Newsletter 7 - October 2009
Garden tours and workshops are a great way to learn. Here, Tracy Matfin of La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community in Puna leads a farm tour.
Contents
Supporting organizations
Project Advisors
Events
Announcements
New Publications
Report -- Food, Inc. Event, Wai'aha Farm Tour
This month's featured Hawai'i Island organization
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Our sponsors
Web resources
Submissions
Aloha!
This is the October 2009 edition of the the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network e-mail newsletter.
We have been producing this newsletter since March 2009 as a volunteer project of Agroforestry Net, a 501(c)3 organization based in Holualoa. Thank you to all of our subscribers for your enthusiastic support.
During the month of September, we received two grants to support the Hawaii Homegrown Food Network that will allow us to carry on and expand this project through September 2010. We received support from the Hawai‘i County Resource Center, a program of the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research and Development. The Hawaii Agricultural Development Program in sponsorship with the Big Island RC&D Council also gave its generous support. We are proud to be able to support these organizations' visions of vibrant, sustainable, local food systems on Hawai'i Island.
As you will see below, all sections of this newsletter are growing. Please continue to send us your submissions for future newsletters. They are welcome using the form at the bottom of this email. The deadline for the November newsletter is October 24.
Mahalo nui loa,
Craig Elevitch
Pedro Tama
http://agroforestry.net
Supporting organizations of the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
Kona Outdoor Circle http://www.konaoutdoorcircle.org
Sustainable Kohala http://sustainablekohala.ning.com/
Amanda Rieux, teacher at Mala ‘Ai Culinary Garden at Waimea Middle School
Andrea Dean, project manager, How Hawaii Eats, Kapa‘au
Bruce Mathews, professor of Soil Science, UH Hilo
Deborah Ward, retired UH CTAHR extension agent and farmer, Kea‘au
Geoff Rauch, director of Know Your Farmer Alliance and farmer, Kapoho
Hector Valenzuela, vegetable crops extension specialist, UH Manoa
Jerry Konanui, mahi 'ai and educator, Pahoa
Joe Kassel, naturopathic physician and farmer, Holualoa
Ken Love, tropical fruit horticulture and marketing specialist, Captain Cook
Lyn Howe, director of Know Your Farmer Alliance and farmer, Kapoho
Mary Lynn Garner, Konawaena High School teacher and farmer, Kealakekua
Nancy Miller, marketing specialist and manager of Keauhou Farmers’ Market
Roen & Ken Hufford, Honopua Farm, managers, Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market, Waimea
Ted Radovich, crop specialist, Sustainable Farming Systems Laboratory, UH Manoa
Events
Sunday, September 27, 10 am - 3 pmEvent: La'akea Internship Program
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture Hawai'i
Place: La'akea Community, Puna (contact for directions)
Cost: $650
Tuesday, September 29, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Beekeeping, by Richard Spiegel (Class #3 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital, Hamakua
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wedneday, September 30, 1 - 4:30 pm
Event: Drying & Storage for Parchment and Green Coffee
Sponsors: Kona Coffee Farmers Association and Cooperative Extension service, UH CTAHR.
Description: Ken Sheppard and Chuck Moss will again present their Drying & Storage workshop, but with a change of emphasis: this workshop will briefly cover drying and then go into more detail into how to safely store your precious coffee, from the simplest solutions through to fully self-sufficient storage rooms.
Place: Daifukuji Soto Mission Hall, Honalo, North Kona
Cost: KCFA members FREE; non-members $10 (towards membership).
Members please RSVP.
Contact: Sarah at CTAHR 322-4892 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or MaryLou Moss 329-4035 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Friday, Ooctober 2, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Event: Introduction to Permaculture
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Come discover the basics of permaculture. This class will cover ethics and principles. Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before. Class will start on time.
Place: La'akea Community, Puna (contact for directions).
Cost: $20
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 443-4076
Saturday, October 3, 9 - 11 am
Event: Local Foods Preparation
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Learn how to grow and prepare a variety of perrenial greens and starches that grow well in the Puna district! Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before.
Place: La'akea Community, Puna (contact for directions)
Fee: $25, includes several take home plant cuttings
Contact: Tracy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or 808- 443-4076
Saturday, October 3, 9 am - 4:30 pm
Event: HISGN Student Farmers Market. At the Kohala Country Fair.
