Lei and the Month of May
By: Lois Ann Ell

May 14, 2012

In 1928, May Day officially became “Lei Day” in Hawai’i. Technically and historically, this means May 1st. But over the years in Hawai’i, the entire month of May has become a celebration of flowers lovingly flung over loved ones.

This writer's kindergarten graduate donning kukui nut and plumeria lei

One reason for the prolonged festivities is that at this time of year, fragrant and colorful flowers begin to show up all over the islands. Although Hawai’i is in bloom all year long, there are many seasonal blossoms. There is a decades-old Plumeria tree in my front yard, which nine months out of the year is a lonely stalk of sticks. But come May, pops of bright red color show up on the tops of the branches. This particular Plumeria variety, with its deep, rosy, solid color is pretty rare; I have discovered over the years, from seasoned lei makers who knock on my door to ask to pick the flowers and to take cuttings of the tree. There are over 300 varieties of the Plumeria flower, the most common being white with splashes of yellow in the center.

Plumeria (also known as Frangipani) flowers are probably the most common flower to make lei with. They smell lovely, they are easy to find and easy to string with a needle and thread, unlike other flowers which require some expertise. Orchid lei are common as well, with some 20,000 varieties, in green and purple colors, strung and given by the dozens to visitors stepping off a plane or walking in to a lu’au.

Another reason garlands of lei rule the month of May: Graduation festivities. This time of year marks academic advancement. Whether it’s beaming kindergarteners, high school graduates or college completers, each ceremony and celebration is filled with the fragrance and beauty of lei. It’s not uncommon to see a graduate teetering off balance, top-heavy with dozens of lei, covering half of his or her face. Hugging a graduate draped in lei is like falling into a flower patch.

Deep Red Plumeria flowers beginning to bloom

Flowers aren’t the only type of lei however; there are money lei, with dollar bills folded creatively, there are candy lei, paper origami lei, ones made of cloth, ones made of feathers. The traditional lei of the island of Ni’ihau (just off Kaua’i) is a shell lei, made of tiny, delicate shells found buried in the sand across the beaches in a range of colors—pink, red, white, green—and strung very carefully to make a lei that will last a lifetime. These Kahelelani shell lei can sell for up to thousands of dollars in a store.

Lei tips:

• Lei are always presented with a kiss on the cheek.

• They are traditionally worn draped half over the back and half in front equally.

• Lei will keep longer in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

• Dried lei will keep as a memento, often hung from the dashboard of a car.

Seed Exchange
By: Lois Ann Ell

April 6, 2012

It was a first for me. But not for hundreds of others, who showed up on April 1st, 2012 to the 9th biannual Seed Exchange on Kaua’i. The event—filled with music, cups of kava, presentations, and a mass trading of goods from the garden— was held at The Children of the Land in Kapa’a, Kaua’i, a non-profit organization focused on Polynesian culture.

Papaya starts at the Seed Exchange

Inside The Children of the Land center, also known as Na Keiki ‘o Ka ‘Aina, is now also home to Regenerations Kaua’i Community Seed Bank. In addition to books, educational information, and t-shirts, the Seed Bank also has, you guessed it: seeds. Regenerations mission is to “collect, regenerate, and distribute plants that are native, rare, threatened, nutrient-dense, high-yielding, medicinal, beautiful, delicious and otherwise important to us, our island, and the planet,” according to their website.

Paul Massey is the Director of Regenerations Botanical Garden on the North Shore of Kaua’i, and the Seed Bank. In a speech, Massey explained that his non-profit organization parallels The Children of the Land organization, in the way that they are both “rooted in ethics” and both share the “knowledge that there will always be abundance on the island.”

Speaking of abundance, the quantity and variety of plant species available for trade at the Seed Exchange was immense. As I wandered inside the center and outside in to the lawn area, table after table offered delicately handled bowls of different types of seeds, roots of tumeric and ginger, stalks of sugar cane and cassava, samples of cut peppers revealing the seeds inside, boxes of Chayote squash, lots of taro cuttings, and many more plants. One man who had cuttings of ‘Awa root was offering cups of Kava, a ceremonial drink made from the plant.

