Medicinal Plants from the Garden—Lemongrass: A Hawai‘i Island Garden Staple
By Brittany P. Anderson Bowls of creamy red curry teeming with chunks of kabocha squash, eggplant, and green beans quickly leave the kitchen. The cook expertly ladles from an oversized pot, choosing the perfect amount of vegetables and broth while…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden – Calendula: An Herb for Wise Women
By Brittany P. Anderson The midwife holds a clear bag of dried herbs over a large box. The box is filled with supplies in preparation for the impending birth. She explains each item contained within the homebirth kit to the…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden: Tulsi, the Queen of Herbs
By Brittany P. Anderson “Ooh, what is this? Is it mint or basil or?” a farm visitor asks after brushing against the mystery herb. “That’s tulsi, holy basil,” I exclaim while rustling the leaves again, sending the perfumey aroma into…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden: Unlock the Healing and Cleansing Power of Lemon
By Brittany P. Anderson A young boy reaches his hand into a branch of shiny green foliage, palming a bright yellow, slightly oblong fruit. The tree sways as he tugs to release the object of his desire. Bringing his hand…
Ipu Stories—From Seed to Stage
By Nancy S. Kahalewai There are few things as unique as the feel, shape, sound, texture, decoration, source, and even lineage of a Hawaiian ipu drum. Pahu (drums) are part of the bedrock of traditional Hawaiian hula traditions, dancing, and…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden: The Comfort of Comfrey
By Brittany P. Anderson Green lance-shaped leaves fall over themselves in compact clusters, with a fuzz about them like a clump of rabbit ears waiting to be pet. The leaves are coarse to the touch, while purple bell flowers dangle…
Students Learn, Grow Food, Eat at School Culinary Gardens
By Fern Gavelek Itʻs all about “connecting the dots to textbooks while making learning delicious.” That’s how Patti Cook, community development director of Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School, describes the Māla‘ai Culinary Garden. Started in 2003 through a community…
Big Impact, Small Footprint: Urban Farming on Hawai‘i Island
By Brittany P. Anderson Most people envision Hawai‘i as a place to get away from city life, slow down, and reconnect with the land. But, according to US Census data, almost 92% of Hawai‘i State’s population lives in urban areas.…
Back to the ‘Āina: Strengthening Hawai‘i Island’s Food System
By Brittany P. Anderson The afternoon heat hangs heavy over the field. Two farmers continue their work seemingly unaffected by the weather. Arms and legs bundled up to avoid being burned by the sun, they pluck beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes…
Growing a Sustainable Future on Hawai‘i Island
By Stefan Verbano David Reppun walks barefoot along the mounded rows of taro. He stops at a full-grown hedge of the broad-leafed Polynesian staple, announces its variety name, and leans into the mass of green, selecting a stem and bending…
The Cultivating Life: Agroforestry Expert Craig Elevitch
By Brittany P. Anderson A cool breeze runs through the dense forests of Hōlualoa, perched on the slope of Hualālai Volcano in North Kona. Here, the woods are brimming with avocado, ‘ulu (breadfruit), macadamia nut, coffee, and fruit trees. Once…
Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden: One Woman’s Vision to Preserve Hawaiian Heritage
By Lara Hughes The Vision Amy Beatrice Holdsworth Greenwell was a woman with ideas beyond her time. As it goes, when one has a vision, itʻs essential to have help from others to carry it forward into the future. Amy…
Mālama Mokupuni–Caring for Our Island Environment: A Walk through a Home Food Forest
By Rachel Laderman Stepping onto the narrow path of a food forest, the first thing you notice is the cool, quiet peacefulness. In the dappled shade, you see a variety of leaf forms, textures, and colors—dancing oval katuk (sweet leaf…
Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers: Cultivating Successful Farmers to Feed Our Island
By Fern Gavelek Growing fruit in Hawai‘i to feed our island is one thing. Growing farmers to do it successfully is another. The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) does both. The statewide nonprofit was founded in 1989 and boasts more…
Tropical Edibles: Dreaming of an Island Eden