Sponsor: Hawai'i Island School Garden Network, Kohala Center.
Description: Schools in HISG Network bring student-grown produce, student-made value-added products, and student-started plants for sale.
Place: North Kohala, Hawi, corner of Akoni Pule Highway and Hawi Road, under the banyan trees.
Cost: Free. Sale of items raises funds for the School Garden Network.
Contact: Donna Mitts, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, October 3, 9 am - 4:30 am
Event: 2nd Annual Seed Exchange at the Kohala Country Fair
Sponsor: North Kohala Food Forum
Description: The Kohala Country Fair Seed Exchange will have a wide array of locally grown seeds, plants and cuttings available for trade and to share for home growers looking to transition from commercial, store-bought seeds and plants to homegrown varieties that have proven successful in Kohala.
Place: Hawi, corner of Akoni Pule Highway and Hawi Road, under the banyan trees, North Kohala.
Cost: Free
Contact: Andrea Dean, 889-5806, e-mail Andrea at andreadean dot com
Organizer: He Ola Hou O Ke Kumu Niu (nonprofit Hawaiian cultural education group)
Description: We are reopening a fishpond and raising kalo and vegetables as a cultural, educational process. Please join us for the work and fun. All ages are welcome; families please include and supervise young children. Tabis or old sneakers are a good idea for fishpond work. Come prepared for sun, rain, and mud. Please bring a potluck dish with ingredients from your ‘aina.
Place: Lihikai Hawaiian Cultural Learning Center is in Keaukaha. From Kalaniana’ole Ave. turn left on Onekahakaha Beach Road. Turn left again immediately before the yellow cable (don’t pass the county park gate). You’ll be driving on dirt and grass toward an open-sided halau building. Park on the road side of the garden beds, please.
Cost: Free
Contact: Call Keoni or Prana at 935-4328 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Email is not checked every day.
Saturday, October 3 9 am -12 noon and 12 - 1 pm potluck
Event: Mala'ai Work and Learn Day at the Garden
Sponsor: Mala'ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School
Description: We will continue clearing the edges of the garden: weeding, weed eating and laying weed cloth. For the potluck, please bring a dish to share made using some locally grown ingredients. Lemongrass/verbena iced tea will be available.
Place: Mala'ai at Waimea Middle School - Waimea, South Kohala
Cost: Free
Contact: Matilda Tompson This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.malaai.org, 885-9206
Sunday, October 4, 9 am - 5 pm
Event: 2nd Harvest Moon Festival
Spopnsor: Sanctuary of Mauna Kea Gardens and South Kona Green Market (SKGM)
Description: Join us at the 2nd Annual Harvest Moon Festival to celebrate with live music, live local food, live fun featuring: Bolo, Sahra Indio, and Bikini Beach.
Place: Amy B. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Captain Cook, South Kona
Cost: Free
Contact: SKGM, 328-8797
Monday, October 5, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Event: Introduction to Permaculture Tour
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Take a tour of La’akea while exploring the permaculture principles. See examples of things that work and some that don’t, remembering that every challenge presents a solution. Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before. Class will start on time.
Place: La'akea Community, Puna (contact for directions)
Fee: $20
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 443-4076
Tuesday, October 6, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Seedsaving, by Nancy Redfeather (Class #4 of series)
Sponsor: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, October 10, 8 am - 3 pm
Event: 5th Annual Eastside Seed Exchange
Sponsor: Know Your Farmer Alliance & La'akea Gardens
Brief Description: This free community event is an opportunity to exchange/gift (you don’t need to bring to get) localized seeds, swap growing information, meet your neighbors, other eco-growers and innovative agricultural thinkers. Stay and listen to a public presentation on vermiculture tea and soil fertility by Dr. Norman Arancon of UH Hilo (unusual and not to be missed). Check out exhibits and vendors including Natural Farming, Aquaponics, Youth groups in Ag, EM (Essential Micro-organisms), local CSA’s, Master Gardeners etc. Farm/garden sale/swap and door prizes! Details will be updated and posted at http://www.knowyourfarmeralliance.com/
Place: La'akea Gardens- Hwy 130 south past Pahoa, past Leilani Estates, after mile marker 14 turn mauka on Ala'Ili (there will be an Event sign at this turn) continue on Ala'ili until you see the event sign on the left.
