Examine the foods of Hawai’i, and what will be revealed are the plethora of cultures—Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Portuguese, and many more—that have shaped the vast cultural cuisine of the islands. Therefore it can be difficult to decipher what authentic Hawaiian food is. …read more
Hawai’i is home to 31 public Charter Schools across the state, offering children the option of alternative, progressive methods of education without the high cost of private schools. In fact, they are tuition-free. According to the Hawai’i Charter School Administration Office, Charter schools are defined as “state-legislated, legally …read more
When I told my friend Aunty La I was embarking on learning the art of lauhala, she smiled and answered, “You’re learningthe art of patience.” The leaves (lau translates to leaf in Hawaiian) of the Hala tree (Pandanus tectorious), also known as the Screw Pine, have been used in Hawai’i throughout history for a plethora …read more
With clouds dotting the sky on a calm morning in October, over thirty young children and their caregivers tromped through red clay mud to the salt beds in Hanapepe. Mothers stepped carefully as they held their babies in their arms, four year olds happily squished their toes in the earth, and grandparents flung their slippers …read more
The Kaua’i Cigar tobacco plant lives its life in the fertile soil at the base of the Makaleha mountain range in upper Kapahi on the east side of Kaua’i. The large crop is nestled among two country roads unified by a wooden bridge and bordering a stream whose waters begin with falls high up in the mountain range, a truly …read more
Kona coffee farmers are uniting to combat the crop devastating coffee berry borer or, CBB. Already at home in most of the world’s coffee plantations, the beetle officially made its first appearance in Kona last August. According to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s (HDOA) website, CBB has been confirmed in the drier …read more
Picking a coffee cherry before it becomes fully ripe results in less than optimal sugar levels; while the sugar levels of over ripe cherries have started to decline. Mechanical harvesting, known as stripping, saves time but adds unripe berries, over ripe berries, pest ridden berries, leaves, twigs, and other debris into the final product. …read more
Using shade as a farming technique has many ecological benefits. The shade helps to keep moisture in and weeds to a minimum. Soil erosion is minimized as is the loss of vital nutrients and the number of pollinators are increased. Birds make their home in the trees as well as bats, bees and other beneficial organisms. …read more
On September 2nd, the identification of CBB was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture entomology laboratory in Riverdale, MD. Currently, the Coffee Berry Borer is only on the Westside of the Big Island at a handful of farms but the prolific pest can quickly take over. LBD Coffee, located in the mountains of Kauai, is safe from this crop devastating pest for now. …read more
