edible Hawaiian Islands Fall 2007

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HAWAIIAN

edible ISLANDS Celebrating the Harvest of the Aloha State, Season by Season

No. 2 Fall 2007

fARMING FOR CHOCOLATE • LOCAVORE DIET HOLIDAY MEMORIES • STAFF SURFER Me m b e r o f E d i b l e C o m m u n i t i e s

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Fall 2007 Contents

10 Departments 4 Letter of Aloha 6 Masthead 8 Notable Edibles

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Features 10 ` aina honua Chocolate in Paradise Family Farming for Chocolate Saving Our Roots

For the Holidays 22 Cooking Fresh

18 Back of the House The Freshest Fish

25 What’s In Season: Fall

28 Locavore diet

30 Subscription Form 35 Book Review 42 Editor at Large

32 Liquid assets O’ahu Staff Surfer

44 Sustainable Extras

36 Talk Story Holiday Memories

46 Farmers’ Markets

39 Recipe Wave

49 Advertiser Directory

40 Connecting the Dots

50 What is it? How do you eat it?

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LETTER of aloha Wow, the second issue of Edible Hawaiian Islands! It’s been an exciting ride.

I want to say thanks to all the people out there on every island who have offered their support and excitement for what we are doing. In my travels throughout the islands—and this takes time, believe me—I have met some amazing people doing amazing things, devoted to their goals. As the saying goes, “from Hilo to Hanalei” and everywhere in between, it is astounding, the amount of wonderful dedicated people. The movement towards supporting local is growing in leaps and bounds, and as we get to know all of these people on each island, we will bring you their stories.

As we move into the holiday season in Hawai`i, you don’t notice much of a change unless you live here year-round. The temperature changes by a few degrees, the trades are moving, the fruits, veggies and flowers all change in the markets, and the waves start to get bigger. This issue has lots of wonderful ideas for the holidays, from recipes to gifts. Show your support for your islands: Look for gifts from Hawai`i. We have listed ideas in the Notable Edibles section, and please also check out our dedicated advertisers for gift ideas.

This issue’s cover looks like a gift, and in fact it is. A gift from our `aina, the land—the gift of edible foods, gifts to be treasured for generations to come.

Take care of the `aina and it will take care of you. The photo is of the traditional Hawaiian dish Lau Lau. It consists of taro leaves, salted butterfish and either pork, beef or chicken. The entire dish is wrapped in taro leaves and then ti leaves, tied and is steamed. Traditionally served with a side of rice or a bowl of poi.

Lau Lau can be wrapped like a purse (on the cover), or in little squares, wrapped like little packages. Taro leaves may be substituted with spinach, ti leaves with banana leaves. You don’t eat the ti leaves. These packages are usually steamed for 3 to 4 hours.

This is the original all-in-one meal. Recipes on our website.

Gloria Cohen Publisher/Editor in Chief

Cover Photo: Steve Knox and Coriena MacNeil

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Illustration: Cindy Conklin

Hau`oli Lanui (Happy Holidays)!

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edible Hawaiian Islands Publisher/Editor in Chief Gloria Cohen Editor at Large Steven Cohen Distribution & Advertising Terry Sullivan Contributors Tracey Ryder Carole Topalian Photography Lauren Brandt Oliver Cohen Steven Cohen Steve Knox Ken Love Coriena MacNeil Artists Cindy Conklin Mary Ogle Lola Pilar Writers Kira Cohen Dahlia Haas Sue Kiyabu Sonia R. Martinez Joan Namkoong John Parziale Tim Ryan

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 with out written permission from the publisher. Š2007. 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!

For more info on our contributors: www.ediblealoha.com

Correction: Issue #1, pg.3 should have been Jim Moffat, not Jeff. Sorry about that Jim.

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Photo by Natale

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notABLE EDIBLES for the Holidays

BY G. COHEN

The holiday season is fast upon us. I’m always amazed at the people who have been shopping all year and hiding everything in the top of the closet. I, on the other hand, wait too long and then rely on the internet and the telephone. We thought it might be helpful if w e gave you some gift ides fr om the Hawaiian Islands. Even if you don’t live here, how cool to send a gift from Hawaii to someone special this holiday season. Most of these have websites that you can check out. Look also to our advertisers in this issue; many have gifts with aloha as well—just give a call.

Of course, a subscription to Edible Hawaiian Islands is a gift that arrives at the door four times a year, and we will include a holiday note for you. A one-year subscription (four issues) costs $28. You can use PayPal or credit card online at www.ediblehawaiianislands.com.

MAUI Maui Vanilla Beans: With the new surge in cooking sho ws, fresh vanilla has become a popular item. These beans are agriculturally approved for expor t, a per fect stocking stuffer or hostess gift. Two vanilla beans in their o wn vial. M inimum purchase is thr ee vials for $12.50, which includes shipping.

Maui Vanilla Bean Co.; (808) 870-1104.

Take Home Maui, Inc.: Visiting Maui, or just want to send family and friends a taste of M aui for the holidays? This is a great find, in business since 1975. You can send of box of Maui pineapples (even Maui Gold variety), papayas, M aui (Kula) onions, M aui potato chips and much mor e.

Visit www.takehomemaui.com or call in y our order at (808) 661-8067. They also offer free airport and hotel delivery.

The Maui Chef Seafood Cookbook: For your favorite wannabe Hawaiian chef, let award-winning Chef Michael Gallagher lend a hand with original recipes, plus those adapted from the island’s locals. Need a new fish recipe or a seafood appetizer? All easily created at home for friends and family. From the tropical rain forests and valleys of Hana to the nutrient-rich volcanic soil of Haleakala—Chef Michael shares the secrets of his acclaimed cuisine and the inspiration of the pristine Pacific. Available at www.mauichef.com. or Borders Books & Music

Kaua’i Kaua`i Products Store: Original local artwork and ceramics, museum-quality N iihau shell jewelry, locally harvested koa wood cr eations.

Looking for something unique? Call them at (808) 246-6753.

Aloha Spice Company: Organic gourmet blended seasonings and rubs from Hawai`i. Located on Kaua`i in Hanapepe town. Visit them or order online at www.alohaspice.com, or call toll-free: (800) 914-5944.

Strings & Things: If you like to make your own gifts, head to Strings & Things for a beautiful selection of yarns, then, you can knit or crochet your way through the holidays. Other gifts also available. including a wide selection of ukuleles and accessories, fr om $50. to $2,000.

In Hanalei 808-826-9633.

Windward Market: New to Kapa`a, Kaua`i, they will special order your holiday specialties such as geese, quail, organic free-range turkeys, crown rib roast, bone-in prime rib, etc. Call Mike at (808) 822-9342. Allow 2 1/2 – 3 weeks for your order.

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HAWAI’I ISLAND Lunch Now Being Served: This would be a wonder ful and unique place to take someone to lunch for a holiday treat. The Culinary Arts Program at the University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii in Kealakekua will begin serving lunch to the public again this semester.

• The first-year students will present a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays. The cost is $15 and includes a four-course E uropean menu with bev erages. This Fundamentals of Cooking course is under the supervision of Instructor Betty Saiki.

• The second-year students will present a luncheon at noon onThursdays at 11:30. The cost is $15 and includes a four- to fiv e-course menu featuring Asian cuisine and beverages. This Intermediate Asian Cookery course is under the supervision of Chef Paul Heerlein.

For reservations, call 808-322-4853 between 8 and 9 a.m. on the Monday of the week you wish to dine. Seating is limited.

Greeting Cards and Posters: Beautiful photographic images of Hawaii’s tropical best from Ken Love. “After 30 years traveling around the world as a photojournalist, I got back here and could not find my plants under the weeds. I decided to tr y and figure out how to make farming profitable though div ersity of plants and with v alue added products and ag tourism.” Known as the Fruit Guy (or the Fruit Maniac), Ken’s passion for tropical fruit is evidenced by the exotic tropical fruit posters and chef guides he pr oduces. Having been inv olved with Big Island agriculture since 1984, Ken is dedicated to organic sustainable farming in Kona and Japan, where he has been studying growing systems for mor e than 20 y ears. You can find K en’s images p lus other gift items at www.localharvest.com.

O’AHU Tahitian Goddess: Gourmet jelly, jam, marmalade and chutney.

Diane Titaua Teraiefa Crawford has brought exotic Polynesian flavors and a r everence for time-honor ed cooking customs fr om Tahiti to H awaii. Handmade in small batches, each is based on generations-old Tahitian family r ecipes, cr eated with lo ve and aloha. Made from all natural ingredients—no artificial anything.

Beautifully boxed assortment of chutney, mango, guava, pineapple and papaya, $18. Visit www.tahitiangoddess.com or call toll-free: (800) 833-4800.

Hawaii Food Tours: Matthew Gray’s Gourmet Adventures. Now, here is a special gift for the foodie in your life. Offered are three different guided tours of Honolulu’s food scene. If you are a visitor, all three tours include air-conditioned transpor tation for gues ts staying in Waikiki hotels. There is the Hawaiian Feast in Paradise Tour for $149; The H ole-In-The-Wall Tour for $99; and the Gourmet Trilogy Tour for $199. Prices are per person. MSNBC recently called Hawaii Food Tours one of the best food experiences in the world! H ow can y ou r esist? For mor e information visit www.hawaiifoodtours.com or call toll-free (800) 715-2468, locally (808) 926-3663.

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`aina honua CHOCOLATE IN PARADISE by joan namkoong

Who doesn’t love chocolate? And there’s all the more reason to love chocolate produced in Hawaii.

Seven years ago, the first 100-per cent-Hawaiian chocolate bar was produced in Kailua-Kona—a first not only for the state but for the nation, since H awaii is the only place in the U.S. that grows cacao fr om which w e deriv e chocolate. Hawaii is at the northern edge of the “ chocolate-growing belt,” a region that extends 20 degrees nor th and south of the equator, a r egion that includes parts of Africa, S outh America and Indonesia.

Growing cacao in Hawaii has been going on since 1850. B ut it wasn’t until the 1980s that it began in earnest on the island of Hawaii.

The harvests were sold under the Hawaiian V intage Chocolate brand, but unfortunately we were all led to believe that this was 100percent-Hawaiian chocolate, which it was not.

In 1997 Bob and P am Cooper “retired” to Hawaii Island from Raleigh, N orth Car olina, buying a house in K ona that had macadamia nut, coffee and cacao trees. Some moldy sacks of cacao beans piqued their inter est and they began to research the possibility of pr oducing a 100-per cent-Hawaiigrown chocolate product. They were enamored with the notion and started the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, producing that first chocolate bar three years later.