Cost: Free
Contact: Geoff Rauch 936-7040 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, October 10, 9 - 12 noon
Event: Tropical Fruit and Bamboo, by John Mood, Ninole Orchard (Field Trip #1 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: Ninole Orchard, Ninole, Hamakua (see contact below for directions)
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Monday, October 12, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Event: Permaculture Systems Design
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Come discover the basics of permaculture design. This class will be an introduction to system design. Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before. Class will start on time.
Location: La'akea Community (contact for directions)
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 443-4076
Fee: $20
Tuesday, October 13, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Sustainable Gardening for Hawai'i, by Diana Duff, Kona Outdoor Circle (Class #5 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 pm - 8 pm
Event: Gardens We've Seen
Sponsor: Kona Outdoor Circle
Description: This evening will begin at 6:30 pm with a pupu potluck and enjoy garden photos and stories until around 8 pm. This KOC free event is open to the public.
Place: The Kona Outdoor Circle Educational Center is located at 76-6280 Kuakini Highway, Kailua-Kona, North Kona
Cost: Free
Contact: Diane Duff, 329-7286
Friday, October 16, 10:30 am - 1 pm
Event: Seeds of Hope: Flourishing Gardens, Flourishing Communities
Sponsor: The Kohala Center
Description: A special luncheon and program to celebrate the good work of the Hawai'i Island School Garden Network. Includes presentations by school garden teachers and features Senators Russell Kokubun and Dwight Takamine, who will share their visions for a more self-reliant and sustainable food future for Hawai'i. Plus there will be a preview of Hawai'i filmmaker Danny Miller's "Seeds of Hope" documentary about our island school garden programs.
Place: The Golden Princess cruise liner, Hilo Harbor, South Hilo
Cost: $50
Contact: 887-6411, or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or go to www.kohalacenter.org
Friday, October 16, 5 pm - 8 pm
Event: UN World Food Day: Hawai'i Food Self-Sufficiency, Where We Need To Go from Here
Sponsor: Hawai'i Chapter, United Nations Association of the United States
Description: Pupus and Garden Visit from 5-6 pm followed by Panel Discussion: Hawaii Food Self-Sufficiency – Where We Need to Go
Panelists: Nancy Redfeather, Kohala Center; Manu Meyers, UH Hilo; Margarita Hopkins, Hawaii County R & D; Russell Nagata, CTAHR, Komohana Ag Complex. Moderator: Richard Ha. There will be time for questions afterwards. The results of this panel discussion will be carried over to the November 7th E Malama Aina Festival where these and other issues can be discussed more fully. Our State imports roughly 85% of the food it consumes. This puts us in a precarious situation in a world with so many uncertainties. Every citizen should take note and be asking what needs to be done and how we will accomplish it. Please join us and share your thoughts and concerns.
Place: Big Island Boys and Girls Club, 100 Kamakahonu St., off Haili and above Kapiolani St., Hilo, South Hilo.
Cost: Free
Contact: Margaret Drake, 967-7295, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, October 17, 9 - 11 am
Event: Seed Saving & Propagation, by Amanda Rieux, Mala'ai Garden (Field Trip #2 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: Waimea Middle School, Waimea, South Kohala (contact below for directions)
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Monday, October 19, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Event: Water Systems
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Come learn about catchment systems and ponds. Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before. Class will start on time.
Place: La'akea Community (contact for directions)
Fee: $20
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 443-4076
Tuesday, October 20, 6 - 8 pm
Event: A Backyard Pastured Poultry Model That Works, by Ben and Deb Discoe (Class #6 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday, October 21, 6 pm - 8 pm
Event: Exploring the World of Cheese, by Vicki Dunaway
Sponsor: Waimea Community Education
Description: How is it possible to turn a few ingredients—milk, culture, rennet and salt—into so many different kinds of cheese? Explore the world of cheesemaking and learn how the same ingredients can become cheddar or mozzarella, camembert or valençay, feta or bleu. Best of all, taste a variety of artisan cheeses representing the major categories of cheese available to food lovers. See www.smalldairy.com
Place: Waimea Community Education Building (see Contact for directions)
Cost: $45
Contact: Catherine Youtkus 885-1539, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Friday, October 23, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Event: Gardens and Soil
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Discover the basics of soil chemistry. We will also discuss plant guilds appropriate for the tropics. Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before. Class will start on time.
