Event News Hawaii

Meet Food Producers, Learn About Ag At Taste’s Daytime Agriculture Festival

August 13, 2018 By Taste of the Hawaiian Range

Members of the 2018 East Hawaii Master Gardens class will serve as plant doctors during Taste’s inaugural daytime ag festival.

Find out what’s “bugging” your garden plant and how to attract pollinating bees. Sample and purchase locally made products like honey, mamaki, beef jerky and ‘ulu (breadfruit) hummus. Watch poi being pounded and learn about the latest agricultural research happening on our island. Meet the agencies and organizations that can help you start farming.

All this and more—including a 4-H livestock display—can be enjoyed at the free daytime agriculture festival as part of Taste of the Hawaiian Range. Time is 9 a.m-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29 at the YMCA Minuke Ole Park behind Parker Ranch Center in Waimea. The outdoor inaugural event will also offer sales of food and drink. Indoor educational presentations—including an invasive species exhibit– will run concurrently at the adjacent Mana Christian ‘Ohana classroom complex.

Bring Your Plant to the Doctor

Get the scoop on what’s bugging your plants at the East Hawai‘i Master Gardener booth located under Taste’s big exhibit tent. Plant, insect and disease diagnosis will be done with the naked eye and with a microscope with a monitor. Master gardener volunteers have completed a 12-week, 40-hour course on topics relating to Hawai‘i gardening and agriculture.

Attendees wishing to get a diagnosis should bring in their sample in a Ziplock bag and any carried insect should have been in the freezer overnight. Volunteers can identify thrips, fire ants and other insects. For more info on the local master gardener’s program, an offering of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s College of tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR), visit https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/uhmg/.

It’s a Veggie and a Fruit!

‘Ulu, or breadfruit, is being distributed fresh or processed as steamed-frozen by the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative. The Kona co-op’s ‘ulu hummus and mousse will be available at Taste. Photo courtesy Hawai‘i Ulu Cooperative.

Versatile and full of flavor, ‘ulu or breadfruit is now commercially available year-round thanks to the 40-member Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative headquartered in Honalo-Kona. Founded in August 2016, the co-op will have a vendor booth during Taste to sample and sell its tasty varieties of breadfruit hummus and mousse.

In addition to these ready-to-eat products, the co-op provides fresh or processed—as steamed- frozen—‘ulu for the culinary industry. Depending on the degree of ripeness, ‘ulu can be used as a firm and starchy veggie or as a soft and sweet banana. The co-op also offers a Baby Ulu product that can be cooked and marinated like an artichoke heart.

As harvest volume increases, the co-op hopes to sell frozen ‘ulu in local grocery stores. The goal is to have the one-pound bags in your favorite freezer section by late 2019. According to manager Dana Shapiro, a USDA farm grant is helping the co-op supply statewide public schools with ‘ulu this October. “The grant also has an educational component allowing us to develop recipes for local food service directors and to work with school garden teachers to develop curriculum materials and student tours,” Shapiro details.

Help Your Garden by Attracting Bees

See samples of easy-to-make bee “hotels,” to attract the insects to your landscape, at the UH-CTAHR Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences booth. Photo courtesy UH-CTAHR.

Pollination is key for a productive garden and blooming flowers. Dr. Chrissy Mogren, assistant researcher of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at UH Manoa-CTAHR, will show attendees how to attract bees during Taste’s daytime agriculture fest.

According to Dr. Mogren, there are two types of bees: social bees, which live in colonies, such as honey bees, and solitary bees. The more passive, solitary bee makes her own nest and provisions it with pollen. In Hawai‘i, solitary bees are found at elevations below 1,500 feet.

The educational booth will offer handouts on how to construct an easy-to-make bee “hotel” for solitary bees close to where you need plants pollinated. It could be as simple as drilling holes into a fallen and discarded branch and as complicated as building and decorating an artsy box that resembles a fancy resort. The booth will also have info on native and non-native insectary plants that attract beneficial insects to the garden. Dr. Mogren will display specimens of honey bee life cycles and samples of bee houses.