There was a learning cur ve on gr owing and har vesting the cacao but it was the pr ocessing that presented a challenge: There

weren’t a whole lot of cacao beans to process and equipment is sized for thousands of pounds. The Coopers hired consultants, invested in what equipment they could find, improvised by turning an old treadmill into a conveyor belt and employed coffee-roasting equipment. Piece by piece they built a processing facility that could take the fermented, dried cacao beans and convert them into luscious, delectable chocolate.

Determined to keep their product 100 per cent H awaiigrown, the Coopers hav e built a niche industry on Hawaii Island.

About 60 farmers gr ow cacao for them in addition to the cacao they grow on their 6-acr e farm. They do all their own processing, packaging and marketing.

In recent months they hav e introduced a new product: a 100percent-Hawaii-grown K ona Grand Cru Criollo chocolate bar.

Criollo is considered a premium, finer chocolate v ariety than the Forastero that is used in their dark and milk chocolate bars. You can find the Coopers ’ pr oducts in a number of retail outlets throughout the state; for a list go to www.originalhawaiianchocolatefactory.com.

On Oahu, 20 acres of cacao were planted in 1996 by Dole Food Company in Waialua, following the demise of Waialua Sugar Mill.

But the company decided to shut do wn its div ersified agriculture project after three years and the trees were abandoned. Renewed interest in 2005 resulted in months of hard labor clearing guinea grass and weeds.

Theobroma cacao, the cacao tree’s botanical name, translated fr om the G reek, “theobroma” means “food of the gods”

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But with some water and fer tilizer, the forgiving cacao tr ees began producing again.

The orchards have been rejuvenated, according to Mike Conway, manager of D ole’s operations in Waialua. “ We’re pr oducing about 18,000 pounds of dark chocolate a year. It’s just enough to sell at our Dole Plantation Center and the Manele and Koele Resorts on Lanai.”

The cacao is fermented and dried on Oahu then shipped to San Francisco, where Guittard Chocolate Company does the r oasting, grinding and final processing into a 70 percent bittersweet chocolate, made to the specifications of D ole. Forastero, Trinitario and Criolo varieties are cultivated and blended together to produce the Waialua Chocolate. “Guittard is a champion of small growers,” said Conway.

Conway is optimistic about the futur e of chocolate in H awaii.

“Not only is cacao v ery viable for H awaii, it can be done withi n a good economic framework. We can produce a high-quality product and sell it at a fair price.”

Waialua Chocolate has gotten the attention of celebrity chef Alan Wong, who uses it in his r estaurants in many desser t preparations.

“We’re nervous about opening new doors for our chocolate becaus e there just isn’t enough of it,” said Conway.

Both the Kona and Waialua chocolates are limited in supply and priced dearly. But oh, so delicious and wor th every penny!

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Family Farming FOR CHOCOLATE

BY TONY LYDGATE Photo by Lauren Brandt

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Here at S teelgrass, our family farm on Kauai, w e began planting Theobroma cacao, the chocolate tr ee, a fe w years ago. Although the books say Hawaii is the only state in the Union where cacao can flourish, you never know how a plant will adapt to your farm’s particular ecosystem until you try.

Our first plantings were experimental. We chose a field sheltered by one of our other cr ops, timber bamboo, because with their la rge leaves, cacao trees don’t like wind. We had also read that cacao prefers to grow in the filter ed light beneath taller for est trees, so we built a shade-cloth canopy over the seedlings.

Since then we’ve learned that it’s not the cacao trees that do not like sun, but rather their pollinators—the little midges and gnats that inhabit the leaf litter beneath them. Shade creates better living conditions for these critters, and the mor e of them y ou have, the more flowers get pollinated—resulting in a bigger crop.

When the cacao seedpods are ripe, they turn bright colors. Some are yellow, some orange, others a pale lime green, crimson red or dark maroon. From Helen Ferris, one of the pioneer cacao gr owers on Kauai, w e learned the trick for telling whether a par ticular pod is r eady to pick: Scrape a small ar ea with your thumbnail If the flesh beneath is still gr een, the pod isn’t yet ripe; if it’s a rich canary yellow, it’s time to harvest.

Ripe cacao pods ar e so colorful and so noticeable, sticking straight out fr om the tree trunk, because high visibility is par t of cacao’s reproductive strategy. Unlike most fruits, an unpicked cacao pod won’t drop off the tree, burst open and release its contents.

Instead, the pod simply shrivels up and dies.

Evolving over countless millennia, cacao has come to r ely instead on animals such as monkeys, and ev entually humans, for seed dispersal. B right colors and pr ominent shapes make it easy for these foraging animals to spot the ripe seedpods.

Inside are 30 or more plump seeds, each encased in a sweet-tart white pulp. (We delight visitors who come to tour our chocolate orchard by slicing open a ripe pod and passing around the seeds for our guests to taste.)

Like most small agricultural enterprises, of necessity here at Steelgrass we’re a MIFF—multi-income farm family—striving to meet our economic needs with a combination of div ersified agriculture, educational programs and agri-tourism.

On the agricultural side, our cacao orchard coexists happily with our second and third crops, timber bamboo and vanilla, which is a vine orchid. The bamboo groves serve the orchard as a windbreak, and the thick carpet of fallen bamboo leav es becomes its mulch. S pread around the trunks of the cacao trees, this mulch recycles the solar energy captured by the bamboo, transferring nutrients to their r oots, while at the same time conserving moisture and creating habitat for pollinating insects.

Meanwhile our vanilla vines use the low cacao trees as their trellis. Vanilla orchid flowers must be pollinated b y human hands, and the short cacao trees are just the right height: In May, when it’s time to pollinate, we don’t need ladders to get the job done.

On the education side, w e operate as a teaching farm, sharing with our neighbors and island visitors everything we’ve learned about how to grow cacao, vanilla and bamboo. Not surprisingly, chocolate is the most popular, so we offer “Chocolate fr om Branch to Bar,” a farm tour that covers the entire spectrum of cacao production.

We begin in the chocolate tr ee orchard, educating tour participants about the history of cacao, from its origins in the Olmec, Maya

and Aztec civilizations to its introduction to Europe. We discuss the botany and horticulture of the plant, and explain techniques for harvesting, fermenting and drying raw cacao beans.

Then we move from the orchard to the Chocolate Tent, where we sample finished cacao nibs and demonstrate home-kitchen equipment for making your own chocolate. Saving the best for last, at the end of the tour w e taste half a doz en of the world ’s rarest and most costly single-estate chocolates.

An important goal for our island’s agricultural future is to get as many cacao trees as possible planted on Kauai, so rather than u sing our cacao seeds to pr oduce chocolate, right no w we’re germinating them to create new seedlings. Making your own chocolate from your own trees is a challenge that’s hard to resist, so occasionally we use a few dozen ripe seedpods to create homemade chocolate. Our website explains in detail the pr ocess of fermenting, dr ying and winnowing the cacao seeds to pr oduce dark-brown, glistening chunks of pur e cacao, called nibs, which are the basic ingredient for both candy-making and savory uses.

So far we’re optimistic about what we’ve accomplished: As a r esult of educational tours and wor kshops for our Kauai neighbors, just in the past y ear 1,500 of our seedlings hav e gone into the gr ound. As these trees mature, we and other small-scale growers will be able to come together as the Kauai Cacao Cooperativ e, enabling us to process and market both cacao nibs and finished chocolate. With any luck, within a few years you will see the emergence of a brand new industry on this island: Kauai H omegrown Chocolate.

Cacao is a cr op whose time has come, especially since consumers are learning about the remarkable health benefits of chocolate.

More and more chocolate lovers are choosing cacao pr oducts containing less sugar: bars with a pure cacao content of 60 percent, 70 percent and even more are now available in many stores. (By contrast, the most popular mass-market American chocolate brands contain as little as 10 percent real cacao, with the other 90 per cent being sugar, artificial flavors and preservatives, and more sugar.)

At the same time, some people are saying “forget the sugar altogether—why not enjoy just pure cacao nibs?” We wholeheartedly endorse this approach, and below we’ve included a couple of our family’s favorite easy-to-make r ecipes using cacao nibs, which ar e available online and in many health food mar kets. Enjoy them as y ou stay tuned for the not-far-off day when Kauai’s 2000+ trees mature, and the co-op starts to produce Kauai Homegrown Chocolate. www.steelgrass.org/chocolate, For cacao resources, including books, articles and internet sources for cacao nibs, fine artisanal chocolates and home-kitchen chocolate-making equipment and supplies, as well as photos and explanations of chocolate processing techniques.

Tony Lydgate first learned about farming on an island in the Atlantic, Martha’s Vineyard, where he worked summers as a farm hand during his high school years. After a career as a designer-craftsman in wood, and author of a series of books on fine woodworking, he and his two grown children, Emily and Will, returned to their kama’aina family’s home island, Kauai, to create Steelgrass Farm, a multidisciplinary center for agriculture, music and the arts.

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This delicious, easy-to-prepare salad can accompany any meal. It is light and refreshing, and the pleasing crunch and rich flavor of the chocolate nibs is set off by the creamy avocado. The complex flavor of the chocolate nibs is particularly well balanced by a dark, meaty main dish.

Serves 4 • Preparation time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 head of Romaine lettuce 1 large avocado 2 large oranges ½ cup sprouts ½ cup chocolate nibs 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar 6 Tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper

CACAO NIBS PARFAIT

Wash, dry and chop the Romaine (an easy way do this is to chopoff the end of the Romaine, slice it lengthways into quarters, then slice the quarters widthways every 2 to 3 inches). Rinse and dry.

This recipe is packed with vitamins, live cultures and antioxidants, making it a healthy and sustaining snack, but it’s delicious enough to be presented as a dessert at an elegant dinner party. To increase the indulgence factor, replace the yogurt with fresh whipped cream.

Peel and section one and a half large oranges. A less juicy v ariety works best. Chop each section in half . Chop av ocado into large pieces. Mix these ingredients in a salad bowl with ½ cup sprouts.

6 medium-sized clear glasses 3 cups granola 3 cups vanilla yogurt (or: 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream) mango, papaya, attemoya, banana, pineapple, passionfruit or any soft fruit, depending on what is available and what you prefer ½ cup chocolate nibs 3 tsp. honey or 1 heaping tsp. finely ground sugar (Optional: vanilla bean)

Dressing: Juice the orange half that remains. Into six tablespoons olive oil, beat three tablespoons rice vinegar. Add one tablespoon orange juice and beat well. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper (if you have a pepper mill, add a few vigorous grinds while tossing the salad).