Place: La'akea Community (contact for directions)
Fee: $20
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 443-4076
Saturday, October 24, 9 am - 2 pm
Event: Hamakua Alive with Cyril Pahinui
Sponsor: Tom Kadooka Foundation (with other private donations)
Description: This popular food event and farming celebration showcases the agricultural bounty of the verdant Hamakua Coast. Music this year will be by renowned slack key guitar legend Cyril Pahinui. There will be a Hamakua Cook-Off, featuring Hamakua purveyors and Big Island chefs; a Farmers Market with produce and products from local farms, home gardeners & ranchers; and Cooking Contests with recipes for pies and cakes, jelly and jams, and soups and breads. Don't miss agricultural demonstrations and info, education offered about alternative energy, composting, conservation, aquaculture and local baked goods for sale.
Place: The ballfield, Pa'auilo School, Hamakua
Cost: Free
Contact: Contact Wally Andrade at 937-8599, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Jim Reddekopp at 776-1771, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, October 24
Event: The First Great Waimea Pumpkin Challenge
Description: Weigh-In at Waimea Town Market at Parker School. It’s pumpkin planting season so grab some seeds and go for BIG! Open to all Waimea gardeners including school gardens. Separate categories including Middle Schools, High Schools and an Open Division. Ribbons will be awarded for the biggest pumpkin in each division. They also will weigh in and measure other noteworthy vegetables and will award ribbons depending on entries. Will also have a kabocha squash category because fruit flies might be a problem for pumpkin growers on some parts of the island. School entries must be certified by the school as having been grown in its garden. Entry forms available. Free and all invited.
Place: Parker School at Waimea Town Market, South Kohala
Cost: Free
Contact: Paul Johnson, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Monday, October 26, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Event: Herbal Medicines
Sponsor: La'akea Permaculture-Hawai'i Community
Description: Come discover what grows in your backyard that you can use for healing. Please register for this class by 9 pm the night before. Class will start on time.
Place: La'akea Community (contact for directions)
Fee: $20
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 443-4076
Tuesday October 27, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Vickie Dunaway & Movie: "Mad City Chickens" (Class #7 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, October 31, 8 am - 2 pm
Event: Pua Plantasia, Annual Plant sale. Theme this Year: Sustainability.
Sponsor/Organizer: Kona Outdoor Circle (KOC)
Description: West Hawai'i's premier plant sale featuring only locally-grown trees, fruit trees, cuttings, shrubs, flowers, vegetable plants of every possible description. Classes this year on sustainability.
Place: Old Airport Pavilion, Kailua-Kona
Cost: Free
Contact: Kona Outdoor Circle, 329-7286; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; http://www.konaoutdoorcircle.org .
Saturday, October 31, 9 - 11 am
Event: Backyard Poultry, by Deb & Ben Discoe (Field Trip #3 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: Ahualoa Egg Farm, Ahualoa, Hamakua (see contact below for directions)
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday November 3, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Aquaponics systems, by Tim Mann & Suzanne Friend (Class #8 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, November 7, 10 am - 2 pm
Event: More Raw Foods!
Sponsor: Waimea Community Education
Description: Due to the popularity of our first Raw Foods class, we are offering this new class with brand new recipes for all to enjoy. Menu items will focus on locally grown raw foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. Everyone is welcome. Prior enrollment in our first Raw Foods class is not necessary to fully enjoy this new class! Come to class hungry. You will be sampling many delicious recipes, including: Pea Salad, Waldorf Salad, Coconut Macaroons, Tacos: Taco “meat”, salsa, sour cream, Onion Bread, Orange Shake, Corn Chowder, Fettuccine Alfredo
Cashew Mayonnaise
Place: Waimea Community Education Building (see Contact for directions)
Cost: $45
Contact: Catherine Youtkus 885-1539, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday, November 10, morning
Event: Shade-grown coffee for Hawai'i, by Craig Elevitch
Sponsor: UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension
Description: This free talk explores the ecological and economic benefits and drawbacks of shade-grown coffee agroforestry systems in North and South Kona. Craig Elevitch will present results from a 12-month USDA-NRCS-sponsored study of twelve shade-grown coffee orchards. Shade- and open-grown coffee were compared based on environmental conditions (shade levels, tree density, plant species present, etc.), soil organic matter, yield and bean size, and pest and disease incidence.
