Announcement

ORGANIC CROP INSPECTION TRAINING COURSE

The International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) and Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA) will offer Basic Organic Farm (Crop) Inspector Training to be held January 25-29, 2011, (4 ½ days) and Process and Handling Inspector Training to be held February 1-5, 2011, (4 ½ days) in Hilo, HI on the Big Island. Registration deadline is December 12, 2010

If you are presently an organic inspector or are interested in becoming an organic inspector, attendance is highly recommended. The course is also appropriate for certification agency review committee members, county extension agents, regulatory agency staff, organic processors and industry activists in order to better understand the organic inspection and certification process.

IOIA has set the standard for the comprehensive instruction of organic inspectors. IOIA’s unified curriculum brings consistency to the training process and prepares organic inspectors for situations they will likely encounter while conducting inspections. The 4 ½ day Basic Organic Crop Inspection Training follows IOIA’s curriculum requirements, with classroom instruction on the organic standards (focus on the USDA National Organic Rule); how to inspect organic farms; audit trail requirements; risk assessment; inspector conduct, confidentiality, and ethics; understanding the difference between inspecting and consulting; and effective communication. The course also includes a field trip to a certified organic farm, a graded written assignment (inspection report), and final test.

The 4 ½ day Organic Processing Inspection Training includes instruction on how to conduct processing facility inspections, organic processing and handling standards, organic quality management, HACCP, audit control, regulations, structural pest management, sanitation, labeling, report writing, and inspector protocols. The course also includes a field trip to a certified organic farm, a graded written assignment
(inspection report), and final test.

Certificates of Completion are awarded to attendees who meet all course completion criteria.

Attendance is limited to fifteen (15) applicants per course. A 10% discount is offered to those who register for both courses. Lodging, transportation, and some meals are not included.

Acceptance to any IOIA training course is dependent on meeting IOIA course acceptance criteria. These include:
Submission of application, resume and full fee.
1 year training and/or experience in organic agriculture with knowledge of conventional
agricultural practices for Crop Course.
Demonstration of communication skills (written, verbal, and listening).
Understanding and commitment to organic principles and certification process.
Demonstration of continuing education.
Appropriate physical and mental health.
Fluency of the English language.

Cost for the course (which includes tuition, course materials, lunch and snacks) is: $1350 for Basic Farm/Crop Inspector Training and/or $1350 for Processing and Handling Training. Registration deadline is December 12, 2010. Application forms are available from: HOFA PO Box 6863 Hilo, HI 96720, Ph (808) 969-7789 FAX (808) 969-7759, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Waimea Homestead Farmers Market closed for holidays

The Waimea Homestead Farmers Market will be closed on Christmas day, Saturday December 25th, and on New Years day, Saturday January 1st.  For information, contact Roen Hufford, 937-2729, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Four Seasons' Chef Babian Wish List

Chef James Babian of the Four Seasons at Hualalai Resort, known widely for his emphasis on locally grown food, has issued an informal "wish list" to island growers for high quality and consistent supply of the following food crops:

Asparagus, Artichokes, Russets, Yukon potato, Broccoli, Zucchini, Poha Berries, Other Berries, Peas, Different Legumes, Shallots, Garlic, Carrots, Celery, Stone Fruit, Snow Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Ramps, Fiddle head ferns, Spinach, Rubarb, American Cress, Waterchestnuts, Bamboo Shoots, Black Raddish, Brussel Sprouts, Fresh Soy Beans, Patty pans, Mushrooms, All kinds more variety, Tropical Fruits, All kinds, Tangerines with leaves, Fruits with leaves (Amenities).  For more information, contact  Ken Love, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Eden Earthworks Project Fresh: Mountain View Community Gardens

Teaching people to produce food for themselves is essential to building sustainable and healthy communities  Project Fresh: Mountain View Community Gardens is an agricultural educational community outreach program designed to increase the number of food growers, food marketers, healthy food choices and affordable nutritious local produce. Thirty low-income participants, seniors, families, school-age children and youth were given hands-on mentoring in ecologically friendly farming. The sustainable practices included creating compost and vermicompost, learning the benefits of plant and animal symbiosis, and utilizing strategies which encourage biodiversity.  A short questionnaire administered at the beginning and after participating in Project Fresh for fifteen months revealed  that families are making healthy food choices, providing food for the family table, sharing, donating or marketing the surplus and passing on the gifts of eco-friendly  farming and recycling methods  which are generating ripple effects in our community. Currently 40 million Americans are using food stamps (USDA; 2010). Planting seeds and nurturing their growth is crucial and catalytic in producing nutritious food, conserving water and land resources, reducing family food budgets and providing alternative income.  The community outreach program has expanded to also include developmental chicken care and bee keeping.  For more information, contact Eden EarthWorks, c/o Neena Roumell,  333-7444, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

New "Share the Harvest" Barter Group Starts

Kuaiwi Farm Plant Sale (South Kona)

Kuaiwi Farm has certified organic cacao trees for $7 each. Poha plants for $2.00 tree tomato plants for $4. Feijoa trees for $5.00.We also have certified organic mac nuts and organic mac butter for your eat local challenge diet. Please contact Una Greenaway 328-8888, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Holualoa Farmers Market Seeking Vendors

Aloha! the Holuakoa Farmer's Market in Holualoa town is looking for vendors to sell fruits, vegies, herbs, plant starts, etc.. We run Saturday mornings from 9am-noon. Contact Barb if you've got extra stuff in your garden!! 322-5072.

Demeter-certified coffee sought

Do you know any coffee growers that may be interested in wholesaling t, a majoro an American roaster and distributor? They would need to get Demeter certified.

Elizabeth Candelario, Marketing Director, Demeter USABoard Chair, Stellar Organic Certification Services
707.529.4412, www.demeter-usa.org
Join our Facebook fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Demeter-USA/115200118495672?ref=sgm

Call a Master Gardener!

Master Gardeners are volunteers at their respective Ag Depts in the local University across the country. We have an avid group of volunteers ready to answer your garden and plant questions right here on the BI. The Master Gardener office is located in the UH CTAHR office on Komohana in central Hilo.
The phone line is open Monday, Tuesday, and Fridays from 9am to Noon. Call 981-5199 with your garden questions.....

Pu'u'alaFarm & Ranch Roadside Stand & Nursery in Hamakua

Every Sunday, 10am to 6 pm: Catered Hawaiian BBQ w/ smoked grass-fed beef, pork, vegetarian luau, taro fries, other dishes, & KAVA.  Also Open Daily with Taro and Taro leaf for sale until supplies last. Location: between mile markers 39 and 40, makai side, south of Honoka', Hamakua. Look for the sign.

Coastview Aquaponics Roadside Market & Tour in North Kona

Saturdays, 8 am to 12 Noon. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4 - 6 pm. Location: 73-1202 Ahikawa Street, Mamalahoa Hwy, one street north of Ka'iminani, turn makai.

Organic lettuce, greens, herbs & flowers. We are a neighborhood farm in the Kona Coastview subdivision (near Kona Palisades). We grow our completely organic produce in an aquaponics system.  Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics.  The fish provide the fertilizer for the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish. We want to give our community a local alternative to the poor quality, overpriced, imported produce that is sold in the stores. After several months of construction our second and much larger aquaponics system is now up and running.  We are very excited to have this completed and look forward to being able to offer a wide variety of produce on a more consistent basis.
We invite you to come by every Saturday morning and see what we are doing new.  For more information contact Chris & Alexis Smith, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and see http://www.coastviewaquaponics.com

Lotus Cafe Offers Homegrown Thai Cooking Classes

The Lotus Café, located in Kaloko New Industrial mauka of Costco, Kailua-Kona, will be offering a series of Thai cooking classesevery month. The series consists of three classes, held each Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, from 2 pm to 5 pm. Each class will have a maximum of five students, and students can register for just one, or for all three classes. Chef Ladda Simon from Chiang Dao, Northern Thailand teaches the classes using her many years of experience and family recipes.

The focus is on Northern Thai cooking, with a few indonesian and Indian recipes thrown in for variety. The first class, for beginners, covers the principles of Thai cooking, and introduces and demystifies the growing, harvesting, sourcing and use of the 20 main ingredients. After the introduction to the ingredients and principles, the class will prepare and consume a 4 course meal. Lotus Cafe makes all its sauces from scratch and teaches their healthy original and Thai traditional recipes as an alternative to people who wish to not consume the artificial ingredients and excess oil used in most Thai cooking today. Over 90% of our ingredients are organic, including our chicken, sweeteners, most of our fruit and vegetables, and all our beverages. We buy local and organic for almost every item, unless its not available. Making all curries and sauces from scratch with minimal equipment and fresh harvested ingredients is what it’s all about.

The cost for each class is $65, with discounts for three classes and couples. To learn which class is being held on which day, to register, and for more information, call Howie at 895-7032, and see thelotuscafe.com .

Kohala Produce Tent at the Hawi Farmers Market

The Hawi Farmers market now has a co-op tent available for consignment ofyour locally produced items. Just drop them off or make arrangements for pick up. We now have many more vendors and lots of attendees. Produce and value added products are always a popular item, so come talk story with your neighbors, Saturdays 8 am to 1 pm. For information about selling your produce and products at the new Kohala Produce Tent please contact Brannon at 217-6134, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company

is purchasing macadamia nuts from Kona farmers. Any farmer can drop their macadamia nuts off at the Marshalling Yard, (current home of the Food Basket/Food bank). They are purchasing nuts for $.60 per pound in husk. They will weigh the nuts, and return your bags to you immediately, on site. They are paying in 30 days. They are there on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 am - 2 pm. Please tell your friends. Contact: Una Greenaway, President, Kona County Farm Bureau, 328-8888

Little Fire Ant now in Kona

The Little Fire Ant has been discovered in Kailua-Kona at a private home site (where they are being "treated") and at a landscaping-business property. A handful of other locations are strongly suspected of infestation.  For more information see:
Emergency Response Plan for Invasive Ants in the Pacific  and
Know Your Farmer's Alliance - Little Fire Ant

Training: Advanced Study Internship

in tropical agroforestry and permaculture by the people who bring you this Hawaii Homegrown Food Network newsletter. The internship is a period of practical, supervised, real-life experience establishing an agroforestry and permaculture food self-reliance project in Holualoa, North Kona. Visit the website

Eden Earthworks, in Mountain View, Puna,

is one of the first three farms in Hawai'i to earn the Animal Welfare Approved seal. The Eden Earthworks Project Fresh: Mountain View Community Gardens, is an agricultural educational program designed to increase the number of food growers, food marketers and healthy food choices. The gardens are located in the heart of the highest food insecure region on Hawaii Island. The Mountain View Gardens is a drug-free and organic farm; a learning environment for families, children, youth and seniors. Mountain View Community Gardens, builds community, provides recreation and plant seeds of hope. Hawaiian squash, Okinawa potatoes, soy bean, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, celery, kale, green onions, broccoli, taro, yam, eggplants and corn grow like crazy in the community gardens. Visit EdenEarthWorks.  [Hawaii Lowline Cattle Company (Honoka'a) and Kauai Kunana Dairy are the other two Animal Welfare approved farms.]  See the Edible Hawaiian Islands blog

Kula o Mala Community School Garden

We need: Volunteers, plants, seeds, trellis building materials, tools, germination trays, potting mix, positive energy, the sun and the rain. Our Mission: To teach youth how to grow food that is nutritious, delicious, and accessible. Our garden serves more than 320 students from the Hawaii Sustainable Education Initiative, the Honoka'a Elementary School A+ program, the Honoka'a Intermediate School Social Studies and SPED programs, the Hamakua Youth Foundation, and from home school programs. We commit to: Donate at least 40 lbs. a week of produce to the Salvation Army Food Pantry and Honoka'a Senior Nutrition programs. 45-3611 Mamane St. Suite 101-102 Honoka'a HI 96727 Ph: 443-9231
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sharing The Wealth of Our Backyards

Have overflowing orange, tangerine, avocado, etc. trees, or runaway zucchini? Urban Farming volunteers in Waimea and Waikoloa will pick or pick up fruits or vegetables from your garden that you wish to share. These will be delivered to the Food Bank. Call Tina Wirth at 887-1087 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kaiao Garden and Kaiao Garden Camp

The name Kaiao means the quality of light at dawn over the ocean. The vision of this garden was simple and profound. Growing food heals our body, mind, and spirit. This community garden from its inception has been devoted to collaboration, education, and community development. As the times we live in are dictating to us the direction we are going if our focus is love and care for each other then we follow the ways of the 'aina and those that have lived in this place for thousands of years. We are devoted to the truthful and important dialogue that occurs when diverse cultures participate with each other. Kaiao Garden Camp is a summer day camp for youth. Cost is free for participants. This camp is devoted to exploring kuleana as a community experience of working with the 'aina to grow food, friends, and self reflection. We are located on Lahaina Street just up from the Veteran's Cemetery in Hilo. It is open to everyone on Saturday mornings from 9-12. During the week different schools can come to the garden as part of a class or curriculum. We are also open to community projects and programs having ongoing or single sessions at the garden. Please contact us. We look forward to working with you. 

Friendly Aquaponics, Free Farm Tour every Saturday

Every Saturday at 10am we give a free, in-depth tour of our farm. Tours last between one and two hours, and there is some slightly steep terrain, so come with good walking shoes. Also, make sure to apply sunscreen before your arrival. Make reservations and get directions