Newsletter 37 - March 2012
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Aloha! This Saturday (March 3) please join us at the Puna ‘Ulu Festival--Celebrating Breadfruit. Without a landscape that was conducive to abundant taro production, Hawaiians in Puna traditionally relied heavily upon the ‘ulu as a primary staple food source. Due to the young lava lands, Puna was uniquely known for its ‘ulu trees that were planted in deep holes so that the leaves and fruits grew at ground level. The festival will be held at Kua O Ka La Public Charter School (PCS) located at Pu‘ala‘a in Puna, a 600-acre ancient Hawaiian village site. This is a unique opportunity to explore breadfruit within the cultural context of Puna at a very special site. Get directions and download the festival program at breadfruit.info. We look forward to seeing you. Enjoy eating locally & sustainably! Me ke aloha, Craig Elevitch and Pedro Tama EventsEvery Thursday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Puna Monday, February 27, 2012, 01:30pm - 04:00pm, Puna Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 08:30am - 12:30pm, North Kona Thursday, March 01, 2012, 09:00am, North Kona Friday, March 02, 2012, 09:00am - 12:00pm, South Kona Saturday, March 03 To Monday, March 19, 2012, Puna Saturday, March 03, 2012, Puna Wednesdays, March 07 & 14th, 2012, 6pm - 8:00pm, South Kohala Friday, March 09, 2012, 09:00am - 12:00pm, South Kona Saturday, March 10 to May 20th, 2012, Oahu Saturday, March 10, 2012, 09:00am - 03:30pm, North Kohala Saturday, March 10, 2012, 03:00pm, Puna Monday, March 19, 2012, 07:00pm - 09:00pm, North Kona Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 09:00am - 06:00pm, South Kona Friday, March 23 To Sunday, March 25, 2012, South Kona Saturday, March 24, and Sunday, March 25, 2012, Oahu Thursday, April 05, 2012, 09:00am, North Kona View events calendarReportsWritten by Sonia R. Martinez | 27 February 2012 
Abundant Life ready-made foods.
—an interview with owner Malu ShizueThe original Abundant Life Natural Foods store was located in the Old Hilo Drugs Building on the corner of Kamehameha and Waianuenue Avenues, and moved to its present location at 292 Kamehameha Avenue in 1990. The store was founded in 1977 by Malu Shizue, when she was barely out of her teens. She says it was a response to an inner-call for “Right Livelihood,” and to wanting to be a positive influence in our ‘aina and the environment. Malu, a petite dynamo of a woman, is the sole owner and driving force behind the operation, although she credits long-time loyal employees for the store’s success. Written by Craig Elevitch | 28 February 2012  Many people now have some sense of the importance of growing food at home. Here are a few of the benefits of homegrown food. Taste and nutritionHomegrown is the freshest and therefore tastiest and most nutritious you can get. There is nothing like the flavor and vitality of freshly picked fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that produce that has been on the store shelf for a few days has significantly lower nutritional value as compared with freshly harvested produce. Food self-relianceHomegrown gives you control over your food. Currently about 85% of our island’s food is imported by ship or airplane from distant locations, and there is just a few days worth of food in stores at any given time. Many residents are concerned about economic, ecological, or health issues that might slow down or cut off our food imports. Many of our Hawai‘i Island Community Development Plans prioritize growing more of our food locally, supporting farms, and protecting agricultural lands. An event that restricted food imports might also curtail imports of fuel, fertilizer, and chemicals that are used commercially to produce and distribute food on the island. Written by Sonia R. martinez | 27 February 2012  It shouldn't surprise us that more and more people are beginning to wake up about our food situation. Living in these islands, so far away from any other landmass, we are dependent on much of our food being imported and at the mercy of many whims of nature and man. Farmers Markets & CSAsFarmers markets keep opening all around our island. Almost 30 of them at last count!...and new CSA farms or brokers are also popping up all around us.
Farmers Market Co-opsWe know that not all of us can farm or grow enough to maintain a booth of our own at any of the farmers markets, or have the time to do so, but here is a concept that started a bit over a year ago and now others are picking up in other areas. There are several very enterprising people who are forming co-ops to sell whatever amount of produce/fruit/veggies you might have growing in your yards or farms w/o having to make a weekly commitment to rent or man your own booth at a market. Written by Andrea Dean | 27 February 2012 
A plate of healthy, locally grown food.
Remember the Food Pyramid? Well...that was recently flattened into a plate! The new "food pyramid" is now called "Choose My Plate" which is designed to help people more closely approximate—on a plate—the daily, healthy amounts of food to eat in each food group. Here in Hawai‘i we are going one step further: we call it the "My Eat Local Hawai‘i Plate"--which is designed to help people choose healthy, locally grown foods. .AnnouncementsPuna 'Ulu Festival--Celebrate Breadfruit!The Eastside Hawai'i 'Ulu (Breadfruit) Festival will be held at Kua O Ka La charter school on Saturday March 3. For more information, see 'Ulu Festival.Other announcementsFarmers' Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)Please visit our comprehensive directory of Hawai'i Island farmers' markets and Community Supported Agricuture.
Web ResourcesNew web site listings
Supporting OrganizationsSponsorsHawai'i People's Fund and the Hawai'i Community Foundation
  Hawai'i County Resource Center, a program of the County of Hawai'i Department of Research and Development.    Hawaii Agricultural Development Program in partnership with the Big Island RC&D Council.
 Agroforestry Net  New subscribers: Subscriptions to this newsletter are free and welcome from the general public. You can unsubscribe at any time. We will not share your name with anyone without your prior permission. Click here to subscribe This newsletter is published by:Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
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