Place: UH Cooperative Extension Service office, Kainiliu, South Kona
Cost: Free
Contact: Virginia Easton-Smith, 322-4892, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday November 10, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Vermicomposting, by Dr. Norman Arancon, UH Hilo (Class #9 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Friday, November 13, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Event: Farm Community Potluck and Seed Exchange
Sponsor/Organizer: Hawai'i Farmers Union and Hamakua-North Hilo Agricultural Cooperative
Description: Seed Exchange begins at 5:30 pm; potluck dinner begins at 6:30 pm. Home gardeners, farmers and other community members are most welcome whether you bring seeds, plants or cuttings, or just take some home! E komo mai kakou, kokua kekahi i kekahi, aloha kekahi i kekahi. (Welcome! Help each other, love each other!) Join us in growing community food sovereignty in Hamakua!
Place: Honoka'a's historic ILWU Jack Wayne Hall building (on the Waipi'o, makai end of Mamane Street), Honoka'a, Hamakua
Contact/info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , http://hawaiifarmersunion.org, or call 331-3002
Saturday, November 14, 9 - 11 am
Event: Hands on Vermicomposting, by Terry Mortenson & Steve Velonza (Field Trip #4 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: Honoka'a, Hamakua (see contact below for directions)
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, November 14 10 am -12 noon
Event: Aston Patterning in the Garden - Effective Comfortable Movement in the Garden
Sponsor: Mala'ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle school
Description: Come learn from one of the country’s leading movement pioneers on how to effectively use your body and avoid or change bad habits. “Effective Comfortable Movement In The Garden” is a movement workshop intended to assist adults to move with more strength and balance in the garden.
Place: Mala'ai (email for directions) at Waimea Middle School, South Kohala
Cost: $35 -$45 -sliding scale. This is a fundraiser for the garden offered by Judith Aston www.astonkinetics.com
Contact: Matilda Tompson This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.malaai.org 885-9206
Tuesday November 17, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Storing Food in the Landscape, by Craig Elevitch (Class #10 of series) (Free Class)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital, Hamakua
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, November 21, 10 - 11:30 am
Event: Aquaponic Systems, by Friendly Aquaponics (Field Trip #4 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: Friendly Aquaponics, Honoka'a (see contact below for directions), Hamakua
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday November 24, 6 - 8 pm
Event: GMO Crops -- Facts & Fiction, by Paul Achitoff, Earthjustice (Class #11 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital, Hamakua
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday December 1, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Tropical Fruit Tree Management, by Dr. Francis Zee, USDA/ARS/PBARC (Class #12 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital, Hamakua
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, December 5, 9 - 11 am
Event: Aerobically Activated Compost Tea, by Bobby Grimes & Koh Ming Wei (Field Trip #5 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: Pa'auilo mauka, Hamakua (see contact below for directions)
Cost: Free; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday December 8, 6 - 8 pm
Event: Propagating Fruit Trees, by Mike Nagao, UH CTAHR (Class #13 of series)
Sponsor/Organizer: Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation and Hawai'i County Department of Research & Development
Description: contact Donna Mitts, below
Place: NHERC, Honoka'a, makai of hospital, Hamakua
Cost: $12; $140 for entire 13 classes plus 6 free field trips.
Contact: Donna Mitts, program manager, 936-2117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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 training on an agroforestry and permaculture research and demonstration farm in Holualoa, North Kona. For more information, visit http://www.agroforestry.net/internship/
Mala'ai School Garden Needs you! Whether you like working side-by-side with middle schoolers (they're really a hoot), or prefer solitary gardening, or you are really better at grant writing or recruiting other types of help (sharing seedlings or compost, etc.), or have a particular skill set (composting, vermiculture, building things, teaching how to husk coconuts or prepare an imu), your help is needed and welcome. If you’re inspired to help for whatever reason (nurturing healthier kids, supporting sustainable ag, love quiet time pulling weeds, etc.) please call Mala'ai Executive Director Matilda Tompson (885-9206) or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . School volunteers do undergo background checks and fingerprinting for the safety of all. Of course, if Waimea is a long drive from where you live, there are more than 30 school gardens around the island – all of which would welcome your help. Email Nancy Redfeather of the Hawai'i island School Garden Network to find the garden nearest you: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Activity: Hawai'i Tea Society Tea Propagation Program
Sponsor: Hawai'i Tea Society Propagation Committee
Description: HTS offers a low-cost local source for high quality Camellia sinensis tea plants for farmers who want to grow a quality sustainable vog-resistant and hardy crop. We have been conducting this program for several years and hope to maintain this as an ongoing program. These plants are all from cuttings from known varieties that have produced very finished teas of the highest quality.
