescence. Try the one put out by Casal Garcia; you should be able to get it for about $8.

Try the 2009 Casarena Malbec (90 points in the Wine Advocate; $15). Steve Tanzer of International Wine Cellars says of the Casarena Malbec, “Seductively smooth in texture, with broad dusty tannins and very good length.” And you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but try the Malbec with some dark chocolate or a gooey molten chocolate cake for dessert. You’ll be surprised.

I realize by now that you are thinking this is one heck of a wine bender, but for the sake of the article, and to continue the flow, just go with it.

Now, for those of you who need to take baby steps, I’ll offer up something that is perhaps a bit more familiar. Maybe it is best to ease into this instead of shocking you with a whole new way of wine-thinking. How about having some friends over for a dinner party? We’ll keep it simple with grilled chicken on skewers, sandwiched between tri-colored peppers and sweet Vidalia onions.

Everyone has a favorite marinade for their chicken. Mine is a homemade teriyaki made up of equal parts ketchup and soy sauce, a little olive oil for coating, a dash of vinegar (I prefer the rice variety for this one), a nice heaping spoonful of minced garlic and as much fresh cracked pepper as you can tolerate.

It is getting late and you realize that with such a clear day, the sunset is going to be spectacular. It just so happens that you became friendly with a couple at the beach who have a home on a bluff in Princeville. So you offer to cook dinner for them, of course, and pick up some local onaga (red snapper)—a deep-water fish with a light and delicate flesh that is fantastic simply grilled or broiled with salt, pepper and olive oil. Serve it on a bed of jasmine rice and top it off with a fresh fruit salsa, accompanied by a trio of julienned vegetables.

The beauty of local produce is that you can enjoy the unencumbered, crunchy texture with little embellishment. Cooking in season is the key to cooking simple, with ingredients at their best, and reasonably priced. Is your mouth watering yet? Man, I’m thirsty. Enter the 2010 Casarena Sauvignon Blanc (90 points in the Wine Advocate; $13), from vineyards at the foothills of the towering Andes Mountains in Argentina. Clean and crisp with the perfect balance of acidity and a great floral nose. You polish off the last bottle just as the sun breaks the horizon. Perfection.

We are approaching the end of our wine and food binge but feeling a bit iron-deficient. No worries, as there is great access to local grassfed beef here on Kaua`i. So you decide to spring for steaks and some locally grown organic vegetables. After the initial sticker shock of this to-die-for meal, the panic really starts to set in: You have already spent the wad on the food, so how are you supposed to get that pricey Napa Cabernet to complete the experience?

Solution: Malbec. Argentina has been taking the world by storm with a grape variety that the French refer to as “bad grape” (literal translation for the Malbec grape that is usually reserved for Bordeaux blends in small quantities). However, the ideal soil and climate conditions in Mendoza, Argentina, are bringing out the full potential of this previously maligned grape. It seems to thrive there like no other place on earth. And really, who knows steak better than the Argentines?

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While the marinade is soaking into the chicken (won’t take long since the chicken is chunked for kabobs), serve up a bottle of Rombauer Chardonnay from Carneros. While it will set you back about $30, the Rombauer never disappoints. Rich and vibrant tropical fruit with perfectly integrated toasted oak notes, it stands out among the seemingly endless sea of mediocre Chards. Feel free to pop open another bottle of the Rombauer for dinner or, for something meatier, try an Owen Roe Syrah Ex Umbris ($25). A while back, the Australian Shirazes were all the rage but many tend to be highoctane fruit bombs—which have their place, just not this meal. The Ex Umbris (Latin for “out of the shadows”) is from Columbia Valley in Washington State, and was originally produced as a one-off due to a wildfire that created some seriously smoky grapes. It has since become indicative of the Pacific Northwest style of Syrah: bushels of blackberry, easy drinking and never heavy, with subtle smokiness and peppercorn notes that will complement the teriyaki chicken dish perfectly. And after you get loads of compliments on the food, drink and scintillating conversation from that night, perhaps you will have persuaded some other brave souls to accompany you on your trailblazing wine adventure.

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strawberries On Maui “Let me take you down, ‘cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields.”— John Lennon Perched on the southwest slopes of Maui’s Mt. Haleakala, the Upcountry region of Kula is revered as one of the island’s most fertile growing areas. Regular afternoon clouds filter the tropical sun like an atmospheric greenhouse roof.