By Lara Hughes The Dream On the mauka (mountain) side of the Māmalahoa Highway on the slopes where Hualālai and Maunaloa meet overlooking Kealakekua Bay, you can find a garden vision brought to fruition. Hailing from different places around the…
The Compost King of Hilo UrbFarm
By Brittany P. Anderson As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and this couldn’t be more true for Michael Pierron, founder of Hilo UrbFarm, as he spins organic waste into garden gold. The Hilo UrbFarm, founded…
Hāmākua Harvest: Bridging Community and Agriculture
By Britni Schock Hāmākua Harvest’s mission is to promote and advance Hāmākua agriculture by supporting local farmers, enriching the region’s social fabric, and promoting healthy rural lifestyles for the benefit of Hāmākua’s communities, economy, and environment. Located just off Māmalahoa…
Lessons from the Garden
By Jan Wizinowich The Hawaiʽi Island School Garden Network (HISGN) was created in 2007 through The Kohala Center as a way to promote garden education and food sustainability practices. As the network grew, educators began to realize the potential for…
Island Stowaways: Invasive Pests on Hawai’i Island
By Brittany P. Anderson Born from fire, Hawai‘i Island sprang from the bottom of the ocean. Cooling lava breached the surface of the sea, and our island was born. Plants and animals traveled thousands of miles to reach the new…
Edible Flower Power: A Recipe for Floral Ice Cubes
By Brittany P. Anderson My puppy, Ku‘u Lei, bounds around the backyard plucking flowers from their branches, then playfully running about with flowers in his mouth like a little prince. He only drops the flowers to chew on their petals.…
Composting At Home: Treasure in the Trash
By Barbara Fahs One autumn day in 1971, a young woman was busily building a compost pile alongside her new home. Two little girls, eight and nine, wandered by and asked what she was doing. “Well, I’m making a place…
Healing Plants: Lau Kahi, an All-Around Helpful “Weed”
By Barbara Fahs If you have a lawn, a pasture, or garden beds, you have probably mowed, weed whacked, or pulled out lau kahi. Commonly called plantain, this small broadleaf herb has no relationship to the plantains we know as…
Healing Plants – ‘Uhaloa: Wonderful Weed is Useful for Many Ailments
By Barbara Fahs Residents in lower elevations on all Hawaiian Islands might have noticed a grey-green plant growing in seemingly impossible places on their properties. The plant is not especially attractive, so many people remove it from their carefully designed…
E Ala o Mahi‘ai: The Way of the Farmer
By John J. Boyle Here at a crossroads of two cultures—one immediately challenged by serious food needs and another steeped in a culture of sustainability in exclusion—it is understood that the foods the first Polynesians brought with them on their…
Healing Plants: Pohe Kula
A small wild plant you want to remember By Barbara Fahs Having trouble remembering things? Perhaps you have taken Ginkgo biloba, a popular herbal supplement that is available at health food stores and pharmacies in easy-to-take capsule form. The website…
What the World Needs Now: Peace, Harmony, and Love, Sweet Love
By Margaret Kearns Sacred lands, historical treasures cherished and protected by the people of Hawai‘i, exist throughout the island chain. All possess special mana (power or energy) and some much more than others. On Hawai‘i Island, one such place is…
Community Supported Agriculture Grows Up on Hawai‘i Island
By Cynthia Sweeney Each Thursday, Lark and Steve Willey pack up their specially outfitted van with boxes of freshly picked spinach, beets, leeks, mushrooms, and other seasonal fruits and vegetables from their farm in Waimea, and deliver them door-to-door. In…
Grace Under Stress: Kona Orchid Society
By Catherine Tarleton Older than the volcano, with roots in dinosaur days, orchids were alive and well as far back as 80 million years ago, according to the Harvard biologist who managed to date fossilized pollen from a now-extinct bee…
Getting Back to Hawaiian Roots: Perpetuate Native Culture With Your Landscaping
By Denise Laitinen When you think about landscaping your yard, your thoughts are probably along the lines of what plants will look pretty, what will grow, and how easy it will be to maintain. You’re probably not thinking about perpetuating…
There’s Help for Orchid Brown Thumbs: Hilo Orchid Societyʻs Mission to Help Everyone Grow Orchids
By Denise Laitinen Julie Goettsch wants to set the record straight. The president of the Hilo Orchid Society (HOS) wants people to know that growing orchids isn’t complicated or difficult to do, especially here on an island known as the…