Slice the fr uit into small pieces and combine. S hould form 2–3 cups total fruit mixture.

If you are using yogurt, slice the vanilla bean (optional) lengthwise and scrape the inner pulp into the yogurt. It will form small black specks of pure vanilla flavor. Stir the honey or sugar and v anilla flecks into the yogurt.

If you are using cream, add one heaping tsp. finely ground sugar and whip until solid. M idway through whipping, slice the v anilla bean (optional) lengthwise and scrape the inner pulp into the cream.

Layer the ingredients into the cups: first yogurt (or whipped cream), then a thin layer of chocolate nibs, then fruit, then granola. Repeat.

The key to the attractiveness of the parfait is to keep the ingredients from smearing along the sides as you lower them into the cups, but no matter what it will still be delicious. Serves 6.

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Dress the salad by tossing the leaves while pouring the dressing on slowly. The salad is dr essed when each leaf is glistening—ther e should be no ex cess dressing in the bottom of the bo wl. Add the chocolate nibs; give the salad a few more tosses, then serve.

Photo by Lauren Brandt

ROMAINE LETTUCE AND CITRUS SALAD WITH CACAO NIBS

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Saving our Roots

By John Parziale Most of my foodie friends find the genetic tinkering of food crops a little hard to swallow. Maybe its just a bizarre sign of the co mplexity of our times that a simple piece of produce–a tomato, papaya or potato can contain genes fr om another plant, animal, bacteria, or virus. It’s a concept that is not easy to wrap your mind around. It sure looks like the same fr uit that I’ve always eaten. B ut there’s something in there that wasn’t there before, something that you can’t wash off, cook out, or soak away. To the supermarket label-r eader, genetic engineering or genetically modified organisms (GMO s) appear to be just another one of those things to av oid, keeping company with trans fats, additiv es and pr eservatives, or hormones and antibiotics. But what is this stuff anyway?

Genetic engineering or modification is the process of creating new kinds of living things by inserting the genetic material of one organism into another.

Goggled technicians in white lab coats are creating spider/goat crosses, inserting human genes into corn, and splicing tomatoes with fish. This Franken-science starts to read more like science fiction. Crossing these fundamental natural boundaries not only sets this technology apart from time-tested traditional breeding methods but from all human history of agricultural practice. In fact, this is a first go-ar ound in our planet’s three and a half bill ion year history for this type of experiment.

Agricultural biotechnology, another name for these same practices, has certainly been controversial from the outset. Environmentalists are concerned about its threat to ecosystems and biodiversity as these organisms are grown in open field trials without public disclosure. Health advocates decry the lack of safety studies on t hese new life forms in our food chain. Corporate/government watchdog 16

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groups are screaming about the patenting of living things and DNA being deemed intellectual property. From a moral/ethical perspective, many people feel this experimentation is an example of science “playing god”.

Food plants are deeply rooted in culture and tradition. They are central to our experience of being human. Certain plants have a historically rich connection to culture. North and South American Indians , for example, have a sacred r elationship with the corn plant–some tribes even identifying themselves as “ people of the corn” H ere food plants transcend their physical form and enter into the spiritual realm of people’s belief systems, r eligion, and identity. So it is with taro (kalo) for H awaiians.

This pr oud r oot with its thick stalk and large heartshaped leaves has not only sustained the traditional Hawaiian way of life for centuries, but actually begins their creation story. As it has been passed down in Oli, the geneological chants of old, H aloa the kalo was the first born of the gods, the elder brother of the Hawaiian people.

Taro and its pounded pr oduct poi ar e still a staple food for many people in H awaii. The majority of tar o grown in the state is farmed in H analei, on the gar den island of Kaua`i. And if any one knows taro it’s Chris Kobayashi, a 3rd generation taro farmer from Hanalei. Her family’s lo`i (tar o fields) hav e been in cultiv ation for over 60 years. Under the name Wai’oli Farms, Chris and her partner Dimi Rivera now raise their taro using organic methods. Chris’s passion for sustainable agriculture shines through her bright smile and the radiant corms of taro on her table at the Saturday farmer’s market in Hanalei.

“It wasn’t always like this,” she remembers. Years of conventional farming left her soils lo w in vitality and yields w ere suffering. “We

needed to get back to farming sustainably . We needed to put lif e back into our soils. When you have healthy soils you’re gonna have healthier plants,” she says. She’s sure on to something, standing quietly behind the taro, lettuce, greens, cabbages and herbs stacked high at her market stall.

The vibrant produce speaks for itself.

This embrace of organic practices also put her at odds with thenew GMO agricultural model coming on to the scene. But it wasn’t just the organic guidelines that made her question genetic engineer ed crops.

“Kalo is sacred,” she says, “it’s not our place to go and messaround with the kalo...it’s disrespectful”. When she plants her huli (tar o planting stock), she feels a r eal connection to all those who hav e planted that taro before her. Chris’s father first sho wed her ho w to car efully select the planting material for the next crop. “[When I plant] I honor him, I honor all the kupuna, all the elders, all those who hav e selected kalo.”

She feels a responsibility to keep these heirloom varieties going.

This feeling of responsibility and a sense of humble stewardship of this special plant inspired Chris to dig deeper. She began to educate herself about the potential consequences of planting GMOs. She didn’t like what she found. “Kalo can get contaminated, our old hawaiian varieties can get contaminated,” she says. S he is critical of the U niversity of Hawaii and the Hawaii Farm Bureau for siding with the biotech companies’ GMO agenda. “They cannot guarantee keeping it in the lab, or keeping it contained...they said so, therefore they shouldn’t do it.” She makes the point that these very institutions were set up to help farmers.

“They should be behind what the farmers want...they ’re not.” Af ter hearing presentations on both sides of the issue, the Kauai Taro Growers Association voted and took a position against the genetic modification of tar o. S imilar positions hav e been taken on GMO s b y the Coalition to Protect Hawaii Coffee and M aui Land & P ineapple, the largest producer of fresh pineapples in the state.

Chris, along with the Kauai Taro Growers Association and several other groups are supporting a senate bill (SB 958) calling for a moratorium on the r esearch and cultiv ation of GMO tar o in the state o f Hawaii. “The farmers don’t want this technology , we never asked for it,” Chris says, “the consensus of the farmers is No! No GMO kalo!”

Chris shares the concerns of others about the potential for allergic reactions from eating food spliced with foreign genes. Without any labeling of GMO ingredients, perhaps these reactions are not being properly monitored. She is also fr ustrated by the o verall lack of t esting of this technology. She asserts, “We really don’t know what harm it can do to the environment.”

Agriculture has played a major role in Hawaii’s history. From the time of the ahupua’a and the thriving subsistence farming metho ds of old Hawaii, through the sugarcane and pineapple plantation era to the present day, agriculture has shaped the cultural, economic, and ecological landscape of the islands. As it was for the nativ e planter of old, bearing his o`o digging stick, so it is for today’s corporate agribusinessman: the H awaiian Islands offer abundant sunshine, clean water and air, and a year-long growing season. Recognizing agriculture’s transformative power on society, great care must be giv en to the choice s we make. The seeds w e plant today will shape the har vest for all g enerations to come.

With all our astounding ingenuity, we still have such a rudimentary understanding of the intricate web of relationships in nature. Despite sequencing the entir e human genome, science still finds myster y in a handful of soil. As farmers or scientists we will always find that mystery because we can never truly stand apart from that which we seek to understand. In this way, it’s not just a relationship with the past that Chris experiences when she plants in the lo’i. She puts it best, “It connects us with the M other...it connects all of us. H umans and plants–w e’re all connected.” So when it comes to splicing living things together , let’s employ the chefs (the other guys in white coats)! A tomato/fis h cross?

Sounds like a nice cioppino to me.

COOKING WITH TARO From Chris Kobayashi As far as recipes, pretty much you can add cooked taro or poi to anything: I add it to smoothies for a very thick malty flavor and texture. Use it in place of potatoes like in salads, stews, soups.

Make veggie burgers out of em with garlic and mushroom and onions, salt and various spices. Use it in desserts such as cakes, cookies, pies, breads, pancake. There is no limit to how you can use this nutritious and versatile food. The cooked taro and poi is high in calcium and also protein, Vit C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron. The leaves contain all this plus good source of Vit A.

POI-COCONUT COOKIES From Favorite Island Cookery Book IV by the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin in Honolulu 1 cup poi 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup butter 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut Heat oven, mix first 5 ingredients. Combine dry ingredients, stir into poi mixtur e. Stir in coconut. D rop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 400 degree for 15 min.

Remove from cookie sheet immediately. Let cool.

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Photos by Doug Allen

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Back of the House THE FRESHEST FISH HANALEI DOLPHIN FISH MARKET

By B&D Allen

“What is the fr eshest fish today?” y ou can hear the customers a sking in line in the fish market.

“Everything is fresh and caught locally in the H awaiian Islands, except salmon that is organically raised from New Zealand and cut daily by our master fish cutters,” you hear the knowledgeable fishmongers respond. Almost every day fish is delivered to the Hanalei Dolphin Fish Market in Hanalei, right on the banks of the Hanalei Heritage River. Douglas Allen, owner of the market and adjacent restaurant, is proud of his relationships and ties that he has established o ver the past 22 y ears buying fish from the local fishermen .

“It is about trust and commitment,” he says.

One of Hanalei Dolphin’s main suppliers is Todd Medeiros from Lawai. Doug has bought fish from Todd’s parents, Mary Lou and Frank, who have worked as a team over the years. Frank who is quite a legend for his fishing exploits and who is affectionately called Opu, always caught the fish and M ary Lou made all the sa les calls and deliveries. They both taught their boys the business.

Todd, who learned w ell, makes his living solely fr om fishing Ka uai and its surrounding waters. He supports his family, including his beautiful wife and two daughters. Todd goes out for days on end, fishing all ar ound the island and the channels between Ni’ihau, Kauai and O’ahu.

“Sometimes Todd calls me up at 6 in the morning or at 11 at nig ht to let me know how the fish are biting,” says Doug. “We stay in touch day and night and I commit to fish as he is bringing them in. A t times when he calls fr om the boat I can hear the fish flapping on the deck or the reels screaming with another ahi and even big waves crashing over his bow as he moves through our very lively waters around Kauai.

