The Holualoa Village Association presented its 2nd annual Summer Farmfest & 'Ukulele Jam on June 19th, 2010. The celebration featured over two dozen local food purveyors who offered samples and sales of Hawai’i Island local food bounty along with local music in the historic upcountry village.

The primary food products from Colocasia taro throughout much of the Pacific islands for both subsistence and commercial purposes include: corm, leaves, and petiole, which can be prepared in a number of ways. The corm is boiled in water, baked, fried, or steamed in underground earth ovens (known in various languages as imu, umu, um, and lovo). The leaves and petioles are often boiled and served as a kind of spinach.

Aloha!

Hot off the heels of last Saturday's Holualoa Summer Farmfest & 'Ukulele Jam, we are excited to see how local food is gradually being emphasized in our communities. The Farmfest featured homegrown food from a wide range of local producers and restaurants (see story), and similar happenings are taking place around the island.

The Farmers Market at The Hilo Coffee Mill has the distinction of being the only farmers market found on a working farm in East Hawai’i. The market grounds are graced by the farm’s collection of chickens, milling around and scavenging for treats, while visitors shop, eat breakfast and enjoy live entertainment.

Located on 24 acres, The Hilo Coffee Mill farm’s beautifully landscaped property consists of several acres planted in coffee and tea as well as fruit trees; gardens featuring native plants and some non-native ornamentals; chicken coops; a drying shed and the farm’s coffee roasting building; and the central building which houses a café, coffee tasting bar and gift shop.

Have you ever wondered how the next generations will learn about where their food comes from? Or who will teach our kids how to grow their own food? Did you think that perhaps parents and families would teach their children these things? Think again: all evidence demonstrates that over the past century fewer and fewer parents even know where their food comes from or what a healthy diet is, let alone how to grow a backyard vegetable garden.

Aloha!

With the rains back over most of the island, it's time to get growing again! Check out upcoming gardening and summer solstice celebrations in the events calendar below. You can find a comprehensive calendar that is updated in real-time at the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network web site. With Sonia Martinez' help, the Farmers' Market and Community Supported Agriculture page is also continuously updated!