A relative newcomer crop to the region—strawberries—has met with rave reviews for freshness, size and taste, and has become a local favorite for any meal or occasion.

“Customers, they just know it’s a Maui strawberry,” said Brandon Sato, marketing director for Ulupalakua Strawberries, one of the two largest operations in the state, along with Kula Country Farms. “You can taste the difference, the freshness and sweetness just comes out.”

On the Mainland, berries are picked early and gassed so they last longer and hold up in shipping, Sato said. Susceptibility to heat and humidity means Maui strawberries are picked at peak ripeness and sold only within the state.

As a former vineyard director for Tedeschi winery at Ulupalakua Ranch, Sato recognized that growing strawberries presents similar

Photo by G. Natale

Kula is well-known for a few signature crops that are shipped throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and some widely exported: cabbages, sweet Maui onions, persimmons, stunning protea flowers, and carnations for lei-making. Many other fruits and vegetables do well in Kula’s mineral-rich volcanic soils, which contrast the red clays found elsewhere on Maui.

BY ROB PARSONS

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challenges to growing grapes. “The integrity of the fruit is compromised by the heat,” he said. “Rain and humidity can bring on powdery mildew, but we can spray 99% organic sulfur, which kills the mold spores before they hatch.”

Sato is the latest in a long line of Upcountry farmers in the Sakugawa clan, dating back nearly a century. His 35-acre farm in Omaopio (Lower Kula) is on land his relatives originally purchased in the 1920s, when Sakugawa Farms raised mainly pigs and cattle.

By the 1930s they expanded into vegetables, growing Napa cabbage, head lettuce, eggplant, daikon, kai choi and other Japanese greens.

Now Sato’s Kula Onions Etc. recognizes that, beyond the high price their onions may command, it’s the “et cetera,” that counts. “Diversification is the key,” Sato said.

Though they may be grown year-round, the best time to market local strawberries is from December through March, to better compete with imports from Florida and California. He said they are popular through the holidays, especially with the visitor influx.

Sato noted a last minute order came in this year from Kaua`i, two nights before Valentine’s Day. They requested a large number of flats of long-stem berries, picked especially for dipping in chocolate.

Tony Rodriguez stood at the bottom of a 10-acre strawberry field he tends at Waiakoa Farms, on the hillside sloping down below the Kula Post Office. Though a more recent arrival to Maui, he has been growing berries for 35 years, as Rodriguez Brothers of Oxnard, California.

The ranch has a colorful history of resourcefulness, ranging from potatoes, corn, sugar and cotton in the 1800s to ranching throughout the 20th century, even raising sheep and elk. Their latest venture on 20,000 acres, sprawling from the 6,000 foot elevation to the ocean, is renewable energy—proposals for both wind power and geothermal are navigating the permit review process.

Chauncey Monden of Kula Country Farms returned home from college with a finance degree a dozen years ago and began growing strawberries in 2003. Now the fourth generation in his family to farm in Kula, his father, Henry, grew onions and cabbages, later branching out into zucchini and broccoli.

Four years ago, they opened a small roadside stand off the Lower Kula Highway (a misnomer for the lightly traveled country road) that is now thriving. With a picturesque panorama of Maui’s Central Valley and West Maui Mountains, picnic tables, fresh produce and strawberry jams, jellies and syrup, the spot is like looking at a snapshot back into a simpler time. There is a small, half-acre you-pick-it strawberry patch below the farm stand part of the year, with pumpkins planted in early summer and harvested in October.

Monden is able to harvest year around by growing at higher elevations in the summer. “The cooler nights and warmer days are crucial to developing the sugars in the berries,” he explained. His Kula Berry Farm averages 4,000–6,000 flats monthly, selling to Whole Foods, Costco, Times, Foodland, Safeway and various hotels through a wholesaler.

Fields are planted in October, and bear fruit by December 12, Rodriguez said. One plant may yield as much as eight pounds, and each plant displayed healthy clusters of near-ripe fruit, green berries and blossoms. As many as 10 workers harvest each day, picking between 300 and 600 cases daily, depending on weather conditions. By mid-summer, when the integrity of the fruit is compromised by the heat, he tills the fields and prepares his planting beds and drip irrigation for the next season.