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“When he deliv ers the fish to the mar ket it always draws a crowd and he is always gracious enough to take pictur es with our customers and his fish. He always keeps me informed of what’s happening on the ocean and when he’s returning.”

Doug grew up in S outh Texas, fishing with his father since he was old enough to tie a r ope to (so as to not fall o verboard) and surfing the Gulf of Mexico. He left Texas after college in 1984 and since then has liv ed on the island of Kauai, operating and owning restaurants.

“I love having the fish market and restaurant, which is a marriage made in heav en. We are able to buy large quantities of lo cal fish and provide our fish market and restaurant customers the freshest fish on Kauai. We hang all our fish and disassemble our fish daily by our master fish cutters. We would never misrepresent our fish as fresh, as so many r estaurants and markets are doing now with the CO2-treated and gassed fish portions so they are more colorful.

“When you come to the D olphin Restaurant or fish mar ket you are getting nothing but the best locally caught fr esh fish from the best fisherman on Kauai. We only do business with the fishe rmen that know how to take care of their fish.”

The restaurant was founded in 1970 and the mar ket opened after hurricane Iniki. It has been an institution ever since.

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Says the proud owner, “I love serving the local community and visitors, and I love to eat, to cook and to make my customers happy.

When you come to my restaurant do not expect ultra fancy—there is no chef creating ‘fancy sauces- or vertical towers of food. It is all about the fresh fish cooked simple and clean that Todd, Opu, Darren, Patrick, Kevin, Bruce and all of the quality fisherman that we do business with catch after working hard on this big ocean.”

The Dolphin believes in sustainability, harmony of and with the environment and connecting with the community . It is involved in Save Our Seas (SOS), packages its product in compostable packaging, promotes the Hawaiian heritage and culture in selling, offering and promoting locally gr own organic gr eens, goat cheeses, spices an d herbs, locally crafted homemade cookies, organic pastries and cakes, chocolates, coffee and other gourmet products.

Hanalei Dolphin Hanalei Dolphin Center Hanalei HI 96714 Phone: (808) 826-6113 Fax: (808) 826-6699 www.hanaleidolphin.com

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cooking fresh HOLIDAY SIDES PAU!

BY DAHLIA HAAS

Around this time of y ear, and right thr ough to New Years Eve, we entertain a slew of family and friends from the mainland at our beach house in H awaii. My thoughts turn to the coming holidays which mean fast, easy cooking.

Though everyone likes to help in the kitchen, this crowd would rather play than cook. Surfing, swimming and swinging in the hammocks take priority over preparing meals in my kitchen. The choice is to cook alone or plan ahead and get it done. I choose P au! For Hawaiians that means Done, Complete, Fini!

For the sake of tradition, the main entr ees seldom change. The usual suspects—glazed ham, Huli Huli chicken or succulent roasted beef or lamb fr om the B ig Island—are easy for 20 hungr y houseguests. With roasted meats, it ’s nice to ser ve side dishes to i nclude something crunchy and creamy and something sweet and sour. Add platters of fresh, bright vegetables for balance.

With so much av ailable at the local farmers ’ markets and the wide array of Asian food pr oducts, creating Pan-Asian side dishes is my passion. I rarely serve the same sides. They vary year to year, which delights everyone at the table.

I was inspired years ago by a wonderful restaurant in Maui, which offered an amazing selection of such accompaniments as shrimp f ried rice, potato gratins, curried vegetables, saucy Asian mushrooms, tropical salsas and sauces galore. I ate my way thr ough the vegetable dishes and didn’t bother ordering steak like everyone else.

This season I share my favorite recipes with you, starting with a pineapple macadamia nut stuffing. I t’s a wonder ful mix of fr esh pineapple mixed with buttery crackers and sautéed shallots, leeks, celery, basil and brown sugar... It’s so good you’ll hula in circles around the kitchen.

The ruby-red cranberry rum chutney, spiced with coarse peppercorns, dried mango and shots of dar k rum, is a beautifully b alanced sauce. In fact, all these recipes can be made in advance. Creamy purple sweet potatoes whipped with goat cheese, topped with mac nut streusel, is nutty crisp on the outside and melting within.

Pau! Now go out and have fun at the beach with your beautiful families and enjo y this holiday with gr eat make-ahead foods .

And be sure to swing in the hammock… while everyone else does the dishes.

Photo by Ron Mayer

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SWEET & SOUR BABY ONIONS 10 ounces brown or white baby onions 1 cup balsamic vinegar 1 cup red wine 2 Tbsp. honey 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce 3 Tbsp. pickled ginger, minced 2 tsp. green onion, minced Drop whole unpeeled onions in boiling water for 3 minutes.

Rinse with cold water. Cut root ends and gently squeeze toward stem end until onion slips out. S et aside. Place balsamic vinegar and r ed wine vinegar in a small sauce pan and simmer o ver medium heat until reduced by half. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 minute to combine the flav ors. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan o ver medium heat and add peeled onions. Brown the onions, shaking the pan constantly so all sides of the onions brown. When onions are browned, add to vinegar/wine mixture. Simmer till onions are tender, about 8 minutes. This can be made ahead of time and marinated in the r efrigerator overnight. To serve, remove from the r efrigerator and reheat or can be served at room temperature.

WHIPPED SWEET POTATOES WITH PUNA GOAT CHEESE 4 large purple sweet potatoes 8 ounces local goat cheese, softened 6 Tbsp. butter melted, or olive oil 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. freshly ground white pepper Macadamia Nut Streusel Topping 1 cup butter 1 cup Maui sugar 1/3 cup Maui brown sugar 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped cinnamon to taste Mix together the ingredients with a pastr y cutter or a large fo rk and use as a topping on the sweet potato casserole.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the potatoes on a baking pan and bake until v ery soft, about 45 minutes. R emove from oven and let cool.

PINEAPPLE MACADAMIA NUT STUFFING 1 Tbsp. macadamia oil or olive oil 4 cups celery, thinly sliced 2 cups brown onion, minced 1 cup shallots, minced 3 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced 3 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped 2 cups crushed pineapple, drained 7 cups Waverly crackers, crumbled (approx. 1-pound box) 1 cup fresh basil leaves, diced 1 cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp. orange zest 1 cup or more port wine, to moisten stuffing 1 Tbsp. ground sage 2 tsp. each salt, black pepper and lemon pepper Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place oil in a large sauté pan. Heat over medium flame; add celery, onion, shallot and garlic. S auté until softened and br own, stirring so v egetables don’t burn. R emove pan fr om heat. P lace vegetable mixture in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Moisten stuffing with por t wine and add seasonings. S et aside. Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Bake in a greased ovenproof casserole dish for 40 minutes or can be stuffed in a 16-pound turkey and baked according to directions.

Peel and place potatoes in a medium bo wl. Whip the potatoes until smooth and cr eamy. Whip in the goat cheese, butter , salt and pepper. Place mixture in a gr eased, oven-proof baking dish and top with streusel, patting it evenly over the top of the potato mixture. Bake in a hot o ven for 40 minutes, until topping is browned and crisp. Can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered oven-proof casserole dish. Serves 6.

TROPICAL CRANBERRY RUM CHUTNEY 2 cups fresh cranberries or `ohelo berries 1 cup dried mango, papaya or banana, chopped 1 cup Bacardi rum 1 cup passion fruit juice (or any juice) 1 cup Maui granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. Triple Sec 1 tsp. crushed black and white peppercorns Place all ingredients except peppercorns in a medium saucepan.

Simmer over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring constantly so mixture doesn’t burn. When cranberries pop open and mixture is thick, r emove from heat and fold in black and white peppercorns. Chill in a covered container in refrigerator.

Can be pr epared up to 3 days in adv ance or make ahead and freeze.

Makes 3 cups.

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AWARD-WINNING ARTISAN GOAT CHEESE ALIVE AND WELL ON THE BIG ISLAND!

BY SONIA R. MARTINEZ The Hawai`i Island Goat Dairy in Ahualoa, on the Big Island, is nestled in a beautiful old macadamia nut or chard off the old M amalahoa Road just above Honoka’a. Dick and Heather Threlfall welcomed us to the cleanest barn I have ever seen! This is my third visit to their farm and it never fails to impress me.

Very much a small ar tisan family operation, Dick and Heather consider their “girls,” as the goats are affectionately known, a part of the family.

The 104 happy goats in residence have names like Pistol, Popsicle, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Vanna White and Truffles, to name just a few.

Penelope was due to deliver at least quads in a couple of days.

About 13 as-yet-unnamed baby goats, or kids, were in separate pens—all white and sporting the cutest expressions on their faces as they came over to investigate what was going on.

Showing us around the barn, Dick and Heather explained that their automatic in-line milking system can milk 10 goats at onetime and they milk 50 goats twice a day.

Month in and month out, the farm pr oduces 1,500 pounds of cheese or the equiv alent of 50 pounds a day . The Threlfalls qualify their cheeses as ‘ farmstead cheese’ since it is made on the pr emises with milk from their own girls. No outside milk is used and the health of their goats is closely monitored for quality control.

Peak milk-producing seasons are spring and fall. Production normally drops off in winter since so many of the girls are pregnant.

During the milking process, the milk is piped directly into a refrigerated bulk tank and br ought down to 36 degr ees, then trans ferred to the pasteuriz er and br ought up to 145 degr ees for 30 minutes, chilled to 84 degr ees when cultur e and r ennet are added, and left to sit for 12 hours. A t this point, it is scooped into cheesecloth drainage bags, left to hang for 8 to 12 hours and hand packaged as is or with seasonings and herbs.

The temperature at which it is held prevents the goat milk from tasting “strong and gamy,” making their cheeses quite mello w and wonderful, but still with that distinctive chévre tang!

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The “retired” husband-and-wife team started their goat farm about 10 years before they started marketing the soft chévre. Dick is in charge of “maintenance” and Heather is the self-taught cheese maker. You can find Dick most market days at the Waimea Farmers’ Market.

The cheese is marketed under their Big Island Goat Cheese label as plain chévre or in five flavors: dill-garlic, chipotle pepper, Tocoro (manzana) pepper and, their bestseller , mac nut basil pesto . The newest offering is the guav a-wood-smoked pyramids! Feta is made only a few times a year when they have extra milk.

Cheese is made daily and the bulk of the cheese is sold within the state, locally to a few retailers in the Waimea area but mostly to restaurant chefs who have standing orders on the Big Island, O`ahu and Maui.