Poi-fect Business

Jim Cain of King LauLau Brand Poi pounds taro at a past Taste of the Hawaiian Range gala.

Watch poi being pounded, enjoy samples and purchase poi and sweet kulolo— a caramelized taro and coconut cream dessert—at the King LauLau Brand Poi booth at this year’s Taste. Owned and operated for over 20 years by Jim and Gretchen Cain, King LauLau processes Waipi’o Valley-grown poi for the Big Island community.

The Cains farm their taro in Waipi‘o Valley, where they have their home, and process it every Thursday in Honoka‘a town. The fresh poi is sold for $5 a pound at a variety of island wide outlets: the Kai Store behind Puainako KTA in Hilo, the Hilo Farmers Market, Poke to Your Taste in Hilo, Mt. View Propane & Café and Handsome Donnie’s truck stand in Kainaliu on Fridays. King LauLau Brand Poi also graces the lu‘au and buffets at the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and the Royal Kona Resort.

“The reason we got into farming taro is we wanted to connect and live in Waipio and growing taro is the root of Waipi‘o,” shares Jim. “We are fortunate to be able to do that and make a living. We followed a blueprint from other farmers and opened a processing arm of the business and now also process taro from others.”

Jim adds, “We’ve learned from Waipi‘o kupuna that if you take care of the land, it will take care of you and the land will be better for the next person. People have been farming taro in Waipio for centuries.”

Need Farm Aid—Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Farm Service Agency offers producers a strong safety net through the administration of farm commodity and disaster programs. Photo courtesy FSA.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) serves farmers, ranchers and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs. Stop by the FSA educational booth to visit with staff from the Hawai‘i County office to learn more about its programs and loans.

The agency offers producers a strong safety net through the administration of farm commodity and disaster programs. FSA continues to conserve natural resources and provides credit to agricultural producers who are unable to receive private, commercial credit—including special emphasis on beginning, underserved and women farmers and ranchers.

FSA’s disaster assistance programs have helped many Hawai‘i producers with recovery efforts following natural disasters. Learn more about protecting non-insurable crops before disasters strike.

Take time to visit with FSA’s farm loan team. FSA has a variety of loans to fit agricultural needs, including farm ownership and operating loans. The agency offers Microloans, which serve the unique financial operating needs of new, niche and small-to-mid-sized family farm operations. Microloans offer more flexible access to credit and feature a simpler application process. FSA also offers Youth Loans of up to $5,000 to individuals aged 10 to 20 to finance income-producing, agriculture projects through programs like 4-H.

4-H Exhibits Livestock at Taste’s Inaugural Daytime Ag Festival, Hawai‘i Clubs Mark Centennial in 2018

July 24, 2018 By Taste of the Hawaiian Range

At 4-H livestock shows, keiki are judged on the quality of their animals and their showmanship skills.

Taste of the Hawaiian Range debuts a daytime agriculture festival before this year’s Taste gala and the island’s 4-H are exhibiting an educational livestock display 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29. Attendees can view a variety of farm animals—such as cows, sheep, goats and pigs—during the outdoor festival at the YMCA Minuke Ole Park behind Parker Ranch Center in Waimea. Informational signs will explain how each animal is used to help feed our island.

This year marks a century of 4-H in Hawaii; the state’s first 4-H livestock club opened in 1918. A program of the University of Hawai‘i’s Cooperative Extension Service, The Hawaii State 4-H Program is guided by the three, national 4-H mandates of healthy living, science and citizenship. 4-H stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health for Life! On the Big Isle, there are nearly 20 4-H clubs and each focuses on a choice of interest and projects.

Big Isle’s 4-H Livestock Clubs

A youth hopes to raise the largest bushel gourd for this year’s 4-H Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest in Hilo.