Sugar cane cut and ready to be exchanged

Raffle Prizes in the form of plants were given away at the event by Massey, including a Tahitian Chestnut tree, and a Venezuelan Rose bush donated by the Kaua’i Hindu Monastery. Instead of giving a plant away to a raffle winner randomly, Massey sought to match the winner with the plant harmoniously, according to the climate where the winner lived, what they were seeking, how much time they had to care for the plant, and other factors.

A quick Google search on ‘seed exchanges’ reveals a large number of websites, groups, and organizations dedicated to this practice, and in all different categories as well: seeds for exotic plants, heirlooms, tropicals, and seeds for specific regions as well, like the Southern Seed Legacy Project in the South. There is even a calendar day devoted to the topic: the last Saturday of January each year marks National Seed Swap Day. If the turnout at this last event is any indication of the future, the Garden Isle will soon be a contender with the national exchanges, thanks to Massey and Regenerations.

The Regenerations crew and volunteers are currently working on a “Coastal Forest Food Garden” along the highway on the Eastside of Kaua’i. They also teach Sustainable Farming and Gardening Training at Kaua’i Community College. The Seed Bank is open Thursdays from 9-5. For more information, visit www.ribg.org

The Majestic Moli
By: Lois Ann Ell

March 12, 2012

For years I have heard my friend Hob’s stories about her experiences with the Laysan Albatross seabird, known as moli in Hawaiian. Not only is Hob a volunteer and advocate for the species on Kaua’i, she has a connection with these birds that is rare and beautiful. When she invited me to a presentation she was giving on the Albatross at the Princeville Library, I decided to go. It was a perfect opportunity to learn more about these graceful winged creatures I see looming over me far above occasionally.

Laysan Albatross Nesting

One of the reasons for the presentation (that is open to the public, held a few times a year) is to reveal the sheer wonder of the species, which mate for life, and can soar across the Pacific Ocean for hours, even days, without even one flap of their wings. The other reason though, is to inform visitors and residents alike about the threats to the Albatross during their nesting season from November through July on the North and Northeastern bluffs of Kaua’i.

Hob explained the Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) choose Kaua’i as their nesting grounds (as well as one spot on O’ahu and various other far-flung Pacific islands) in large part because there are no mongooses on the Garden Isle. But there are other threats: dogs, pigs, cats, (feral and domestic) and barn owls. But luckily many of these seabirds are protected on oases such as the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and privately-owned secluded properties.

These birds are regal looking. They have a sleek white body and head, and their wings look as if they have been dipped in black ink, and the black around their eyes look like they are all on stage playing Cleopatra. Around 36 inches tall, their wingspan ranges from six to eleven feet. This allows them to glide over the water for days, swooping down to grab fish to eat. Their life span is long, with one Albatross in New Zealand pushing sixty years old.

Laysan Albatross chick.

For six months of the year they are out at sea, and then the other six months they spend nesting at their chosen spot. The Moli are monogamous, and once they find their mate (after long, involved courting rituals) they build a nest and the female lays one single egg. And then for two months both partners take turns holding down the fort and keeping the egg warm, while the other goes off. When the adorable chicks are born, they are fed regurgitated little balls of squid oil and fish eggs. Hob explained that the squid oil fattens the fledglings up in no time, and soon they are toddling around. It’s at this young age the birds are most vulnerable to predators.

Another sad plight that comes to the chicks and their parents is when in their hunt for food the Albatross eat bits of plastic in the ocean, such as bottle caps and lighters. The plastic sits in the bird’s bellies which cause them to feel full but results in starvation and sometimes death. Keeping plastic out of the ocean is important for all of our survival, especially for the Moli. If the Albatross chicks make it through the important first few months of their life, they then have to take a giant leap off a huge cliff, and fly, having never flown before, save for a few fits and starts on land—just another interesting fact about these seabirds that make their home on Kaua’i each year.

For more information, check out the Kaua’i Albatross Network which Hob founded, at http://www.albatrosskauai.org

Photo credits: Kim Steutermann Rogers

Hawaiian Food
By: Lois Ann Ell

February 10, 2012

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.