Packed in special containers and wrapped in frozen sheets of plastic that look like puffed-up ravioli, they have shipped special orders as far away as Singapore and Israel and to many of the mainland states.

In 2003 the Big Island Goat Cheese won a second place award in the goat milk fr esh cheese categor y at the American Cheese S ociety convention in San Francisco while competing against 18 other go at cheese makers nationwide. They felt honored by this recognition since over 600 total cheeses were competing in this prestigious event.

A couple of y ears later their soft, plain chévr e won a thir d place award at the 2005 American Dairy Goat Association in Portland, O regon, and another thir d place awar d for their guav a– wood-smoked pyramids at the 2006 American Cheese S ociety competition held in Wisconsin.

On this visit I learned that goat cheese can be frozen with no adverse effects if it is to be used in recipes that require cooking. It is best to thaw at least for 24 hours in the refrigerator before using.

We bade them aloha after a v ery nice visit but not befor e admiring their beautiful v egetable garden and being giv en an asso rtment of differ ent flav ored chévr e and one of their ne w smoked pyramids to try.

SMOKED CHÉVRE IN PUFF PASTRY POUCH

TOMATO CONFIT

Wanting to make something special with this cheese, my son suggested wrapping it in puff pastry. I decided to add some of my own tomato confit and macnuts. We felt the vinegary-sweet confit was a perfect pairing without overpowering the delicate smokiness of the cheese.

Any other sweet-tart jam will probably work.

One day when I had quite a few tomatoes from my neighbor Richard Ha’s Hamakua Springs Country Farm, I decided to make a sort of confit or jam with them. The quantities are approximate.

1 sheet puff pastry 1 “smoked pyramid” of goat cheese 1 tsp. chopped and toasted macadamia nuts 3 Tbsp. tomato confit Smooth and thin the puff pastr y a bit with a r olling pin. P lace the smoked pyramid in the middle of the puff pastry sheet, sprinkle with the macadamia nuts and spoon the tomato confit over all.

Gather the ends of the puff pastry and hold them together as you would to make hobo’s pouch. Make sure to press it tight to “glue” it closed.

6 cups of cut tomatoes 1 pint vinegar 4–5 cups sugar Scant tsp. salt Bring to a boil in a non-r eactive saucepan and cook down on low until tomatoes are nice and shiny and the jam is the consistency you prefer. Delicious served with cream cheese or chévre on crackers.

Place on baking sheet and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 25 minutes or until golden and puffed.

Photo by Natale

Let it cool for a fe w minutes so cheese won ’t be r unny. Slice in wedges and serve with fresh fruit.

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`OHELO, OUR VERY OWN CRANBERRY

BY JOAN NAMKOONG

Did you know Hawaii has it’s own native cranberry? ‘Ohelo, a member of the cranberry family is endemic to the islands, found particularly in the Volcano area of Hawaii Island.

Vaccinium reticulatum is a shrubby plant that likes elevations of a thousand feet or more, thriving in volcanic ash, cinders and recent lava flows. Amongst the grayish-green round leaves, clusters of red, orange and yellow berries emerge, ranging from sweet to tart.

‘Ohelo can be eaten raw or cooked. F ans of ‘ohelo are fond of jam (a good substitute for a traditional cranberr y sauce) and p ies; syrup, turnovers, cheesecake and other confections are popular, too.

‘Ohelo is sacred to Pele, the goddess of fire, perhaps because of its habitat near volcanoes. The nene, the Hawaiian goose that thrives in Volcanoes National Park, is especially fond of this berry, too. Those who pick the berries at the park are limited to a quart a day but many folks forage for berries along S addle Road. ‘Ohelo is picked fr om April to September and fr ozen so ther e’s ample supplies during the holiday season.

If you can’t forage for your own ‘ohelo, a number of island companies sell ‘ohelo berry preserves. Check these two H awaii Island stores for delicious ‘ohelo products: Hirano Store, Glenwood: (808) 968-6522 Kilauea General Store, Volcano: (808) 967-7555

`OHELO BERRY RED WINE SHALLOT SAUCE

By Chef Paul Heerlein

`OHELO BERRY BUTTER 2 ounces soft unsalted butter 1 Tbsp. `ohelo berry preserve (to taste) 1 Tbsp. Port wine Salt and pepper to taste In a bowl, cream the butter and add the pr eserves, Port and salt and pepper to taste. R oll in plastic wrap to form a cylinder . Refrigerate until firm.

This can be made days in adv ance and will keep in fr eezer for about 6 months.

Serve on grilled lamb chops, waffles, pancakes, toast or French toast.

3 ounces shallots, finely chopped 5 cup red wine 1 ounces granulated sugar 2 bay leaves 1 cup demiglace 1 cup chicken stock In a saucepan, reduce the wine, shallots, sugar and bay leav es to a syrupy consistency. Add the demiglace and stock and reduce a third • For poha sauce, add poha and poach in sauce for about 10 minutes; take off the heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon of whole butter.

• For `ohelo berry sauce, add `ohelo and cook in sauce for about 10 minutes; take off the heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon of whole butter.

Great with lamb, duck or venison.

It is also common when eating `ohelo to offer the first berry to Pele by throwing it in the general direction of Kilauea, regardless of what island you are on.

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What’s in Season: Fall Buy Fresh, Buy Local What you can do: As a consumer, there are many things you can do to help insure our foodshed.

Buy Local: Support your local farmers’ market, and buy only the locally grown produce.

Eat at restaurants that serve local produce and products: Ask where your food comes from!

Support a “food” bill in Congress: Rather than a farm bill that funnels Federal money to large-scale commodity growers, for 2007 demand that Congr ess pass a food bill that will dir ect Federal investments toward regional food networks and better conservation practices. Support small sustainable farms!

VEGGIES

FRUIT

Broccoli Cauliflower Bok Choy Cabbage Daikon Dark leafy greens Eggplant Ginger root Hearts of palm Lettuce Luau (Taro) leaf Mushrooms Onions Peppers Taro Sprouts Squash (Oriental) Sweet Potato Tomatoes Watercress

Abiu Atemoya Avocado Banana Buddha’s Hand Cherimoya Coconut Durian Fig Guava Kumquat Lime Mangosteen Orange Persimmon Starfruit Ugli Tangerine

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Locavore Diet

By Sue Kiyabu The first thing people say when I tell them I’m going on a “locavore” diet is “Oh, that’s going to be expensive.” The second is, “What are you going to eat?”

Across the board, though, a look of incomprehension, followed by ponderous calculation, passes over each person’s face as each considers the potential, or lack ther eof. But in the height of sum mer, when I undertook this venture, eating only what’s grown locally and organically is not difficult—especially when you cheat.

Much has been written about “locavore” movements, from Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, to Alisa Smith and J ames MacKinnon’s The 100-Mile Diet, to N ina Plank’s Plenty. The gist of the movement is to eat organic food grown within a range of where you live.

Whether it’s like Kingsolv er, who mo ves to Virginia and harvests much of what she and her family consume, or like S mith and MacKinnon, who as city-dwelling Vancouverites, end up eating a lot of potatoes, these locav ores (along with like minds in the blog osphere) show eating locally to be an act of global citizenship. Reduce carbon and reacquaint yourself with the land. They live the ideal of eating as a political act.

In recent years, our efficient global food production has revealed ugly side effects. A handful of mega-conglomerates now control much of our food supply. Outdated politics along with their money-sa ving practices brings the alphabet soup of industrial farming (CAFO s, GMOs, BSEs) into our homes. (F or more information on the outdated politics, go to www .slowfoodusa.org/farmbill or D an Imoff ’s “Citizen’s Guide to a Food and Farm Bill”) As consumers, we contend with E. coli outbr eaks, early-onset puber ty and other oft-cited realities. Food now travels an average of 1,500 miles fr om farm to p late.

Eighty-five cents of ev ery food dollar spent goes to the middle men, not the farmers. Chickens now live without grass, cows no longer know how to mate and farmers can be sued because the wind carried patented, genetic material onto their fields.

Then there’s oil. Oil finds its way into almost every aspect of the process—from the fer tilizers to gr ow the food, to the oil i t takes to process the food, to the oil it takes to transport the food.

By reducing travel miles and eating organically , food is fr esher and more reflective of the community wher e it is gr own. By reducing travel miles, consumers reduce carbon in the atmosphere and engage in their local foodsheds.

But eating to save the planet turns out to be more complicated.

A recent study by researchers in New Zealand says that food miles can be deceiving. Researchers calculated energy use based on waterusage, renewables, transportation and harvesting techniques. They discovered that lamb raised in pastur es in New Zealand and shipped to Britain consumed less energy than lamb raised in Britain’s own backyard, largely because of imported feed.

And in Hawaii, that’s a real issue. Much of our local agriculture is dependent on impor ted fertilizer and grain. M ainland producers who don’t have to ship in grain have all but destroyed our dairy, poultry and pork industries. This year alone, Maui lost its last large-scale egg producer and two more dairies on Oahu closed. In the 1980s, all milk consumed in H awaii was pr oduced locally. Only seven years 28

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ago, the state had a total of 10 dairies. N ow there are four. There is only one large-scale chicken “br oiler” producer left in the sta te and the majority of our pork is now imported.

Local or Organic?

Choosing between local and organic is another factor. Choosing local puts three times more monies into the local economy. But pesticides and chemical r esidue damage topsoil and land. And thoug h the FDA approves of the level of trace pesticides we digest, many are not comfortable with that choice.

While locavores don’t make it seem easy , advocates generally po ssess enthusiasm and ingenuity in, um, spades. G row your own garlic!

Contact the local organic wheat farmer and make y our own bread. In fact, reading about these culinary adventures made me more than a bit envious at times. (I had no idea I’ve never really tasted asparagus before I read Kingsolver’s book). Much as I admire the can-do attitude of growing your own food for a year or making an entire meal from local, organic ingredients, here, in the S pam-lovers capital, in my 500-squar e-foot condo, the notion of eating locally and organically feels overwhelming.

And that’s because I tried it. A couple of years ago, I read Smith and M acKinnon’s blog about eating locally (thety ee.com) and Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I wanted to find out what I could eat locally and organically. I gave myself the state, rather than the island. And for a w eek, I ate a lot of salted gr eens and Kau oranges. It made me realize how little control I had over one of my basic needs, and ho w little I kno w about what I eat—citric acid is made from corn?

Still, after making the rounds, I found that local was doable.But organic, or the spirit of organic, would still be a challenge.Faced with another week of steamed v egetables, I decided I needed a plan a nd called on Ed Kenney for help.