The 4-H livestock program provides youths aged 5-18 with hands-on learning opportunities by raising and training livestock. Participants learn humane animal husbandry skills and record-keeping. Students are responsible for the financial planning of their project, plus the daily care, feeding and training of their project animals.

“4-H assists our young people in developing important life skills while working on economically valuable, hands-on projects,” notes Michelle Galimba of Kuahiwi Ranch and 4-H Livestock Association chairperson. “We must strongly support agricultural education and experiences for our young people if we are to increase Hawai‘i’s food sustainability.”

The Big Island has four livestock clubs: the Country Clovers, the Hilo Rain Makers, Ka’u Livestock and Hamakua Livestock.

Beyond 4-H Livestock

Island fourth graders worked with USDA-Pacific Basic Agricultural Research Center to learn how to determine flower color during 4-H’s AGventure programs.

Hawai‘i 4-H clubs offer youth a variety of different project opportunities. Based on location, club interests could involve cooking and sewing skills, gardening, robotics, history, shooting sports like rifle and archery, and agricultural travel. Youth explore their interests through fun, engaging, hands-on learning experiences led by mentors/leaders.

“Each club chooses projects based on what they want to learn and be involved in,” says Joan Chong, extension coordinator based out of Kainaliu-Kona. There are also Big Isle clubs focusing on specific interests besides livestock, including the Kohala 4-H Horse Club, the Paradise Pups (dogs) and the Hawai‘i Island 4H Shooting Sports Club. Clubs choose their own names too, like the Mauka Stars, the Busy Bee Buddies, the Creative Explorers, Na Honu and the 4-H Exchange. While 4-H is open to youth aged 5-18, the 4-H Cloverbud program is geared to children ages 5-8.

As a community service project, members of the 4-H Paradise Pups Club help feed, exercise and care for dogs who recently lost their home during Kilauea’s advance along the Big Isle’s Southwest Rift Zone.

All activities provide learn-by-doing experiences and often involve leadership and community service. For example, Kona’s Fire Nation 4-H Club has been involved with a gardening service project to benefit the homeless community. Club leader Janice Blaber says club members, which are primarily middle school students at Kona-area schools, created 10 garden beds in May for Hale Kikaha, the homeless service center in Kailua-Kona. To raise funds to purchase soil and seeds to complete the project, club members had a July pop-up shop, selling bakery goods and handmade jewelry. The club details the project at https://may19gardenbuild.weebly.com.

Based out of Hilo, Becky Settlage is the UH at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources county extension service 4-H agent for youth development and livestock. She says a current 4-H project is a Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest that culminates September 22 at the Hawai‘i County Fair in Hilo. 4-Hers are hoping to produce the largest sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon and other food plants of their choice. “The contest is science-based and encourages agriculture, which is important for food sustainability,” notes Settlage. “It gets kids outside and moving.”

4-Hers learn how to make personal size pizzas in an outdoor brick oven at Kilauea Military Camp.

In an effort to teach and excite youth about Hawai‘i agriculture and career opportunities, 4-H bused East Hawai‘i fourth graders to Hilo’s Sangha Hall to interact with volunteers from local ag organizations, agencies and commodity groups. A county grant funded these five recent AGventure programs and they reached over 1300 students. “AGventures was a great program,” notes Settlage.

She adds, “There are many benefits of 4-H. Kids learn valuable life skills and it’s a great way to meet people, team up and have fun.”

Want to Join 4-H?

The new 4-H year starts statewide on October 1. For more info on the Big Isle’s 4-H opportunities and to enroll, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu/ctahr/4h/. Hawai‘i Island contacts are Settlage at 969-8213 in East Hawai‘i and Chong at 322-0164 in West Hawai‘i.

Photos by Becky Settlage

Video Demos How to Dress an Animal for Market, Discusses Product Valuation for Chefs

February 15, 2017 By Taste of the Hawaiian Range

Educational Workshop with Drs. Dale Woerner and Keith Belk from Colorado State University.