Place: Delivery direct to farmers.
Cost: Contact Eva Lee, Propagation Chair. Reduced rates for members. To join, go to http://www.hawaiiteasociety.com
Contact: Eva Lee, 967-7637, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New publications
The Hawai‘i Island Homegrown: Start-up guide for an organic self-reliance garden is a new publication of the Hawai‘i County Resource Center, a program of the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research and Development. This well-illustrated introduction to organic gardening on Hawai'i Island authored by Craig Elevitch is an excellent resource for any beginning gardener. The guide includes lists of resources and web links for each topic covered. Download the free guide.
Big Food vs. Big Insurance, New York Times Op-Ed essay by Michael Pollan
Once again, Michael Pollan leads the way in this incisive and illuminating short essay that clearly demonstrates how America's current health care crisis is really an outgrowth of our long-standing food and eating crisis. "The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care," he writes. Pollan predicts that with the passage of even a modest health care reform bill, the insurance industry will have to align itself against the gigantic food industry that produces food that promotes obesity, diabetes, coronary disease and many cancers. This may change the food industry and agribusiness more than anything you and I could do. For a full understanding, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?_r=1
From Food Democracy Now http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/
Seven Sustainable Reads
1. Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It – by Jill Richardson
2. Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness – by Lisa M. Hamilton
3. Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating - by Mark Bittman
4. Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms – by Nicolette Hahn Niman
5. The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It – by Robyn O’Brien
6. The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food – Wayne Roberts
7. Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered – by Woody Tasch
Reports
FOOD INC Event, Honoka'a, Hamakua, August 27, 2009
by Sharon Petrosky
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.
Food Inc. is a film by Robert Kenner that shows what’s behind the production and packaging of the food we eat. It presents not-so-pleasant footage of commercial animal farms and processors and talks about practices in our modern agriculture hidden from the public. The startling accounts from farmers themselves reveal the greed and control of government and big business which has created public health risks and an overall diseased food production system. Cheers from the audience came when one organic farmer in the movie shared his unshakeable farming philosophy; one that honors land, plant life, environment, animals and humans.
After the screening of Food Inc. was open space discussion lead by Councilman Dominic Yagong who spoke briefly about Bill 132 urging local residents to support it. Bill 132 requires County Council approval of any land sale of 10 acres or more, with disclosure of the sale price, the buyer and the intended use of the property. Guy Kaulukukui from The Kohala Center spoke about the Hawai’i Island Food Self Reliance Project. The microphone was then passed to those in the audience who wanted to share a description of their sustainability-related projects.
The gentle breeze of the late summer evening carried the sweet sound of music by Sugah Daddy. Soothing harp chords by Moses, and other spontaneous, inspired musical offerings all blended together organically providing background for the talk story that lingered inside and outside the theatre.
Mahalo to Honoka’a People’s Theatre, those who volunteered, and to all who came out in support of local sustainability.
Wai'aha Farm Tour, Holualoa, North Kona, September 15, 2009
by Diana Duff, Kona Outdoor Circle
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.
The lunch we had at noon was simply delicious. Nearly all of the menu came from the farm. We shared cold fresh fruit juices with the staff and talked story over chips and their own three-pepper goat cheese. The buffet luncheon included citrus and fennel salad, a Caesar salad, sautéed kale, their own honey cured ham, chicken sausage patties, a taro and coconut curry over rice and lilikoi bars as well as mango tapioca for dessert.
After lunch we ventured uphill to a 13-acre parcel that houses their animals, the nursery and some additional garden areas. Director, Mike Zelko explained their sustainable fertilization system which involves rabbits, chickens and pigs. Using chicken and pig “tractors” they are able to plow and fertilize an area for a garden using the animals to do most of the work. Their rabbits provide additional fertilizer and their grazing cows and goats provide milk and cheese for the staff. Eggs from the chickens and meat from sheep as well as the other animals keep the staff well fed as they tend to the vegetable and fruit gardens that add to their delicious and nutritious fare.
