It’s been one year since Lisa Fuller and husband Sun left One Song Farm in Moloa’a. At Kumu Aina in Kalihiwai, they have made quick work of setting up their bio-intensive farm and a market garden, which grows vegetables sold under the name One Song Produce. Bio-intensive farming is an organic agricultural system that focuses [...]
Moloa’a Organica’a is a certified organic, diversified farm on 20 acres in Moloa’a. Ned and Marta Whitlock grow vegetables on four acres and fruit on 15 acres. Moloa’a Organica’a harvests six days a week and supplies Kaua’i grocery stores and restaurants. Some of what they grow: Avocados, bananas, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, Chinese [...]
Tropical Flowers Express has been growing flowers on its 2-acre farm in Kapahi since 1993. “Our neighbor Howard Yamamoto encouraged us to plant tropical flowers,” says Johnny Gordines. “He planted that big monkeypod tree in Koloa Town. It’s the best move we ever made!” He says the right flowers combined with different types of foliage [...]
April 13 was a busy day for Kaua’i County Farm Bureau. Besides the ongoing Saturday Kaua’i Community Market, it hosted its 18th annual Garden Fair at Kaua’i Community College. In addition, farm bureau members distributed information about a proposed food hub at the Lihu’e Community Plan Update meeting held at Lihu’e Civic Center. At the [...]
Sharleen AndradeBalmores sells gourmet cuts of dry-aged, grass-fed beef under the brand The Rancher’s Daughter Reserve. Balmores is the daughter of Manuel H. Andrade Sr., whose family has been ranching on Kaua’i for five generations. Andrade’s cattle graze on 500 acres and are rotated monthly on pastures in Omao, Po’ipu and Wailua. Approximately 200 head [...]
This column is dedicated to the food growers of Kaua’i. Even backyard gardeners contribute to the well-being, economy and food security of this island. To help everyone learn to identify food grown and/or made on Kaua’i, I am sharing information from a workshop I attended called “Value-Added Innovation for Hawaii Growers: Making the Family Farm [...]
Elvrine Chow of Heavenly Hakus gathers flowers, leaves and seeds from her home garden, as well as from the gardens of family and friends, and makes head lei known as haku. Specializing in rainbow haku – made with many colorful flowers – Chow also creates single-colored haku, but, of course, availability is based on the [...]
Kaua’i celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with plenty of green this year. A diverse crowd of about 200 backyard gardeners and organic farmers came to the 11th biannual Seed and Plant Exchange March 17 at Church of the Pacific in Princeville. All seeds and plants were given free or traded, and everyone was encouraged to attend [...]
Jean and Miguel Legaspi, along with their granddaughter Chelsea Cox, farm taro on nine acres in Hanalei. ML Farms sells taro to the Honolulu Poi Company, which sells under the name Taro Brand. Jean’s family began farming rice in Hanalei Valley in the 1940s, and started growing taro in the late ’50s. The Legaspis are [...]
Dante DeMcCutac and wife Jen grow a variety of lettuce, herbs and edible flowers on three-quarters of an acre. Dante is the son of farmers who have worked the land on Kaua’i for 30 years, and at one time he certified organic farms for Kaua’i Organic Growers Association. He and Jen have been farming for [...]