The annual educational seminar for food service professionals and culinary students at the 2016 Taste of the Hawaiian Range featured “Beef Carcass Butchering and Product Valuation” by Drs. Dale Woerner and Keith Belk of Colorado State University. The 1.5-hour, free presentation is conveniently available for viewing in five video segments on this blog page.

The seminar illustrates and describes how a half-beef carcass—the chuck and round primals—are butchered into products while the characteristic of each product is shared. The presenters also detail how to best utilize the primals to get the most value from the animal carcass.

Chuck products covered include brisket; flank, skirt and flat iron steaks; short ribs and new, innovative cuts like the clod heart or ranch steak. Lean and similar in consistency to a sirloin, the clod heart steak is sourced from the front leg of the steer and is a flavorful, inexpensive cut.

In addition to sharing details about the round primal, the presentation delves into factors influencing the overall desirability of beef and tips to best achieve them: tenderness, specific meat color, flavor and juiciness.

Dr. Belk is the Monfort Endowed Chair in Meat Science at the Center for Meat Safety & Quality, and has been a buyer for Safeway and the Colorado State Meat Extension Specialist. An associate professor, Dr. Woerner is an expert in fresh meat quality, pre-harvest management of beef for quality meat production, meat cookery, instrument assessment of meat products, fresh meat shelf life and innovative carcass fabrication.

For more inspiring beef innovation ideas, visit www.beefinnovationsgroup.com.

Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival provides a venue for sustainable agricultural education, plus encouragement and support of locally produced ag products.

Parts 1-5.

Chuck Cuts: TOHR Butcher Segment 1 from Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Vimeo.

Chuck Cuts: TOHR Butcher Segment 2 from Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Vimeo.

Chuck Cuts: TOHR Butcher Segment 3 from Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Vimeo.

Chuck Cuts: TOHR Butcher Segment 4 from Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Vimeo.

Round Cuts: TOHR Butcher Segment 5 from Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Vimeo.

Taste 2016 Diverts 96% of Waste from Landfill, Cooking 101 Recipes Posted

September 19, 2016 By Taste of the Hawaiian Range

Waste Diagram — Total wastes generated at 2016 Taste of the Hawaiian Range.
Credit: Courtesy Dr. Norman Arancon/UH-Hilo

Recycling efforts at the 2016 Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range diverted a whopping 1,456.3 pounds of waste from the landfill. A waste total of 1,513.79 pounds was generated with 96.2 percent of it diverted or “recovered” as compostables, mixed recyclables, HI-5 redemption and food waste that was distributed to local piggeries. The adjacent diagram shows the breakdown of total waste by pounds and percent.

Recycling Taste of the Hawaiian Range 2016 — Kanu O Ka ‘Aina students staffed the many waste stations.
Credit: Fern Gavelek

The County of Hawai’i spearheaded the massive Zero Waste effort, which was assisted by students at Kanu o Ka ‘Aina School. Honoka‘a Intermediate/High School and UH-Hilo. Dr. Norman Arancon of the University of Hawai‘i compiled the waste report and supervised the weighing of the waste.

The 21st annual event at Hilton Waikoloa Village proved to hundreds of attendees and participating culinarians that pasture-raised beef tastes good and can be used to make satisfying dishes. A wide variety of beef cuts —everything from tongue to tail—were assigned and prepared at 29 culinary stations, plus pork, lamb, mutton and goat.

Food at Taste of the Hawaiian Range 2016 — A wide variety of meat cuts were used to tantalize attendees.
Credit: Fern Gavelek

In addition, there were 40 product/educational displays. Some booths shared tastes of goodies, like honey and balsamic vinegar, while others offered compelling agricultural displays and informational handouts on topics like Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death.

