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Newsletter 29 - July 2011

Aloha!

Two of our articles this month touch on building community through local food. Summer is the time for breaking with routine a little bit, spending time with family and friends, and what better time to build community?

Please remember to send us your local & sustainable food event announcements, which are posted to our events calendar in real time.

Enjoy eating locally & sustainably!

Mahalo nui loa,

Craig Elevitch and Pedro Tama
for the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
http://hawaiihomegrown.net
visit us on Facebook

Breadfruit tree in South Kona.


Events

Every Thursday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Puna
Hawaiian Style Permaculture Class

Every Thursday, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm, Hilo
Raw Food Made Easy

Every Friday, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm, Hilo
Vegetarian Cooking Made Easy

Wednesday, July 06, 2011, 03:30pm - 05:00pm, South Kona
Coffee Talk- Quality Coffee

Saturday, July 09, 2011, 01:00pm - 05:00pm, Hamakua
Beginning Organic Beekeeping

Sunday, July 10, 2011, 02:30am - 05:30pm, South Kona
Cooking for the Health of It

Tuesday, July 12 to Saturday, July 16, 2011, North Kohala
Cho Natural Farming Advanced Certification Course

Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 04:30pm
Hawai’i Tea Society Quarterly Board Meeting

Monday, July 25, 2011
Last Day! Breadfruit Art Contest

Saturday, July 30, 2011, 10:00am - 05:00pm, North Kona
Healing Garden & Mango Festival 2011

Wednesday, August 03, 2011, 03:30pm - 05:00pm, South Kona
Coffee Talk- CBB and what Else is Bugging you?

Saturday, August 6, 2:30 pm – 7:00 pm, Oahu
Organic Gardening Workshop & Dinner

Saturday, August 13, 2011, 10:00am - 03:00pm, North Kohala

Monday, September 12 -- Thursday, September 15, 201, South Kohala
Western Apicultural Society Conference & Tours

Saturday, September 24, 2011, South Kona
Hawai'i Breadfruit ('Ulu) Festival

Friday, September 30, 2011, South Kohala
Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival

Saturday, October 29, 2011, 09:00am - 03:00pm, Hamakua
5th Annual Hamakua Alive! Festival

View events calendar


Reports

Written by Colleen Carroll | 27 June 2011

Church of the Pacific Po‘oku Community Garden (Part 1)

Gabrielle & John work diligently on Kauai to see that no one goes hungry.
Gabrielle & John work diligently on Kaua'i to see that no one goes hungry.

"The first thing we give away is aloha, then love, then food." John Burkhouse, Garden Coordinator

Quietly and steadily the Church of the Pacific Food Pantry, in Po‘oku, Kaua’i, fed over 8000 people last year and fed them well. Fresh basil, kale, green beans, chard, sweet potatoes, papayas and citrus are just some of the food items offered at this food pantry. It doesn’t sound like what you’d expect from a typical food pantry and, well, that’s because it’s not. The goal is to provide balanced and nutritious food for families in need.

Read more...

 


Written by Tane Datta | 27 June 2011

IMG_3378CElevitch
The agricultural establishment has recognized the dynamic growth of organic and local food in the last twenty years and is cautiously reaching out to the organic community.

HFBF Organic Symposium was held at the Ag Sciences Building, UH Manoa on May 27, 2011. The featured speakers included Sylvia Yuen, the UH CTHAR Interim Dean; Russell Kokubun Hawai‘i Dept of Ag Chair; and Jim Hollyer Food Safety Coach, as well as several prominent organic growers. Puanani Burgess (Oahu conflict-transformation facilitator) provided the Keynote address, and Myrone Murakami (Hawai‘i Farm Bureau president) provided the welcome.

Read more...

 


Written by Sonia martinez | 27 June 2011

Overview of Adaptations raised beds.
Overview of Adaptations raised beds.
 

The Adaptations CSA operation has been farming and providing locally grown organic produce to chefs and families since 1984. Owners Tane and Maureen Datta’s operation combines produce grown on their Adaptations Farm while also acting as a distribution center for produce and fruits grown by over 100 other organic farms all around Hawai’i Island. The 7.5 acre certified organic farm at 1,500 foot elevation in Honaunau, South Kona, has been in operation for 15 years growing micro mix, edible flowers, herbs, salad greens, avocadoes and medicinal plants -- and experimenting with crops not usually seen on the island.

Read more...

 


Written by Craig Elevitch | 29 June 2011

Ka'u coffee has developed a reputation as a high-quality coffee, and continues the tradition of coffee as a value-added crop for Hawai'i.
Ka'u coffee has developed a reputation as a high-quality coffee, and continues the tradition of coffee as a value-added crop for Hawai'i.