In her book, Ethnic Foods of Hawai’i, author Anne Kondo Corum says “the most distinctive characteristic of Hawaiian food is that is wholesome, pure, simply prepared food not covered with batter, sauces, or condiments.”

Below I explore a few Hawaiian favorite foods of mine (an appetizer, main dish and dessert). I asked my brother Charlie, a self-taught Chef and gourmand who lives on O’ahu to help me pair the dishes with a beverage to compliment the flavors.

Ahi Poke

Ahi Poke

Sam Choy, a celebrated Chef in Hawai’i, describes poke as “the king of island foods.” He even wrote two thick books on the subject. In one of the books, aptly titled, “Poke,” he explains that in early Hawaiian days the cubed raw fish was served simply, with few ingredients added to it, such as salt, seaweed, and Kukui Nut relish (‘inamona), but when the Japanese and Chinese immigrants in Hawai’i prepared it, sesame oil, soy sauce, onions, and many more flavors were added, which brings us up to the present.

The most common type of poke (and there’s hundreds—you can chop and cube anything) is Ahi Poke: raw tuna, most often served with green and white onions, salt, sesame oil and or soy sauce, seaweed, and inamona. The salty flavors against the fresh, clean taste of fresh raw fish is lovely.

Pair with: a cold beer, preferably a lager or pale ale

Also try: Lomi Salmon (chopped up salmon, onion, tomatoes and green onion) or ‘Opihi (limpets) dashed with hot sauce

Pork Lau Lau

Pork Lau Lau

Lau Lau on your plate is a delicate little present to be unwrapped by your fork. Tender, moist pork is enclosed in a cocoon of kalo leaves (think spinach), which is wrapped up in ti leaves and tied with string. There are variations on the meat in Lau Lau: chicken, fish, I’ve even had tofu.

Traditionally Lau Lau is cooked in an imu (underground oven), but in a regular kitchen it can be steamed to perfection over the stove as well.

Pair with: a big, bold glass of Cabernet Sauvignon

Also try: Chicken Lu’au, a thick stew of chicken, kalo leaves and coconut milk

Kulolo

As our palate for desserts evolve beyond the saccharine, syrupy sweetness of our childhoods—birthday cakes with gobs of frosting, candy and ice cream sundaes—we end up with something like Kulolo. A mixture of grated taro root, coconut milk and honey and brown sugar is made into a velvety, thick and chewy pudding with earthy, subtle flavors and a natural hint of sweetness.

Pair with: a hot cup of LBD Kona Coffee

Also try: Haupia (coconut pudding) or taro bread

The freshness of Ahi Poke, the care and time put into Lau Lau—the ultimate Hawaiian comfort food—and the simple goodness of Kulolo, Hawaiian food has all the qualities we want out of cuisine.

Sources

Choy, Sam. Poke. Honolulu, Mutual Publishing, 2009.

Corum, Ann Kondo. Ethnic Foods of Hawai’i. Honolulu, Bess Press, 2000.

Kanuikapono Public Charter School
By: Lois Ann Ell

January 9, 2012

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 independent, innovative, outcome-based public schools operating under contract.”

There are four Public Charter Schools (PCS) on Kaua’i, and three of them are Hawaiian immersion, meaning primarily using Hawaiian language in the classroom. On the northeast side of Kaua’i in the rural town of Anahola, Kanuikapono Learning Center, a PCS, is unique in that it is focused on Hawaiian cultural immersion. The Hawaiian language is woven in to the classroom, but not spoken primarily as it is in the other three PCS on Kaua’i.

Its inaugural year was in 2002, and the school has been growing its student enrollment and campus since. With approximately 120 students currently, it serves Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade. As the parent of a first grader at this school, I can attest it’s full of teachers, administrators, parents and students who have heart, who aren’t afraid to work hard and get dirty and take paths less traveled.