“People say, ‘This is the greatest berry I ever tasted,’” Monden beamed. He acknowledges there are “so many variables,” in farming, with challenges including weather, bugs and prices varying according to market competition. Still, he’s passionate about growing food, especially his strawberries.

Rodriguez bought the Ulupalakua Strawberries business and equipment six years ago from Roy Hamamura, whose mother, Doris, began growing in the 1950s in Highland, California, in San Bernardino County. In the 1980s, Hamamura returned to Hawai`i and leased land on the Erdman family’s Ulupalakua Ranch.

Tony Rodriguez gazed across dozens of long rows of strawberries, while his workers picked the last few flats of berries at the top of the large field.

“We’ve got to keep supporting local ag, growing food on the island, for the island,” Monden said. “It’s good for our economy, and for sustainability.”

“Que lindo es trabajar con la tierra,” Rodriguez said. [It is beautiful to work the land.]

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Kula Fields Strawberry Mac Nut Bread Roxanne Tiffin of Kula Fields

1 pound fresh strawberries 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1¼ cups vegetable oil 4 local eggs, beaten 1¼ cups chopped macadamia nuts 1 Maui-grown vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved

Preheat oven to 350° F. (175° C.). Butter and flour two 9- 5-inch loaf pans. Slice strawberries and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in macadamia nuts and vanilla bean seeds. Divide batter into pans.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out and cool completely.

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recipe Wave Strawberry-Rhubarb Galette

By John Cox

Serves 4 Dough 4 cups flour 2/3 pound butter 2 eggs 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon sugar

Gently mix all ingredients just until incorporated.

The less you mix, the better the texture will be.

Filling 2 pints of fresh strawberries, cut in halves 2 stalks of red field-ripened rhubarb, sliced into ¼inch pieces 1 cup sugar 1 vanilla bean 2 tablespoons butter

Sauté the rhubarb with butter over low heat until soft. Add the halved strawberries and simmer until they begin to break down. Add the sugar and vanilla bean and cook until liquid reduces and glazes berries. Allow the mix to cool before forming tarts.

Roll the tart dough into 8-inch rounds. Place a spoonful of the cooled filling in the middle of each round. Fold the edges of dough up around the filling to form an open purse shape. You can now refrigerate the tarts until you are ready to bake them. (preferably just before serving).

Put the tarts on a lightly buttered sheet pan in a 400° oven. I use a wood-fired oven to impart a slight smokiness and rustic. Bake until the dough is evenly browned and the center of the filling is warm.

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talk story

pohole Editor’s Note: An article in our Winter 2011 edition about fiddlehead ferns, also known as pohole, said that “Eileen Comeaux and her husband, René, owners of Hana Herbs & Flowers on Maui, gather pohole ferns both in the wild and on their own property for sale to restaurants, hotels and grocery stores.” Here Eileen clarifies the situation:

A

t Hana Herbs & Flowers we save pohole by harvesting it from areas where people might bulldoze to build a house, or plant flowers or some other agricultural product. Often we try to find areas that are going to be developed and try to convince the new owners to keep the pohole that is already there.

When we pay to harvest pohole, it encourages the owners not to replace it. Often when people purchase land, the natural pohole is one of first things they get rid of as they are under the impression that it is useless. People are often uneducated about the native plants here on the islands.

The patches we maintain are ones that we have stopped from being bulldozed. We are constantly clearing them of vines and other invasive species like African tulips, which threaten the natural habitat of this native plant and indeed its very existence. We have successfully taken care of the patches that we steward and have helped these patches to expand, if that is all right with the owners.

By saving this indigenous plant we hope to save a part of Hawaiian culture. One way to save pohole is to give it economic value that encourages all people to want to maintain this amazing plant.

Our first step happened in 1988, when Patsy Mink and Senator Dan Akaka helped pohole receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This has made it possible for everyone in Hawai`i to legally sell pohole, thus creating a “new” product that could be sold. It can now be found in many restaurants across the islands and in natural food and grocery stores. We are thankful to Whole Foods for supporting our family farm.

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

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Book review

BY G. NATALE

Bite Me A Stomach-Satisfying Visually Gratifying, Fresh Mouthed Cookbook

By The not-so-sweet, tiny-bitsalty sisters, Julia Albert & Lisa Gnat This cookbook crakes me up, even my husband flips through it for a laugh. The recipes are great and the photos awesome.