Kenney, who owns town restaurant and Downtown@theHiSam, started town with the mantra “local first and organic whenever possible.” He says they str uggled at first, but no w most of ingr edients come from local producers, instilling hope that my quest would be, if not smooth sailing, at least more readily attainable.

“It’s a lot better than it was two years ago, but still, where do you draw the line?” Ed Kenney sagely says. “Olive oil?”

That is when I decided to cheat. Purist idealism easily trumped by the realization that with just two ingr edients—olive oil and garlic—I could eat and eat well.

We hav e fish, salt, goat cheese, honey and an abundance of greens and fruits. North Shore Cattle Company sells grass-fed b eef.

And we also have one modern staple many on the mainland would trade their organic, house-made beer for: coffee. Kona coffee sells for about $35 a pound. Whatever. With a little pleading, a small he rb garden, garlic, olive oil and a caffeine fix, I set to task.

First, I took inventory of every gardener I knew, and begged accordingly. My grandma’s tree is still giving up mangoes, even in midAugust. She also has a lime tree, sour tangerines and macadamia nuts.

My cousin’s grandma gr ows eggplant, lemons, gr eens, bitter melo n and green onions. My cousin’s neighbor gr ows pomelo. My friend

has breadfruit and starfruit trees. My auntie has papayas and apple bananas (though there were no bananas this time of year). I have a small herb garden—basil, chives, sage, thyme and a pathetic, but sur viving, cilantro plant.

I hit the Kapiolani Community College farmers ’ market and picked up a couple of steaks, cucumbers, ar ugula, lettuce, mangoes, poha berries, Swiss chard, Meyer lemons, butter lettuce and tomatillos and about four pounds of tomatoes—all fr om organic, or in the spirit of organic, producers. Cost: $95 (including 1 pound of coffee).

If I could eat eggs, it would hav e been less. Midweek, I went to the fish market. Overall, I spent about $120 for 21 meals plus snac ks.

I’ve spent more on a single meal.

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Photo by Ken Love

I ate fruit and meat for breakfast and lunch. Salads and meat or fish for lunch and dinner. I came up with some weird recipes. Some worked, others not. If in doubt, I fried it. F or snacks, I made breadfruit chips with tomatillo salsa. I broiled eggplant with garlic and tomatoes. I baked tomatoes, slo wcooked them in olive oil, tossed them into salads and ate them plain with salt. I made a butter lettuce salad with fresh herbs and a lemon-thyme vinaigr ette. My favorite dish was S wiss chard and arugula sautéed with garlic and topped with tomatoes and poha berries. I tossed starfruit, mangoes and papayas together with basil and drizzled with honey for dessert.

Kingsolver’s husband, biologist Steven L. Hopp, states that if every U.S. citizen all ate one local and organic meal a week, we would save 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.

You might also find y ourself reveling in the genius of y our own ingenuity.

WE’RE WORKING HARD TO BRING YOU ALL THE LOCAL FOOD STORIES.

EASY AND FAST SWISS CHARD Swiss Chard with Poha Berries.

1 bunch Swiss Chard 2 T. olive oil 2 cloves finely minced garlic Soul of the Sea Hawaiian Salt 1/2 cup peeled Poha Berries Clean and chop chard into chunky pieces, separating stems. Put stems in boiling water for about 3 minutes to soften.

Heat olive oil and minced garlic together on medium heat for ab out 2 minutes. Don't brown. Add Swiss chard leaves and stems and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Toss with peeled poha berries to finish.

Yes, I want to become a subscriber toEdible Hawaiian Islands. I have filled out the form below and am sending it, along with my check made payable to Edible Hawaiian Islands. in the amount of $28 (for 4 issues) to: Edible Hawaiian Islands. PO Box 753, Kilauea, HI 96754.

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City:

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email (optional): For more information or to submit story ideas, call or email us at: 808-828-1559, or info@ediblehawaiianislands.com.

Edible Hawaiian Islands is published quarterly by Edible Hawaiian Islands LLC. Telephone: 808-828-1559. Distribution is throughout the state of Hawaii and nationally by subscription. All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $28 annually. Published in April, July, October and December. Call the number above to inquire about advertising rates, deadlines or subscription information, or email us at: info@ediblehawaiianislands.com. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. © 2007 All Rights Reserved.

edible hawaiian islands

Mele Kalikimaka Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to check our web site often. We have added a calendar of Edible Events, News Links, Recipes and more. www.ediblehawaiianislands.com

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Liquid Assets O‘AHU STAFF SURFER By tim ryan

Waikiki, Oahu—its a few minutes after 7 a.m. on a summer weekday and Josh Marvit’s face is one wide grin.

It’s not that the Oahu-born and -raised waterman has the day off, or that the trades are light and dry or that a south swell is on the rise. It’s because the ocean is pretty much Marvit’s office and this is when his workday begins.

“I have my dr eam job,” he says. “ What could be better than this being your work environment?”

Marvit, whose official title with the state D epartment of Health’s Clean Water Branch is envir onmental health specialist, around the office is known simply as “Staff Surfer.”

“Yeah, I take a lot of kidding especially fr om friends,” says Marvit.

Three days a w eek—Monday, Wednesday and Thursday— Marvit collects ocean water samples from near the Diamond Head end of Waikiki to Ala Moana Beach Park. Taking shoreline or even offshore samples isn’t something ne w for H awaii’s health depar tment, but using a specially designed 11-foot 2-inch, $900 epo xy surfboard is.

Since late June 2006, M arvit’s water monitoring assignment has expanded from collecting shoreline samples to paddling out to 32

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three popular surfing areas—Number Threes, Populars (Pops) and Canoes—to take samples in the lineup.

“Waikiki is the most crowded beach area in Hawaii, as are the surf spots,” says M arvit, believed to be the first go vernment Staff Surfer in the United States. “Taking samples for water quality out there makes sense to protect the most users.”

The Department of Health has other workers taking shoreline samples at Oahu’s Leeward, North Shore and East Side areas, but so far Marvit is the only one who collects samples—“grab sampling”— at surf spots that range from a few hundred yards to a half-mile offshore. On the offshore water monitoring days, Marvit paddles more than a mile on his DOH board. Collecting takes about an hour.

The DOH sur fboard is a standar d off-the-rack design fr om Naish Hawaii in Kailua except for thick straps along the rails near the nose. This is where a specially designed industrial-like foam case is strapped to hold several bottles of the water samples.

When Marvit returns to his truck, the water samples are placed in a cooler filled with ice. This prevents any bacteria from deteriorating before the samples ar e taken to the lab for analysis. R esults come in about 12 to 18 hours. These samples ar e compared with shoreline samples.

According to Watson Okubo, Monitoring & Analysis Section Chief of the DOH Clean Water Branch, the state has done surf site sampling by boat, but switching to the sur fboard “lets us get samples right in the surf zone.” This new monitoring is in cooperation with the University of H awaii Medical School and the S urfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter, Okubo says.

“The Surfrider Foundation had been asking the state to do the offshore monitoring for some time,” says Marvit. “We also hope to raise the public’s awareness about ocean pollution especially within the surfing community. We really need to get to the people in t he water to make a difference.”

Hawaii has mor e than 400 beaches—about 290 miles of beaches, including some 185 miles of sandy shor eline on Kauai, the B ig Island, O ahu, M aui, Lanai and M olokai. B ut only 24 miles of Hawaii’s sandy beaches are considered safe, clean and suitable for swimming.

Since the surf site water program began this summer, bacteria levels have never come close to exceeding federal or state standards, Marvit says. That’s primarily because there’s not been any sewer or water line breaks, runoff from heavy rains or large south swells that

can stir up the ocean bottom. The primary culprit for increased bacteria counts is “all about runoff,” Marvit says.

“The [offshore] numbers hav e been super lo w this summer,” Marvit says. “We didn’t really expect to find anything because the Waikiki surf spots are so far offshor e. But it doesn’t hurt to check and keep on top of it.”

Curiously, the well-known Ala Moana “Bowls” surf spot near the mouth of the Ala Wai Canal isn ’t monitor ed. Clean Water Branch officials wanted to monitor the water there but “it’s a matter of safety not to use such an unwieldy sur fboard,” Marvit says.

The department didn’t want to take any chances of the board being swept away and hitting someone or damaging the electronic monitoring equipment Marvit uses.

“Bowls is a radical wav e so it could get pr etty dicey,” he says.

“Bowls gets crowded but it doesn’t have near the number of surfers like the other spots we monitor.”

Another reason Bowls isn’t included is that the DOH requires shoreline water testing near the monitored surf spots. Bowls has no real beach frontage.

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Photo by Steve Knox

Hawaii’s Green Turtles also appreciate our clean water efforts.

One thing no one disagr ees with is that during periods of heavy rain the r unoff into Bo wls creates the most polluted sur f spot in Waikiki.

“We don’t even test ar ound the Ala Wai because w e know the numbers are going to be high,” Marvit says. “It’s not any big news.”

The DOH uses the water samples to monitor the amount of bacteria colonies, specifically enterococci and. secondarily, Clostridia perfringens. Since enterococcus can also indicate that contamination is from the soil rather than sewage, the state measures levels of Clostridia perfringens, which is also found in human feces.

“We feel that ’s more indicative for detecting any potential pathogens in the water,” Marvit says.

Hawaii’s bacteria standar d is one of the strictest in the nation, but the depar tment does not always close a beach or issue an advisory if the standard has been exceeded. The state takes a series of resamples and relies on additional factors, like the presence of raw sewage, when evaluating whether conditions warrant

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a beach closure.

According to state r ecords, Hawaii issued its first island-wide rain advisory in 2004 because of extr emely heavy rains on O ahu that March. Statewide advisories also were issued in 2005 and 2006.

Marvit has some common-sense advice for people using ocean areas where the water isn ’t monitored: “If the water looks ugly with sediment or with floating debris it ’s just not smar t to go in it. “I wouldn’t.”

After strapping the water sample case to his floating desk, Marvit checks his watch then apologizes.

“Sorry,” he says, stepping into the ocean, “ to work.”

time to go

Photos left to right, Kaz Tanabe, Kaz Tanabe, David Franzen, Kaz Tanabe

BOOK PARTY HAWAI`I to Entertaining in the Islands REVIEW AByGuide Kaui Philpotts

By G. Cohen

This “how-to” entertaining book is the first of it’s kind to focus on the unique way Hawai`i throws a party. Filled with hints on everything from dining outdoors to throwing a personalized party at a restaurant. According to the author, the mix of ex otic cultures introduced from both East and West, each with their o wn sets of holidays and celebrations, is particularly delicious. “Living in the Islands has always meant living with this special blend and celebrating each other’s holidays.” Below is a sample of an exotic holiday drink recipe from this wonderful book.