Kanuikapono holds high the values of community, Hawaiian culture, and learning from nature, or the technical term, environmental stewardship. A saying that is often repeated at this school is that it’s not just students who enroll at the school, it’s the whole family. Makua, or parents, are asked to volunteer 12 hours of their time each semester. Whether the task is playground duty, fundraising, cleaning, landscaping or other duties, families help to keep the school running efficiently, and as a result, become part of the school community. When your sweat equity is put into something, the rewards are greater and deeper.

Perhaps it’s the small class sizes, or the parent involvement, or the highly qualified teachers, but Kanuikapono not only met and passed but excelled in the Annual Yearly Progress national testing this past year, under the No Child Left Behind Act. Academic rigor is a priority for the school, achieved in creative ways. Singapore Math is the mathematics curriculum is used at the school, a unique program that gained recognition when Singapore ranked first in international math and science studies in 1995 and 1999. The curriculum focuses on creative thinking and problem solving skills, with students grasping increasingly abstract math concepts in a faster and more sensible approach.

The beginning and end of each school day is marked by the piko, where the school—students and staff—gather out on the large flat of land scattered with grass and red dirt overlooking the white-capped ocean. A circle is formed, linked by hands, and thanks are offered to each other, to the land, to whatever the day has given. It is the glimpse into what makes Kanuikapono a school community living and breathing the Hawaiian culture in a unique, reverent way.

Lauhala: Learning the art of Patience
By: Lois Ann Ell

December 9, 2011

lauhala bracelets

When I told my friend Aunty La I was embarking on learning the art of lauhala, she smiled and answered, “You’re learning the 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 of uses: roofing, flooring, sails for canoes, clothing, baskets, jewelry, headpieces and much more.

In the last few months, I have been lucky to be included in a series of lauhala workshops at Kanuikapono School in Anahola. The first workshop was making bracelets from prepared leaves. Although it was not easy—string of the leaf breaking, forgetting the pattern—I was lured in by the peacefulness of weaving (plaiting is actually the technical term) with a supportive group, I enjoyed the feel of the soft, natural fiber through my fingers, and the reward of finishing a bracelet. If a relationship with lauhala is a marriage, that was my first date, and it went well. I was smitten.

What I didn’t know about was the multiple stages and effort involved in preparing lauhala for plaiting. I was about to find out. There are books that will teach you about lauhala, but even the books will note it is important to learn this cultural tradition from a skilled kumu (teacher). Our group was blessed to have Kumu Maoli Ola Cook, Cherisse Kent from National Tropical Botanical Gardens, and the Kanuikapono teachers to lead us in the proper way.

Gathering

The first task is collecting the leaves. We went on a field trip to Sharon Pomeroy’s beautiful farm in Anahola, where a thick grove of Hala lives. We split up into groups of efficiency: some of us stripping the dried, brown leaves off the tree, some transporting the leaves to our base camp, and the rest trimming and bundling the gathered leaves. The grove of trees was dense. A thick blanket of dropped leaves covered the ground, and above were hundreds, which as Sharon warned, were possibly equipped with centipedes, mice, or other surprising friends. The darker leaves were ones we looked for as Kumu Maoli explained they are considered more valuable. I noticed this too, when plaiting my bracelet; the contrast of dark against lighter strands is beautiful. We trimmed off the po’o (head) and the huelo (tail) of each leaf, and bundled them up for the drying out phase.

Hala tree outside Kapa'a Library

Dehorning

The second step, a few weeks later, was cleaning and removing the (sharp!) thorns from the dried leaves and wiping off dirt and debris. We wrapped tape around our forefingers and thumbs, and learned quickly to strip down, away from the spikes.

Flattening

Straightening out and flattening the leaves is next, which Cherisse and the crew at National Tropical Botanical Gardens graciously took over responsibility for. She said that a pasta roller works well for this process, although the traditional way is by hand. The dried leaves curl up and it is not easy to flatten them without breaking. Spray bottles of water and damp cloths help in this step. The lau is then rolled into coils.

Stripping

We were fascinated as we watched Cherisse use what is called a box stripper to cut thin strips of a lauhala leaf in order to plait for our bracelets. Lining up razor blades in a row and then running the leaf through them, she created perfectly even, thin wisps of material. In the past, a variety of sharp objects were used, but the box stripper allows for precision.