Those on the trip learned many new systems that can be used in small scale gardens as well as on large sustainable farms like Wai'aha.
The North Kohala Food Forum grew out of a perceived need to bring together all of the parties involved in the producing, buying, selling, and distributing of food in North Kohala for a community conversation on producing more of our food locally.
At the Hawaii Island Homegrown: Food Self-Reliance Workshop held in Hawi on March 8, 2009, a number of action items around community food self-reliance emerged, one of them being to convene a North Kohala Food Forum. The ideas behind the food forum are to:
- Share information by providing a forum for communication between the many food self-sufficiency projects, businesses, organizations, and interested parties in North Kohala.
- Allow synergistic partnerships to form, so as to not duplicate efforts and to increase community buy-in and support of existing efforts.
- Identify the key barriers to local food production and working together.
- Glean insight as to what the public is thinking about local food self-sufficiency.
- Begin to get a “lay of the land” with regards to who is doing what and why.
- Begin to track progress towards food self-sufficiency, but not to impose a plan.
The North Kohala Community Development Plan Strategy 1.4 is to Promote and Support a community of Diversified Agriculture and the first goal is “The North Kohala community will produce 50% of the food it consumes.”
The North Kohala community has many existing and emerging commercial and community projects that could lead to increased food self sufficiency, but there is currently no forum or organized way for all interested parties to share information. The North Kohala Food Forum believes that the sharing of information is the first step in building collaborative partnerships towards a stated community goal. In order to get the “lay of the land” before the actual Food Forum on August 22, 2009, each invited participant was given a survey to complete. You may find the complete unedited responses from each participant, summaries of the data, and a summary of the Food Forum proceedings on the forum web site. You can also view the raw data, track progress, view the PowerPoint presentations from the forum, and connect with other interested community members at http://www.nkfoodforum.com/forum/topics/survey-results-are-out
The North Kohala Food Forum is a project of the North Kohala Community Resource Center with funding provided by: the County of Hawaii, Dept. of Research & Development, Hoea Agricultural Park, The Ulupono Initiative, Steering Committee Members, Starseed Ranch, and local contributors. The North Kohala Food Forum Steering Committee consists of Bob Martin, Andrea Dean, Forrest Arnold, Shannon Casey, Guy Kaulukukui, Christine Richardson, Karen Rosen.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Uluwehi Farm (Hawi) 889-1081
South Kohala
Ka`Ohi Nani Farm (Waimea) 885-1950
Puna Polestar Gardens (Pahoa) 430-8009
Ginger Ridge Farms (Mountain View) 968-7622
Milk and Honey Farm (Pahoa) 345-4401
Dragon's Eye CSA (Kapoho) 965-9371
Adaptations (Captain Cook) 324-6600
Ka'u
West Hawaii Farms (Oceanview) 939-9701
This month's new web resources !