Culinary student component

Sheraton Kona at Taste of the Hawaiian Range 2016 — One of several culinary stations positioned outdoors on the Lagoon Lanai was the Sheraton Kona.
Credit: Fern Gavelek

Hawai‘i Community College (HCC) culinary students from both East and West Hawai‘i helped chefs and product booths dish out thousands of tasty samples. They included 21 students and three instructors from West Hawai‘i and 52 students, six graduates and four instructors from East Hawai‘i.

Students also were assigned meat cuts to prepare and serve at their own culinary stations. Hilo students were assigned tripe and served Munudo. “It’s a Mexican stew that’s known as a hangover remedy,” smiled Brian Hirata, chef instructor of culinary arts in Hilo.

Food producer Hawaii Lassi of Akaml Foods offered a fruity yogurt drink.
Credit: Fern Gavelek

Those studying Asian cookery at HCC in Kona prepared Indian Lamb Curry while those in the European class concocted Lamb Shish-Ka-Bobs. Both schools also offered a selection of desserts, including the popular chocolate-dipped cookies by Chef Fernand Guiot’s Kona students.

Educational activities open to all

Luisa Castro of the UH-Hilo College of Continuing Education and Community Service shared info on class offerings such as food preservation.
Credit: Fern Gavelek

Pre-gala activities were geared to students and home cooks. The first was a live demonstration, “Beef Carcass Butchering and Product Valuation.” Dr. Dale Woerner and Dr. Keith Belk of Colorado State University showed how a half-beef carcass is butchered into products while sharing the characteristics of each. The well-received demonstration instructed future chefs and food service personnel how to best utilize the whole carcass of pasture-raised cattle. In addition, the presentation was of value to the home cook wanting to learn where beef cuts come from.

Cooking Pasture-Raised Beef 101 Recipes

Students at HCC-Hilo finish banana and chocolate chip cookies with a honey butter drizzle.

O’ahu chefs Kevin Hanney and J Schoonover of 12^th Ave Grill and Kokohead Cafe demonstrated how to use beef tongue and beef short ribs during Pasture-Raised Beef Cooking 101. Attendees enjoyed samples. Click on these links for their recipes: Red Wine Braised Paniolo Beef Tongue with Sweet Pepper Soffrito and Coconut-Braised Big Island Beef Shortribs. NEED these recipe names LINKED TO WEBSITE PLZ.

HawCC culinary students gather around the educational demo on beef butchering and product valuation.
Credit: Jeff Ikeda

Mahalo to the many others who helped make Taste a success! With a mission to provide a venue for sustainable agricultural education and support of locally produced ag products, Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range is rooted in small business participation, sponsorship and in-kind donations. Find a list of the 2016 supporters and participants, details on the Mealani Research Station—where Taste began—plus where to get grass-fed beef on the Big Isle AND recipes, at www.TasteoftheHawaiianRange.com.

Ten new exhibitors meet attendees at Taste

August 30, 2016 By Taste of the Hawaiian Range

Taste welcomes several new exhibitors—both educational and new food products— to the 2016 lineup of 30-some booths. They include Paradise Hawaii Balsamics, FarmWorks Hawaii, Orchid Isle Traders, Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death, Spicy Ninja Sauce, Beyond Organic Consulting, Hawaii Lassi-Akaml Foods, USDA Farm Service Agency, Waimea Butcher Shop and UH-CTAHR Veterinary Extension. We share what four of them are up to:

Orchid Isle Traders

Focusing on spices, flavors and value-added products by local food producers, veteran food journalist and cookbook author Sonia Martinez and retired engineer Kevan Kendrick have opened Orchid Isle Traders.

The product list ranges from kahili ginger-infused green tea to whole cloves, vanilla extract, naturally dried tropical fruits and locally made fruit butters. Some items are sold under the new Orchid Isle Traders brand.

“We buy local vanilla beans and make our own extract or sell a trio of ready-to-use beans,” shared Martinez, a Cuba native and co-owned of the former Akaka Falls Inn. “We also import items we can’t yet source locally but are valuable to culinarians.

The company’s mission is to create new connections between small Hawai‘i Island growers, processors and artisans, while creating a new, web-based outlet for markets beyond our shores.