Plaiting

We were now ready to make bracelets again! Combining a half of a leaf with the thin strips, we began to create again, as a group, quietly moving along. Sitting on the benches at Kanuikapono, occasional conversation drifted about, along with occasional mist from the spray bottles to keep the lauhala soft and pliable. The afternoon breeze kicked up red dust off the playground where the children played. I watched them, grateful that they too will learn this art, this tradition, this sustainable industry. Nothing is easy or fast with lauhala. But that’s the secret reward, I suspect. A well-woven piece, whether a bracelet or headband or fan, will last many years, and a reverence for the tradition will last a lifetime.

Sources
Bird, Arden J., Goldsberry, Steven, Bird, J. Puninani Kanekoa. The Craft of Hawaiian Lauhala Weaving. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1982.
Maunakea, Kupuna Katherine Kamalukukui. Lauhala Preparation and Simple Weaving, second edition. K. K. Maunakea, 1994.

The Salt Beds in Hanapepe
By: Lois Ann Ell

November 21, 2011

Pouring water from the waiku into the bed.

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 aside and walked hand in hand with toddlers. Today was a special excursion. The short term goal was to learn the ancient alchemy of harvesting Hawaiian salt. The long term goal is preserving Hawaiian culture.

Aunty Momi, a member of one of the select families who are Pa’akai (salt) farmers at the unique spot on the Westside of Kaua’i, invited the group in this day with a chant, signifying the sacredness of the area we were about to enter.

The group was Tutu & Me, a preschool program designed for children ages birth to age five and their caregivers. The core belief and motto of Tutu & Me is “Aia ke ola I na Kupuna” which translates to “There is life giving substance from the elders.” The program, which has over twenty sites across the islands with teams of teachers, provides education for children and support for their caregivers, whether they are parents, grandparents (Tutu), aunties, uncles, or other adult role. Hawaiian culture—language, music, activities, stories—plays an integral role in the curriculum.

Belief in the wisdom of elders and importance of family is a central reason as to why the salt beds still exist today, tucked just off the coastline near Salt Pond Beach Park. At the salt beds, the families who tend to the beds have been farming salt for many generations. The elders teach the cultural practice to their children from a very young age, integrating the cultural and sustainable practice into their life and what they will then eventually pass on to their children. Each family has their own section that contains a well, a waiku (separate holding well for the water to heat in), and a bed, where the heated water is then transferred to and where the salt is harvested.

Removing rocks and debris from the gathered salt.

The first task at the salt beds for children and caregivers to learn this day was to work on maintaining the salt beds. Kids took turns smoothing wet mud over the walls of the beds, filling cracks and reinforcing the structure of these holding beds, which have been in place for many generations.

Children took turns helping pour the warm water from the waiku into the beds. Aunty Momi demonstrated how to harvest the salt by slowly and carefully raking the large, flat crystalline flakes of salt from the base of the bed, and transferring them to a basket. The salt is then dipped in buckets of fresh water to rinse off the mud, and remove rocks, chunks of dirt and other debris. With each immersion into the water, the salt flakes change shape, beginning to resemble large grains of what one would recognize as table salt.

After a generous amount of salt was harvested from one bed, the children and adults relocated to Salt Pond Beach Park to rinse off the mud and eat lunch. The salt was spread across a picnic table to dry in the sun. About an hour later, children and their families left with a small sample of salt, which is never sold in stores, only given as a sacred gift.

The Life of a Tobacco Leaf
By: Lois Ann Ell

October 26, 2011

Kauai Cigar Company tobacco pickers, harvest 2011.

In the Soil

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 idyllic location to live life as a leaf. According to the Hawaiian Dictionary, Makaleha translates to “look about in wonder or admiration” (Pukui and Elbert, 1986). This area is a tropical wonderland of green lush landscape, due to the exceptional amount of rain it receives and the humidity hanging in the air; an ideal climate to grow tobacco.