Forward by Joan Namkoong. Published by Mutual Publishing, Honolulu Party Hawai`i is available wherever books are sold $27.95

EMALANI COCKTAIL Serves 6 1 cup white rum 1/2 cup triple sec 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup simple syrup Lemon lime soda to taste

Photo by Kaz Tanabe

In a pitcher, combine rum, triple sec, juices and simple syrup. Fill tall glasses with ice cubes and pour in the juice mixtur e leaving r oom for t he soda.

Top with the soda and stir. Garnish the drinks with a spear of pineapple and sprig of mint. Vodka may be substituted for the rum.

Make simple syr up by placing 1-cup sugar and 1/2 cup of water i nto a saucepan. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

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talk story Holiday Memories MOM’S VINHA D’ALHOS

BY DONNA M. GALON Holidays in our household were filled with love and joy. Bringing Mom’s large family together was always a must for her. Born and raised in Honakaa on the Big Island, a true Portuguese family coming direct from Portugal, she was the oldest of 14.

Mom’s menu was always the typical local style, lots of love put into her planning and cooking. As I grew older, I was always at her side and eager to help her in the kitchen, planning her special menus filled with love and pride.

As the holidays gr ew closer, Mom was always so ex cited and concerned that everyone be happy and content. Her preparations took about a week, with tons of chopping, slicing and baking. Mom would prepare her family’s traditional dish Vinha D’Alhos, better kno wn as Portuguese roast. Prep time—four to five days for the marinating. So much love went into this process daily, as she made sure it was marinated equally on all sides.

Donna M. Galon lives in Honolulu and is showroom consultant at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.

VINHA D’ALHOS 4–5 pounds pork butt 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half twice Marinade: 1 cup white vinegar ½ cup water 2 Hawn chili peppers, chopped 5 large cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. salt Combine marinade ingr edients, add por k and v egetables and marin ate in fridge 4–5 days, turning twice a day.

Lower temperature to 350 for the last 50 minutes and add the potatoes and carrots.

Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes to brown.

Serves 6.

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Photo by Carole Topalian

Place pork and marinade in large baking dish, cover and bake at 375 degrees for 2½ hours.

SANTA’S CORVETTE Nothing says Christmas like trav eling over to my grandpar ents’ Kauai home. Though it was no gingerbread house, my Christmas had just as many traditions as any storybook family – everything from the red poke to the artificial Christmas tree.

Numerous rubber slippers piled up outside the front door while their owners talked stor y with family members inside. Like a magnetic attraction, visitors w ere almost always drawn to the dining r oom table. The turkey, white rice cake, sushi, chicken, Chinese noodles and us ually more than one white rice cooker lay across the picnic tablecloth. The entire family lined up with their paper plates and plastic forks, waiting for their turn at helping themselves to the local feast.

The first food to disappear fr om the table was always my grandm a’s fried rice, usually dev oured b y the grandchildr en as soon as th e bo wl touched the table. Last y ear, every single grain of rice was go ne before I even knew the food had been set. As y oung grandchildren, we all looked very similar. Dark hair, big brown eyes, dark skin and dirty clothing from the day’s play. We little Menehune have grown up now, but the memory of our curiosity still echoes thr oughout my grandpar ents’ house. L ike every child on Christmas Eve, we were looking for the holiday spirit—the spirit that br ought us delicate paper-wrapped gifts. The man who skipp ed through the front door, a red bag slouched over his back and a cotton beard tied around his ears. He wore a dusty red coat that only came out of the attic once a year. He was the reason we little ones looked forward to the family Christmas party. If it were not for him, we would have stayed in bed waiting for Christmas morning.

During those early years, Santa would hand us our one early gift while we stood gazing at the sight of this big man. Imagine my disappointment, after years passed, when I r ecognized Santa as my o wn father. My three cousins knew exactly who he was; after all, for most of us, hewas the tallest person we had ever seen, standing at 6-foot-4.The magic was all gone now.

Santa was an imposter, and all we wanted to do was collect ourpresent and take our leave. Though the last spark of Christmas spirit seemed to flicker out, I did witness a little more magic a few years later.

Having grown up a bit, we needed something to look forward to now that we were no longer waiting up for Santa. We were now “sophisticated” elementary scholars, capable of a sneaky plan.We knew we could outsmart grandma by finding out who S anta was befor e he ev en got into hi s costume, and we were determined to prove it.

Days before the big night, we planned our positions and duties carefully while w e gobbled down cheese balls and P epsi. We would dress in black, draw maps of the house, synchr onize our watches and list en carefully to adult conversation for any trace of the secret Santa. We were proud to call ourselves the family’s best spies.

This particular year was one of the last y ears before I “retired” from my lifelong spy duties. My cousins and I were growing up, and it was our time to show the younger ones exactly how to plan everything (even though we never actually succeeded).

It was ar ound 7:30, and w e cousins sat in our positions ar ound the house, analyzing every movement that went on among the adults.

Nothing seemed too peculiar, until Toby, the eldest of the 11 g randchildren, disappeared. It took a few minutes to gather the pack because the younger ones had drifted away from their posts for reasons of an overfilled bladder or a dessert-craving tummy.

We were certain that our missing cousin was this y ear’s Santa impersonator. The team met up in the playroom, completely thrilled that we had outsmarted my grandma, mother of five children and grandmother (at the time) of 11. The time was coming for us to sing our Christmas car ols and give “Santa” the signal to grace us with his presents.

Together, we walked down the hallway and into the living room.

BY SUNNY WEEKS

To our horror, Toby came through the front door, wearing his jeans and T-shirt.

“Hey, everyone!” my cousin yelled throughout the house. “I just got off the phone with my friend! He says that Santa is right down the street!

If we sing loud enough, maybe he’ll hear us!”

While the ukuleles started to play and the relatives began with Silent Night, the little spies looked at each other , jaws dropped to the tile floor.

We gave up too soon. O ur own grandma had outsmar ted us. I looke d around at my cousins, who smiled at me, disappointment hidden b ehind their teeth. There was nothing to do but wait for next year.

The caroling went by quickly. We were still in a state of shock. When Santa finally came, we saw that it was someone we did not even know. The tension settled as we collected our gifts, one b y one, faking smiles for the family cameras. Santa left, and the party resumed to its usual chatting.

I withdrew from the festivities to get a breath of fresh air, grabbing a candy cane on my way out.The sky was cool and the night black.I climbed on my grandma’s old plastic playhouse and gaz ed up at the heav ens. The stars seemed to laugh at me for my idiocy . Christmas was almost over. I knew that it would only seem like seconds befor e I would be tucked into bed to wait for Christmas morning. The party was almost over, and I had wasted all that good spy work. As I sulked in self-pity at my af ilure as a spy, in the darkness I could barely make out a man whistling as he walked down the street. He pulled out his keys and unlocked his car with an automatic remote. As he climbed into the car, under the streetlight, I could see he was wearing a bright red suit, a white beard and rubber slippers. The Christmas magic I thought had flicked out revealed itself to me one lasttime, as Santa drove off in his red Corvette.

Grandma’s famous fried rice recipe is available at www.ediblehawaiianislands.com Sunny Weeks is 16 years old and lives in Manoa, on O`ahu. She is a junior at St. Francis School in Manoa Valley.

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REcipe Wave

BY KIRA COHEN

EASY HOLIDAY PUPU Bread, Tomato, Avocado, Goat Cheese 1 baguette or French bread sliced 1/4 inch lightly toasted 3 small Hamakua tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch 2 ripe avocado cut in 1-inch pieces Stack tomatoes, then avocado.

Top with a teaspoon of your local goat cheese Pepper & Salt to taste

EASY HOLIDAY DESSERT Ice Cream Surprise 1 qt. Your Favorite Coconut Ice Cream A selection of surprise ingredients: Oreo cookies Milano cookies Cookie dough Shaved or shredded coconut Slivered Almonds Scoop ice cream into a big bowl Crumble and add all the abo ve ingredients, fold together and serve. The surprise is that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in each bite.

Just use your imagination; each time you make this, you can use different ingredients. A big hit for all ages.

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Connecting .........the Dots We are building our resource list, a list of the many items and services available across our islands.

Connecting the dots for Chefs, so they have access to the best the Aloha State has to offer, as well, a way to share local product rather then have similar shipped from 3000 miles away. Let us know also if there is something in particular that you would like a resource for; we will see what we can do?

The first two lists we are working on are: 1. LOCAL HONEY: If you have bees and make honey, large quantity or small, tellus about it, what island you are on, what kind of production you have, do you sell off island, on the web or through the mail etc.

2. PRIVATE CHEFS: We are constantly being asked if we know Private Chefs who can cook for dinner parties. Let us know who you are, where you are, what size guest limit, credits etc.

Get in touch with us, either by email or snail mail.

PO Box 753, Kilauea, HI 96754 info@ediblehawaiianislands.com

Make it an edible gift: a subscription to

edible

Hawaiian Islands

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editor at large Jackfruit

Last issue, we were on the island of Moloka`i; that was a great adventure. In this issue I’d like to tell you about the “honey do” list. The wife has me on a mission: a booth at the county fair. Now this is in no way as exciting as a mule ride, but somehow I got myself roped.

I was handed the pr overbial “honey do” list. For those of y ou not familiar, it goes like this: “H oney, do this. H oney, do tha t….”

Honey, w e need a staple gun, hammer , nails, thumbtacks—ho w many times did I have to make a run to the hardware store?

Next thing I know I’m designing a booth that looks somewhere between Blue Hawaii and Gidget Goes Surfing. After all was said and done, it was—in my opinion—the best-looking booth at the fair .

Looking around as everyone was setting up, who should be next to us but Dow with its GMO corn and, across the aisle, AARP—not that I’m too sensitive about my age (see birthday article in last issue.)

By the way, did I mention that this was a four-day ev ent that started about noon and w ent till midnight? It was as busy as Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

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Now the problem was this: It’s a long drive home, so I needed to hang around to take the wife home. The Ferris wheel and dart games were not doing it for me. I wandered to the end of the tent andI found myself in the judging area. What were they judging? Fruit, vegetables, flowers, Bonsai, huge specimens of things I had never seen before.