* The Future of Food (film) http://www.thefutureoffood.com/
* The Real Dirt on Farmer John (trailer) http://www.metacafe.com/watch/600284/the_real_dirt_on_farmer_john_trailer/
* Bee Colony Collapse: What We Know Now http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/saving-bees-what-we-know-now/?emc=eta1
* Columbia Gorge Food Network http://www.gorgegrown.com/
* Organizing A Community Garden http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4300.htm
* Organic Seeds and Seed Sources http://www.hawaiiorganic.org/seed%20sources.htm
* Cheesemaking http://smalldairy.com/
Hawai'i organizations
Agroforestry Net http://www.agroforestry.net
Hawai'i Agriculture Notes http://www.ahualoa.net/ag/notes_farming.html
Hawai'i Ag Tourism Assn http://hiagtourism.org
Hawai'i Farmers Union http://www.hawaiifarmersunion.org
Hawai'i Fruit http://www.Hawaiifruit.net
Hawai'i Island School Garden Network http://www.kohalacenter.org/HISGN/about.html
Hawai'i Natural Farmers http://www.localgarden.us/
Hawai'i Organic Farmers Association http://www.hawaiiorganic.org
Hawai'i SEED http://www.hawaiiseed.org
Hawai'i Tea Society http://www.hawaiiteasociety.org/
Hawai'i Tropical Fruit Growers http://www.hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org
Know Your Farmer Alliance http://www.knowyourfarmeralliance.com
Kona Coffee Farmers Association http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org
Kona Outdoor Circle http://www.konaoutdoorcircle.org
North Kohala Food Forum http://nkfoodforum.com
Slow Food Hawai'i http://www.slowfoodhawaii.org
Sheep and Goat Producers http://sites.google.com/site/hawaiisheepandgoatassociation
Sustainable Hawaii http://sustainablehawaiiisland.org/
Sustainable Kohala http://sustainablekohala.ning.com/
Waimea Outdoor Circle http://www.waimeaoutdoorcircle.org
Other Hawai'i Island websites
Andrea Dean Eat Local http://www.andreadean.com
Big Island Farmers Markets http://www.hcrs.info/sustainability/agriculture-and-food
Green Hawaii http://www.greenhawaii.com
Hawaii Physical Activity and Nutrition Newsletter http://http://www.healthyhawaii.com
How to Feed Chickens in Hawaii http://www.ahualoa.net/chickens/
La'akea Permaculture Community http://http://permaculture-hawaii.com
Plants Hawaii http://www.plantshawaii.com
South Kona Green Market http://www.skgm.org
University of Hawai’i College of Tropical Agriculture (CTAHR)
Organic - CTAHR http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/organic/
Buy Fresh - Buy Local http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/BFBL.asp
Sustainable - CTAHR http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/index.asp
Hawaii County --Extension & Research http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/Counties/HawaiiCounty/index.html
Sustainable Animal Production http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/NewFarmer/Animal.asp
Poultry Grazing System for Egg Production http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/LM-20.pdf
Government agencies
Hawaii County Resource Center http://www.hcrc.info/sustainability/agriculture-and-food
National websites
Biodynamic Farming & Gardening http://www.biodynamics.com/
Community Alliance with Family Farmers http://caff.org
Biodynamic Certification http://demeter-usa.org/
Community Food Security Coalition http://www.foodsecurity.org
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/
Food & Water Watch http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food
Food Declaration http://fooddeclaration.org
Food Share http://www.foodshare.net
GMO Watch http://www.gmwatch.org/
GMO shoppers guide http://www.geaction.org/truefood/shoppersguide/guide_printable.html
GRAIN - small farm community control http://www.grain.org/about/?org
Growing Power http://www.growingpower.org
National Homegrown Site http://www.homegrown.org
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition http://sustainableagriculture.net/
Natural Farming http://janonglove.com/janongusa/intro01.html
Organic Consumers Association http://www.organicconsumers.org
Organic Farming Research Foundation http://ofrf.org/index.html
Radio Stations about Healthy Food http://www.mnn.com/food/farms-gardens/stories/top-11-green-food-radio-shows#
Young Farmers Network http://www.thegreenhorns.net
Videos
Islands at Risk - Genetic Engineering in Hawai'i http://farmwars.info/?p=457
www.Hawaiifruit.net has released Hawaii Grown video segments on tips for harvesting, post-harvest care, marketing and producing quality tropical fruit. Find out what the chefs, grocers and wholesalers are looking for. Hard copies will be available soon for Hawaii Tropical Fruit Grower members. For more information contact: Ken Love, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Permaculture - farms for the future http://www.viddler.com/explore/PermaScience/videos/4/
Food, Inc. movie trailer http://www.foodincmovie.com/
Priceless movie trailer http://habitatmedia.org/summit6.html
Our Sponsors
Submissions
We invite you to submit information about educational events, resources, workshops, festivals, presentations, etc., related to growing, exchanging, selling, preparing, and eating locally grown food that is sustainable or organic. Please send us your submissions using the e-mail forms below. We will compile your submissions and send them to hundreds of Hawai'i Island sustainable food practitioners and supporters.
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The newsletter features upcoming events, new publications and web sites, resources and other vital news for the Grow Local/Eat Local Food movement. Our goal is to support and strengthen our Hawai'i Island sustainable and organic local food system: growers (farmers and gardeners), processors, wholesalers and marketers, retailers (stores and restaurants), and you and I -- eaters.
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