“What’s for dinner? That’s the question that has plagued home cooks for generations and made time in the kitchen feel like punishment. These two sisters lead you through a pop-culture cooking tour with joyful humor that will have you laughing in the kitchen. With chapters like Grab me Appetizers; Undress Me Salads; Respect me Vegetables; Catch me Fish, Meet me Meat etc., which entice you to finger through the mouth watering, easy to prepare recipe collection, all the while enjoying the trivia, puns, sassy discussions, and more.

Publishes by Kyle Books, $24.95 at a bookseller near you.

How To Squeeze {a} Lemon 1,023 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, and Handy Techniques By the Editors, Contributors and Readers of Fine Cooking I just love cooking tips, and this book has become one of my favorites. Wondering exactly how to cut a lemon wedge so that it won’t squirt you in the eye? Or what to do when your recipe calls for crème fraiche and your fresh out? And what about the bread that won’t rise? All those pesky culinary questions will be answered plus many more. In this fun and quirky book, home cooks and chefs alike will find delight in this nearly endless source of cooking information.

Publishes by The Taunton Press: $19.95 at a bookseller near you.

edible hawaiian islands marketplace

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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) 10:00 am – 1:pm Kekaha Neighborhood Center (Sunshine Markets) Elepaio Road, Kekaha 9 a.m.

Kilauea Keneke St. Behind the post office 11:30 am.

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

MONDAY West Kaua`i Agricultural Association Po`ipu Road and Cane Haul Road, Po`ipu 8 a.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.

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

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

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

Honokaa Farmers’ Market Honokaa town near Honokaa Trading Co. Hilo Farmers’ Market

SUNDAY

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

A local tip: Get there early!

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

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

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

Hawai`i Island Farmers’ Markets

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

SATURDAY

Koloa Ball Park (Knudsen) (Sunshine Markets) Maluhia Road, Koloa Noon

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

Kukui Grove Shopping Center Lihue 3 p.m.

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

TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

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

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

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

O`ahu Farmers’ Markets

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

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

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

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

WEDNESDAYS

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

The Mililani Sunday Farmers’ Market at Mililani High School 95-1200 Meheula Parkway, Mililani High School Parking Lot 8 a.m. –Noon Manoa Marketplace Honolulu 7–11 a.m.

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

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

Waianae Framers’ Market Waianae High School 85-251 Farrington Hwy 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.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 Hawai`i Kai Town Center Kalanianaole Highway at Keahole Street, Honolulu 7:30 a.m. –3 p.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.

MONDAYS

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Honolulu Farmers’ Market at Neal Blaisdell Center Local Bounty 808-848-2074 4:00-7:00 pm Waialua Farmers’ Co-Op At the Sugar Mill 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

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.

Maui Farmers’ Markets

MONDAY

FRIDAY

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.–5 p.m.

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

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

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

Lana`i Farmers’ Market SATURDAY

TUESDAY 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.

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

Moloka`i Farmers’ Market SATURDAY

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

Ala Malama Street Kaunakakai 7a.m.-1p.m.

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

SATURDAY Maui Swap Meet Maui Community College 310 Ka`aumanu 7am.-1pm.

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

Makawao Longs Parking Lot Pukalani 7a.m.-10a.m.

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

Hana Health, Hana Medical Center 9a.m. - 5p.m.

SUNDAY

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

THURSDAY

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

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

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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, HI 96796 866-545-4564 • www.auntylilikoi.com Bar Acuda Restaurant Reservations: 808-826-7081 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy Hanalei, Kaua`i www.restaurantbaracuda.com Coconut Marketplace Farmers Market 4-484 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaa www.coconutmarketplace.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 Kapaa Coast Resort Kapaa Kaua`i Reservations Recommended 808-822-0600 • www.hukilaukauai.com Kilauea Fish Market 4270 Kilauea Rd., Kilauea, Kaua`i 808-828-6244

Kukui`ula Village Kaua`i Culinary Market Po`ipu Roundabout at Kalanikaumaka 808-742-9545 • www.kukuiulavillage.com Living Foods Market Kukui`ula Village Po`ipu (on the south side) 808-742-2323 • www.livingfoodskauai.com Moloa`a Sunrise Fruit Stand Corner of Kuhio Hwy and Koolau Road * Phone orders welcome 808-822-1441 Nani Moon Mead Tasting Room in Kapa`a 4-939 D Kuhio Hwy 808-823-0486 • www.nanimoonmead.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, HI 96722 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 The Wine Garden 4495 Puhi Road, Lihue 808-245-5766 • www.kauaiwinegarden.com