The most curious was the jackfruit. What is a jackfruit? I’m told it’s in the breadfruit family, its seeds are edible and the fruit should be eaten when green. It is said to be the largest of all tr ee-borne fruits.

This one was huge and looked like it had landed from another planet.

As it turned out, this jackfruit was crowned “Fruit of the Year 2007” at he Kaua`i County Fair.

Now it was Sunday afternoon, the last day of the fair, and they announced that there would be an auction. Yes, you guessed it, I love auctions and no one outbid me for the amazing jackfr uit. So would somebody please send me a note and tell me how you eat jackfruit?

Left photo of Ollie with Jackfruit by Lauren Brandt.

Until next time, your EAL (editor at large) signing off. info@ediblehawaiianislands.com

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sustainable extras I first discovered the beautiful ar t of Cindy Conklin y ears ago in The Gallery at Ward Center. This is a co-op galler y filled with the art of wonderful artists, all of whom take turns manning the gallery. The work is created by local artists in a wide variety of mediums, and would be perfect for holiday gift-giving. You can see some of Cindyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work throughout Edible Hawaiian Islands.

The Gallery at Ward Center 1200 Ala Moana Blvd. (across from Mocha Java) (808) 597-8034 www.gwcfineart.com

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Ollie Cohen Surf Collection #2 Photo: Steve Knox Surfboard: vecsurfboards@hotmail.com www.vecsurfboards.com

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME Long-time singer/songwriter and Kaua`i resident Allan Thomas celebrates the completion of his fourth album Making Up For Lost Time.

Featuring many of Kauai's A-list musicians, including Graham Nash of Crosby Stills and Nash, and Tris Imboden of Chicago, the r ecord was produced and r ecorded by Allan on the N orth Shore of Kaua`i.

Much of the album draws its inspiration fr om the beauty and tranquility of the H awaiian Islands, according to Thomas. He adds, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A number of the songs are concerned with other themes like a world spinning out of control, steamy secret affairs, windsur fing the magnificent wav es of Northwest Hawaii and visions of global brotherhood.â&#x20AC;? The album featur es an impr essive array of vocal, instrumental, and songwriting talents provided by Thomas and his collaborators.

The CD is av ailable at Hanalei Music & Video (Strings & Things), S avage P earl G ifts in Hanalei, Nest in Kilauea and Boarders Books and Music in Lihue.

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farmers’ markets Kaua’i Farmers’ Markets MONDAY West Kauai Agricultural Association Poipu Road and Cane Haul Road, Poipu 8 a.m.

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

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

Marge & Ken Love of Hawai`i Island

Wailua Homesteads Park (Sunshine Markets) Malu Road, Wailua 3 p.m.

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

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

SATURDAY Kekaha Neighborhood Center (Sunshine Markets) Elepaio Road, Kekaha 9 a.m.

WEDNESDAY Kapaa New Town Park (Sunshine Markets) Kahau Road, Kapaa 3 p.m.

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

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

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Hanalei Saturday Market Hanalei 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Hawai`i Island Farmers’ Markets SATURDAY Keauhou Farmers Market Keauhou Shopping Center, Keauhou 8–11 a.m.

edible hawaiian islands

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 Hawaiian Homestead Farmers’ Market Mamalahoa Hwy., 2 miles east of Waimea town 7:30 a.m.

Honokaa Farmers Market Honokaa town near Honokaa Trading Co. Hilo Farmers’ Market WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS 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.

SUNDAY 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fort Street near Wilcox Park Honolulu (in front of Macy’s) 8 a.m.–2 p.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 behind Longs on Kailua Rd 5–7:30 p.m.

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

Hawaii Kai Towne Center Kalanianaole Highway at Keahole Street, Honolulu 7:30 a.m.–3 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.

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.

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.

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

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

SUNDAYS 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.

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

The Maui’s Fresh Produce Farmer’s Market Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center (center stage area) Kaahumanu Avenue, Kahului 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Maui Farmers’ Markets

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

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

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Honokowai Hawaiian Motors parking lot (across from Honokowai Park) 7–11 a.m.

TUESDAY The Maui’s Fresh Produce Farmer’s Market Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center (center stage area) Kaahumanu Avenue, Kahului 7 a.m. –4 p.m.

Pepito Valdez 298-4289 Maui Mall Farmers’ Market & Craft Fair Maui Mall, Kahului 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Ms. Cynda Hearn 871-1307 Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei Road 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

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

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

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

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Honokowai Hawaiian Motors parking lot (across from Honokowai Park) 7 a.m. –11 a.m.

Manoa Marketplace Honolulu 7–11 a.m.

Maui Mall Farmers’ Market & Craft Fair Maui Mall, Kahului 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

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FRIDAY Farmers’ Market of Maui-Kihei Suda Store parking lot on South Kihei Road 8 a.m. –4.00 p.m.

The Maui’s Fresh Produce Farmer’s Market Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center (center stage area) Kaahumanu Avenue, Kahului 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Farmers’ Market of Maui-Honokowai Hawaiian Motors parking lot (across from Honokowai Park) 7 a.m.–11 a.m.

Maui Mall Farmers’ Market & Craft Fair Maui Mall, Kahului 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

SATURDAY Maui Swap Meet Puunene Avenue next to the Kahului Post Office 6 a.m.–1 p.m.

www.slowfoodusa.org

ADVERTISER DIRECTORY Aloha Spice Company Available at Banana Patch Hanapepe: 808-335-5944 & Kilauea: 808-828-6522 www.alohaspice.com Bar Acuda Restaurant

Bar @ 5 p.m. • Dinner @ 6 p.m.

Reservations: 808-826-7081 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kaua’i Closed Mondays www.restaurantbaracuda.com Caffe Coco Casual Garden Dining Wailua, Kaua`i 808-822-7990 Cake Clothing • Accessories • Gifts Kong Lung Center, Kilauea, Kaua’i 7 days a week • 808-828-6412 Ginger Boutique Best Bikini’s * Coolest Brands Kilauea, Kaua`i 808-652-9057 Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant & Fish Market 5-5016 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kaua’i 808-826-6113 Icing on the Cake 808-823-1210 www.icingonthecakekauai.com Kapaia Stitchery Hawaiian Quilts & Fabrics 3-3551 Kuhio Hwy. Lihue, Kaua`i 808-245-2281 Kaua`i Authentic Farms CSA • Homestead Plant Nursery Environmental Education John Parziale • 808-651-6930 Beyond Organic…It’s Authentic Kaua`i Products Store Fine Locally Made Products Kukui Grove Shopping Center Kapa`a, Kaua`i 808-246-6753

Kau Hale Cottage Hawaiian Style w/Panoramic Views 808-639-3867 www.kauhalecottage.com Kilauea Fish Market 4270 Kilauea Rd. Kilauea, Kaua’i 808-828-6244 Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Kilauea Town Market 2474 Keneke St. Kilauea, Kaua’i 808-828-1512 Daily 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m.

KKCR • Kauai Community Radio 808-826-7774 PO Box 825, Hanalei, Kaua’i 96714 Listener Supported • www.kkcr.org Koa Properties 808-651-1777 • www.koakauai.com Pure Kauai 866-457-7873 • www.purekauai.com Lola Pilar Art & Graphix PO Box 232, Kilauea, Kaua’i Cell: 808-635-4047 Lolapilart.com lolacooper@hotmail.com Lollie B Designs available at Ginger Boutique Kilauea 808-652-9057 Joan Namkoong Food Lovers Guide to Honolulu at your favorite book store Natural Health Clinic 3093 Akahi Street Lihue, Kaua`i 808-245-2277 North Country Farms An Organic Family Farm And Tropical B&B Cottages www.northcountryfarms.com

Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory Made & Grown on the Island of Hawai`i 888-447-2626 • 808-322-2626 originalhawaiianchocolatefactory.com Organic Valley One Organic Way La Farge, WI 54639 888-444-MILK - Toll Free 608-625-2602 - Main Line 608-625-2600 - Fax www.organicvalley.coop Papaya’s Natural Food & Café Organic Produce • Vegetarian Café Kaua`i Village 4-831 Kuhio Hwy., Kapa’a, Kaua’i 808-823-0190 • Mon-Sat 9 am-8 pm Hanalei 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kaua’i 808-826-0089 • 7 days 9 am–8 pm www.papayasnaturalfoods.com Po’ipu Beach Estates Terry P. Kamen Call for a Tour • 808-651-0071 www.poipubeachestates@yahoo.com Strings & Things Ching Young Village, Hanalei, Kaua’i Yarn to Ukuleles • 808-826-9633 The Wine Garden 4495 Puhi Road, Lihu’e, Kaua’i Fine Wine, Vintage Port Hand-Rolled Kaua’i Cigars Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

808-245-5766 Times Supermarkets At Home in the Islands, O`ahu Windward Market & Catering Eastside’s Freshest Fish 4-1543 Kuhio Hwy, Kapa`a, Kaua`i 808-822-9332 www.windwardfoods.com

NNN <;@9C<8CF?8 :FD Fall 2007

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what is it & how do you eat it?

DRAGONFRUIT SHOOTERS Chef Matsubara of Stage Restaurant at Honolulu Design Center serves it as a shooter, and it’s yummie.

1 quart white grape juice 5 cinnamon sticks 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. fennel seed 10 pieces star anise 2 tsp. chili flakes 1 pound red dragon fruit, sliced thin Bring grape juice to a simmer with cinnamon, bay leaf , fennel and star anise.

Remove from heat and add dragon fr uit and chili flakes.

Steep like tea for 15 minutes.

Dragonfruit (Hylocereus undatus or Pitaya): a climbing, terrestrial cactus, intense in shape and color.

Dragon fruit grows in tropical regions; the flowers of the dragon fruit only bloom at night and hav e a heav enly scent that can fill the night air.

The flower can get up to 14 inches in diameter.

The flesh can be hot pink, magenta or white. The skin in thin and not meant to be eaten. I t is believ ed that the F rench brought dragon fruit to Vietnam more than 100 years ago, where it was grown to be eaten only by royalty and very wealthy families. Its origin is most likely Southern Mexico.

Chill and serve.

How to eat it: Cut in half or quarters and scoop out the flesh. Best if it’s chilled, it is really refreshing with sort of a mild watermelon taste and kiwi texture.

You can also juice it and serve, or use over fruit salads. Mint is a good accent, and vodka isn’t bad either—especially for the holidays.

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Photos by L. Brandt and O. Cohen

Propagation: by seed or stem cuttings.