Pilgrimage to Blair Estate

When it is time to harvest, farmers trek through the long, tall rows and pick the bottom leaves of the plant at their peak. Surprisingly, there are very few pests looming on the plants considering it is an all organic operation. The large green leaves, shaped like delicate elephant ears, are packed in crates and trucked about a mile up the road to Blair Estate. Up to twelve thousand plants can be harvested in one week. The stacks of leaves are then handed over to the staff ready to string and hang.

Strung and Hung

Tobacco being loaded into the curing barn.

Long wooden poles with yellow ribbon attached to stands are the innovative yet simple tools and equipment used for stringing tobacco. The leaves are skillfully strung on the ribbon and then hung in a dark barn where the temperature is carefully regulated. Similar to stringing a lei or garland of flowers, it requires a delicate hand and patience. Once the leaves are hung high in multiple rows in the barn, Les explained that the first seven to ten days are when the color sets from green to yellow to brown. The entire curing process takes weeks, however. “Tobacco is a magical, interesting plant, getting it to cure right,” Les explained, as it needs the right amount of moisture and heat.

Metamorphosis into a Kaua’i Cigar

Once the thousands of what were once billowy soft green leaves are finally dried, shrunken and browned and have cured properly, they are packaged in boxes and sent to Nicaragua to be expertly rolled into Kaua’i Cigars. Then they are shipped back in handmade wooden boxes and are ready to be savored in different blends and sizes. In addition to the popular Island Prince and Hawai’i Vintage cigars, soon joining the Kaua’i Cigar family is the Makaleha cigar, its name giving homage to the plant’s original home. When I drive over the little wooden bridge in Kapahi now and pass the crop of new, not yet picked tobacco, I smile, knowing the long journey the little leaves have in front of them.

February 7, 2011

Coffee Berry Borer www.hawaii.gov

What’s Bugging Kona Coffee?

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 climates of the South Kona district. Out of 77 farms surveyed on Hawai`i Island, 21 tested positive for CBB. The farm in south Kona that initially discovered CBB has about 60% damage to their crop.

On December 22, 2010, two quarantine zones were established on Hawai`i Island to “prevent and slow the spread of the Coffee Berry Borer,” between islands, according to HDOA’s website. The first zone includes southern Kona from Kaloko to Manuka State park; the second encompasses the Island of Hawai`i.

Heat-treating or, yellow roasting will kill beetles, but can spoil the flavor. “What we’re selling is a gourmet coffee. It’s a coffee that is as perfect as it can be. Once you take a coffee bean and pre roast it, the coffee quality goes down. It’s a nonstarter as far as we’re concerned,” says Bill Smith of Smithfarms and the Chair of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association’s CBB Committee.

A number of farmers believe the beetle has been in Kona for fifteen years and has been stabilized by the Beauvaria bassiana fungus. According to the Kona Coffee Farmers Association’s (KCFA) website, “B. bassiana is a naturally occurring soil fungus that is drawn into the coffee trees’ tissue by the presence of the CBB.”

Farmers are optimistic about the fungus that normally thrives in the lush hills of Kona. “The cool thing about the fungus is if it gets established in the trees, it kills the beetle. And, it stays in the tissue of the trees from year to year,” says Melanie Bondera of Kanalani Farm.

One theory for the CBB’s outbreak is the drought in 2009. “Last year we had our historical drought, and we don’t know if that’s the cause but suspect it might be,” says Smith who agrees that the beetle has been in Kona for a number of years.

Farmers are investigating the successful strategies of their overseas competitors. “I found the fungus on my farm last August, after we first heard about it. I researched what organic farmers are doing internationally, and the fungus is a big deal,” says Bondera whose extensive research on the fungus can be found on KCFA’s website.

Worldwide sustainable measures include installing red colored traps, removing any “dead” coffee beans from the plant and checking every berry before processing.

Blair Estate ripe coffee cherries.

When processing coffee cherries, the first step is to remove the red skin. This exposes the fruit’s mucilage. Soaking the beans up to twenty-four hours in water removes the sugar so green beans can be stored. Usually, damaged beans float making for easy removal. “We take all the floaters out, but the CBB stuff isn’t just floating, it’s also sinking. So we have to eyeball it,” says Bondera.