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

O`ahu Chef Leslie Ashburn (808) 398-2695 • www.macrobiotichawaii.com Hagadone Printing Co. 274 Puuhale Road, Honolulu, HI 96819 808-847-5310 • www.hagadoneprinting.com Honu Group Inc. 1001 Bishop Street, ASB Tower, Suite 2800 Honolulu, Hawai`i 96722 808-550-4449 • tabenoja@honugroup.com www.honugroup.com 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 Ali`i Kula Lavender 1100 Waipoli Rd. Kula 808-878-3004 • www.aklmaui.com Aloha Mixed Plate 1285 Front Street Lahaina (808) 661-3322 • www.alohamixedplate.com Chef Jana McMahon 808-281-8393 • www.chefjana.com Chef Dan Fiske Private chef serving all islands 808-280-1138 • www.privatemauichef.com David Paul’s Island Grill 900 Front St. Lahaina • 808-662-3000 www.davidpaulsislandgrill.com

Photo by L. Brandt & O.Cohen

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Flatbread Pizza Company 89 Hana Hwy, Paia 808-579-8989 • www.flatbreadcompany.com Flavor Waves 808-276-0144 • info@flavorwaves.com Gourmet-Delights www.gourmet-delights.com Hana Herbs & Flowers 808-248-7407 • www.hanaherbs.com Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods 2411 South Kihei Road 808-875-4356 • www.hawaiianmoons.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 Mala Ocean Tavern 1307 Front Street, Lahaina 808-667-9394 • www.malaoceantavern.com Maui Country Farm Tours 808-280-1621 • www.mauicountryfarmtours.com

Old Lahaina Luau Maui’s Traditional Hula & Feast 1251 Front Street, Lahaina 808-667-1998 • www.oldlahainaluau.com Ono Organic Farms 808-248-7779 • www.onofarms.com

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

National

Star Noodle 808-667-5400 • www.starnoodle.com

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

Surfing Goat Dairy 3651 Omaopio Rd., Kula 808-878-2870 • www.surfinggoatdairy.com Whole Foods Market Maui Mall, 70 East Ka’ahumanu Ave 808-872-3310 • www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Hawai`i Island Café Pesto Hilo Bay 808-969-6640 Kawaihae 808-882-1071 www.cafepesto.com

Moloka`i

Slow Food Kaua`i Patrick Quinn Icingonthecake.Kauai@gmail.com Slow Food Maui Jana McMahon/Susan Teton info@slowfoodmaui.org www.slowfoodmaui.org Slow Food O`ahu Laurie Carlson • laurie@honoluluweekly.com Slow Food Nation www.slowfoodnation.org

Kona Coffee and Tea Toll Free 888-873-2035 In Kona 329-6577 www.konacoffeeandtea.com Original Hawaiian Chocolate Whole Foods Kahala/O`ahu 808-322-2626 • 888-447-2626 (toll free) www.ohcf.us

Maui County Farm Bureau www.mauicountyfarmbureau.com Maui Prime Fine Foods 142 Kupuohi St. #F7 Emerald Plaza (By Lahaina Gateway) 808-661-4912 • www.mauiprime.com Ocean Vodka Hawai`i Sea Spirits LLC 250 Alamaha St, S9, Kahului 808-877-0009 • www.oceanvodka.com

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What Is It and How Do You Eat It

Loquat

Loquat

—Eriobotrya japonica, also known as Japanese or Chinese plum.

Our friend Ken Love says, “The leaves are a great tea. There are ancient dishes served in China and Japan that used loquat. With chicken in China, for example, and in Japan the first medical textbook translated from Chinese to Japanese in the late 700s, called Honzo-wamyo, talked about using loquat leaf as an herbal tea. In 900 the Engishiki, or rules of the Engi period, talked about how to present loquat to the gods. Lots of history.”

Loquat is comparable with its distant relative the apple, with high sugar, acid and pectin content. It is often eaten as fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fruit salads. Commonly used in jams, jellies and chutney.

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SUMMER 2011

EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS