The Great Pumpkin Harvest & Garden

Waimea Middle School students harvesting kabocha pumpkins from the Mala'ai Garden

Waimea Middle School students proudly show off a few of more than 2,200 pounds of Kabocha – also known as Japanese pumpkins – that they have harvested since the start of this school year from the Mala'ai school garden. Growing and harvesting delicious fresh produce is really just the first step. This school year, with Mala'ai garden classes integrated into Physical Education and Health Classes, students are learning how to prepare and enjoy eating the produce they have grown.

We Thought We had Them, Luckily We Do Not: Learning to identify them

La'akea Community, Puna

Over two years ago, when we first became aware of the presence of the little red fire ant (LFA) on this island, we began systematically testing the land at La'akea Community with peanut butter sticks. LFA are drawn to cheap peanut butter, they like the protein and the sugars. To test your farm for the presence of LFA, you can put a dab of peanut butter on popsicle sticks and leave them in various places around your land for a day, checking them every three to four hours. When we conducted such a test a few months ago, one of our members found some small reddish black ants. When she pressed them with the inside of her elbow she was bitten. She welted up pretty good and thought she had a positive id for LFA. We got scared. We thought these were fire ants and that they had come in on some dump mulch we received. We went into action – we spread Amdro (ant poison) over vast areas and set up traps anywhere we had put the mulch. People that came onto our land during that month saw the ant traps and we told them we were attempting to eradicate a fire ant infestation.

At La'akea Community, Puna

Opening ceremony at the 5th Annual East Side Seed Exchange on October 10, 2009

The love for seeds brought over 100 people together this past October 10th. Sharing information and seeds while exchanging contact information focused the diverse group of farmers, presenters, landscapers, homeowners and land stewards who gathered for the 5th Annual East Side Seed Exchange.

Honoka'a, Hamakua

People lined up down the block to enter Honoka’a People’s Theatre on August 27, 2009 for the screening of Food Inc.
Community networking took place before and after the film

Honoka'a People's Theatre was abuzz with activity on August 27 for the screening of Food Inc. Over 200 people attended the event, which was a benefit for more than 25 local organizations promoting sustainability and organic farming. Representatives from these groups filled the lobby and were available before and after the film for lively discussion sharing the initiatives of their organizations. Three tickets were given to each patron to put in donation jars of the organizations of their choice. This represented 40% of the total proceeds.

Holualoa, North Kona

Kona Outdoor Circle's dedication to sustainable farming took us on a fabulous tour last week. At Wai'aha Farm we learned about the many ways this farming community is caring for the 'aina in a sustainable way. To start off we toured the lower acreage and saw the wide variety of plants they have been able to grow successfully in the 5 acres that surround the living area. Not only were fruit like papayas, mangoes, lilikoi and tree tomatoes close at hand, but the area also supplied lots of food for their soil and animals including nitrogen fixing trees like pigeon pea. These trees feed the soil and provide supplemental food for the staff as well as their animals.