Even though hundreds of potential new crops have been introduced to Hawai‘i during the past 200 years, few continue to be economically sustainable for family farms. This is due to the relatively high cost of labor, land, and materials in Hawai‘i, which gives an advantage to cheap imports. One way family farms can remain economically viable is to vertically integrate their operations, i.e., grow, harvest, process, package, and sell in ways that add value to their products. When planned and executed well, the time, effort, and resources put into adding value can increase profits along with revenue.

Read more...

 


Announcements

              ART CONTEST CELEBRATES THE CULTURE AND BEAUTY OF BREADFRUIT

HOLUALOA, Hawai'i- The Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network, Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden and Donkey Mill Art Center are presenting the Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu – Revitalizing Breadfruit in Hawai‘i Art Contest. The art contest is part of the educational outreach associated with the Breadfruit Festival—Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu which will be held at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in South Kona on Saturday, September 24, 2011. The contests celebrates the beauty of the breadfruit tree and fruit as well as the rich cultural heritage and future role of ‘ulu in Hawai‘i.

In a mauka region of Kona there was once a band of ‘ulu trees ½ mile wide and 18 miles long called kalū ‘ulu that produced as much as 36,000 tons of ‘ulu fruit per year. Today, few of these trees remain. Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu is a project to revitalize 'ulu (breadfruit) as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food which addresses Hawai‘i’s food security issues. The art contest will help raise awareness about the importance of 'ulu in Hawai‘i.

All Hawai‘i Island artists are invited to submit original 2D media artwork to the art contest. Electronic submissions are due on July 25th for initial judging and semi-finalists will be asked to bring original work to the Donkey Mill Art Center on Thursday, August 11th for an artist’s reception and final judging. The artwork of finalists will be displayed at the Breadfruit Festival. One winning piece will be selected to be reproduced into a collectable poster commemorating the Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu project, which will be sold at the Breadfruit Festival and beyond as a fundraiser for the festival and project. Prizes will be awarded for best artwork.

Contact: Andrea Dean 808-960-3727 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Additional information and submission forms can be found at www.breadfruit.info.

 

22 acre sustainable permaculture farm in Kapoho, on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Over 1,000 Trees, bamboos, palms, and banana plants, barrel vaulted concrete home, off grid, 2,400 watt electric system, 30,000 gallon water tank, 2 ponds etc.  Asking price is $420K including both lots, materials, tools, furnishings, appliances, website. For more details, see our website: EveningRainFarm.com or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Specialty Crops book cover

EXTENSION-LEVEL SUPPORT FOR INCREASING FARM INCOME AND PRODUCT DIVERSITY
 
NORTH KONA, HAWAI'I -- From Bamboo to Black Pepper, Cacao to Coconut and Tea to Taro -- Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands provides detailed cultivation, value-added, and marketing information for 27 of the most important specialty crops for Pacific Islands and other tropical locations.
 
Specialty crops provide a rapidly growing economic opportunity for innovative farmers and gardeners who are interested in diversifying their products. The book provides insights into sustainable cultivation and processing techniques for local and export markets with an emphasis on innovating production methods, postharvest processing, and marketing.
 
The producers of Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands have published two previous books on related subjects -- Traditional Trees for Pacific Islands and Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands. The new book promotes high-quality food, fiber, and healthcare crops grown in diverse agroforestry systems with an emphasis on providing small farms with opportunities for local consumption and commercial sale.  The book is illustrated with over 940 color images and each chapter highlights a different crop. Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands highlights producers from throughout the Pacific and shares their experience -- both their challenges and successes.
 
Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands is a reference book for gardeners and small farmers in the Pacific and throughout the tropics who are interested in new economic opportunities from specialty crops. The new resource book will be released July 2011 and covers 27 important specialty crops, value-added processing, enterprise development, accessing unique markets, sustainable local food production, economic and ecological viability, multi-crop agroforestry systems and local systems with export potential.
 
Visit http://agroforestry.net/scps/scpsbook.html for further information and to place a preorder for the book at a special price prior to July 15, 2011.

 

Other announcements


Farmers' Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

 
Please visit our comprehensive page dedicated to Hawai'i Island farmers' markets and Community Supported Agricuture.

Web Resources

New web site listings

Other web resources


Supporting Organizations


Sponsors


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This newsletter is published by:

Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
PO Box 5
Holualoa, Hawaii  96725  USA
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: http://hawaiihomegrown.net

 

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