HDOA posted an extensive review on the CBB and states, “The coffee berry borer…is the most serious pest of the world’s most valuable tropical export crop.” It goes on to say that CBB “…causes serious economic losses and affects more than 20 million rural families in the world.”

On November 16, 2010, Kona coffee farmers submitted a resolution to the Hawaii legislature requesting emergency government funding to “mitigate the damage from the Coffee Berry Borer to Kona coffee,” according to the KCFA website. The request is still waiting for approval.

Coffee farmers have survived Kona’s long and turbulent history, and the consensus is the CBB isn’t going to shut them down now. “Every coffee producing country in the world has CBB, perhaps for as long as 100 years. Not one of those coffee producing areas quit,” says Smith. “I’m very optimistic, we’ll learn how to manage it.”

http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/coffee-berry-borer-folder/coffee-berry-borer-information-page

http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org/CBB.Bondera.htm

January 7, 2011

An experienced coffee picker being very selective with her harvest.

A superior cup of Kona coffee starts with perfectly ripe hand picked coffee cherries. Kona coffee farmers invest in this time consuming and labor intensive technique of hand picking to insure the smooth, clean and sweet flavor profile Kona coffee is famous for, thus ranking it top among the world’s specialty coffee market.

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. Inferior cherries and extraneous organic material contribute to coffee that is bitter and off tasting. Hand selecting perfectly ripe coffee cherries is the only way to guarantee the world-renowned flavor of Kona coffee.

In an interview for the Discovery Channel’s How Stuff Works, Ric Rhinehart of the Specialty Coffee Association of America says, “Coffee is going to taste best if it’s picked when its ripe.” For the ultimate cup, Rhinehart says, “Good pickers have to be selective and pick coffee that’s just at the right stage of ripeness.”

In the late 1800s, many Japanese immigrants helped pioneer a flailing Kona coffee industry. Unable to overcome Kona’s rocky slopes with mechanical harvesters, sugar plantation owners relocated to flatter terrain. Out-of-work entrepreneurial plantation workers leased land from the retreating European landowners and helped to create the quality standards Kona coffee now enjoys.

Historic photo of a coffee picker in Kona, Hawaii.

Since inferior beans were unacceptable and motorized farm equipment was impractical, Kona coffee farmers turned their hands to picking coffee. Back breaking work drove the determined newcomers courageous and independent spirit. Small family farmers soon took over the Kona coffee industry and make it what it is today.

Kona coffee berries begin emerald-green in color and slowly mature on the shady slopes of Mauna Loa, the world’s largest volcano; maturing from yellow to orange and finally bright, cherry-red before becoming a prime coffee cherry ready for harvesting.

Coffee cherries begin to ripen around the end of August and continue to ripen until about February. Harvesting prime coffee cherries in a systematic manner; each picker moves from tree to tree, row to row across the entire orchard. Coffee shrubs are meticulously picked four to six times in a single season.

Harvesters strap baskets to their waist when picking; these baskets can weigh up to 25 pounds before they empty them into 100 pound burlap bags. Bees, centipedes, spiders, wasps and other stinging insects add a creepy and sometimes dangerous element to a long day.

A typical coffee shrub produces about 25 pounds of cherries and an average coffee picker can collect about 100 pounds in a day. An exceptional picker will harvest 400 pounds in a particularly abundant season.

With the recent infiltration of the Coffee Berry Borer, government recommendations have quadrupled the Kona coffee farmers workload. Officials suggest picking coffee cherries at weekly intervals to eliminate the spread and re-infestation of the devastating pest.

The time consuming nature of carefully selecting and hand picking perfectly ripe coffee cherries, Kona’s craggy mountainsides and a long harvest season make Kona coffee one of the most labor intensive agricultural industries in the world.

Extraordinary coffee begins by taking extraordinary measures. Hand picking Kona coffee protects its unique flavor profile; intensifying the flavors and bringing you a cup of 100% pure Kona.