Martinez shares Orchid Isle is “looking for local growers of cardamom, cumin and other select spices. Website is in the works, www.orchidisletraders.com.

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death

ohia — Cut trunk of an infected ‘oh‘ia showing the dark starburst-like staining pattern of the fungus around the outer ring of wood. The xylem or water-conducting cells are located in the outer ring.
Credit: J.B. Friday

ʻOhiʻa lehua is Hawaiʻi’s most abundant native tree and covers more than one million acres throughout the state. The tree is considered the backbone of our native forests, which are a source of fresh drinking and irrigation water. ʻOhiʻa forests are also highly important for forest cover, habitat for native animals and plants, aesthetic beauty, recreation and the perpetuation of Hawaiian cultural traditions.

Over the last half-decade, hundreds of thousands of ʻohiʻa trees across more than 34,000 acres on the Big Isle have been killed by a new disease, locally named Rapid ʻOhiʻa Death (ROD).

“Caused by a fungus called Ceratocystis fimbriata, the disease kills ʻohiʻa trees by destroying the water-conducting cells and preventing water from reaching the leaves,” says Corie Yanger, ROD Educational/Outreach Specialist at the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. “Once infected, crowns of entire trees turn yellow to brown and then die within days to weeks. Rapid ʻOhiʻa Death is still isolated to Hawaiʻi Island and help is needed to ensure it doesn’t spread.”

Yanger will share info and brochures at the ʻŌhiʻa Death table. Learn more at www.rapidohiadeath.org and engage with UH experts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rapidohiadeath.

Paradise Hawaii Balsamics
Independent Distributor of Hawaii Balsamics

Using top grade, 25-star Italian balsamic vinegar, Hawaii Balsamics creates 29 flavors of vinegar. Selections showcase isle ingredients like mango, guava, lilikoi and pineapple while others vinegars are infused with fig, ginger, espresso, grapefruit, white garlic and blackberry.

With the slogan “Taste the Wow,” company favorites include Garlic Cilantro and the Coconut Lime. The vinegars are also available for traveling in TSA-approved 100ml sizes.

“We combine the flavors of Italy and the Big Island,” says co-distributor Eden Patino.

Concocting the flavors is Tamar Gilson, Hawaii Balsamics owner, who came up with the product “to make salads more appealing.”

The line of vinegars is sold at the Maku‘u Farmers Market in Kea‘au, Hilo Farmers Market, Kapohokine Adventures in Hilo and online. Find recipes for using the vinegars—like Candied Bacon and Avocado Balsamic Toast— at www.paradise.hawaiibalsamics.com.

FarmWorks Hawaii

Have you just bought property and wonder what you can grow best at your new location? Need guidance choosing crop insurance or attaining organic certification? FarmWorks Hawaii can help.

Comprised of a team of four women, each with at least 10 years of agriculture experience, FarmWorks provides a range of consulting services covering a broad range of topics. Find out how to get a farm started or improve a working farm.

“After selling my farm, I decided I wanted to do some advising and so opened FarmWorks Hawaii,” shared Diana Duff, who writies a Sunday ag/gardening column in West Hawaii Today. She grew coffee, banana and salad greens on her farm. “I had so much experience, and enjoy helping others, so figured it would be a good fit.”

Others soon decided they had something to contribute and asked to join the mix. The team includes livestock and acquaculture expert Sara Moore; organic cacao farmer Melanie Bondera, who is experienced at grant writing, business plans, co-op forming and organic certification; and crop advisor Kathy Fleming, a landscape designer, coffee and tumeric farmer.

Launched nearly a year ago, FarmWorks can guide clients in securing USDA funding opportunities, working with other agricultural agencies and dealing with Kamehameha Schools. Get advice on including all kinds of livestock into your farm and how to find volunteer workers, interns or agricultural apprentices. For info, visit www.farmworkshawaii.com.

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