The Summertime Table
Smashed Potatoes with Swiss Chard Chimichurri By Brittany P. Anderson With her hands full of fiery red, bubble gum pink, and blazing yellow Swiss chard, Maria Shirley smiles revealing deep dimples in each of her cheeks. It is no small…
The Joys of the Season
By Sonia R. Martinez From Thanksgiving until the end of December is the perfect time of year to open your home for entertaining. Your house will be showing its best side by already being decorated and ready for the festive…
Edible Bamboo
By Sonia R. Martinez Bamboo is a grass. That was news to me. I knew you could eat the bamboo shoots or young canes, as I had eaten the canned varieties many times, however, I did not know what to…
The Pause that Refreshes
By Sonia R. Martinez Living in a tropical climate where fruit is abundant year-round and temperatures usually do not vary more than 5 or 10 degrees either side of 75°F, it is very refreshing to turn to “aguas frescas; fruit…
Keiki in the Kitchen
By Sonia R. Martinez Have any of you seen Master Chef Junior on TV? No? Well…if you have children at home, you should! Keiki (children) between the ages of eight–13 compete in a series of cook-offs in this fascinating series.…
Yuca
By Sonia R. Martinez The Manihot esculenta, or yuca plant (you-kah)—yuca with one c and not to be confused with the American Southwest yucca plant from the agave family)—is a tropical perennial and better known in some areas as cassava…
Yacón
The yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius), a tuberous root that grows similar to jicama, is distantly related to the Jerusalem artichoke and a member of the sunflower family. It is a species of herbaceous perennial daisy originally found in the South American…
Chayote—A Different Kind of Squash
By Sonia R. Martinez The chayote (Sechium edule) also known as mirliton, vegetable pear, hayato-uri (Japanese), pipinola, or chocho, has many names all over the world. Pronounced cha-YOH-tey, the pear-like vegetable is a member of the Cucurbitaceae, or gourd family,…
The IncrEdible Coconut
By Sonia R. Martinez Coconuts have been cultivated for so long and become so naturalized on tropical shores all around the world that the origins are unknown. The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is one of the most useful tree species…
The Mighty Guava
By Sonia R. Martinez Guavas (Psidium guajava) are one of those fruits that everyone living in Hawai‘i knows and loves, and yet sort of takes for granted. Loaded with more vitamin C than any citrus, one medium guava can provide…
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…
Coffee Time
By Sonia R. Martinez Hawai‘i Island has been known for coffee for many years, and in the last 10 or so, several ‘new’ areas of our island have become award-winning coffee growing regions. Our island is also growing vanilla beans…
Passionately Yours: Liliko‘i
By Sonia R. Martinez There are many varieties of Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis), or as we know it in the islands, liliko‘i. The most commonly used in Hawai‘i is the yellow fruit (flavicarpa). A less common variety also seen in…
Bok Choy
By Sonia R. Martinez Bok choy (Chinese cabbage or pak choi as it is sometimes called) is one of those veggies we are able to find year-round in most of our island farmers markets. Brassica chinensis, the scientific name of…
Chocolate: Food of the Gods
By Sonia R. Martinez One of the perks of living in Hawai‘i is we can grow our own chocolate. Yes! Chocolate is made from cacao, and cacao trees grow very well on our island paradise. When strolling through the farmers…
The Pineapple: A Symbol of Hospitality
By Sonia R. Martinez Although the pineapple has long been associated with Hawai‘i, they are actually recent malihini (of foreign origin) residents of the islands. Pineapples (Anana comosus) are thought to have originated in Paraguay or Brazil and were used…
Island Tropical Fruitcake
By Sonia R. Martinez Fruit cake (or fruitcake) is traditionally a dark and dense cake made with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices, and usually wrapped in linen and soaked in spirits for several weeks. Comedians have made fun of…
The Avocado
By Sonia R. Martinez As you visit the different farmers markets around the island, you will find avocadoes being sold in all of them during season. This is because although Kona’s terrain is known to be suited best for growing…
Mangoes
By Sonia R. Martinez The mango (Mangifera indica), a native of Southeast Asia and India is a member of the Anacardiaceae family, which includes cashews, pistachios, poison ivy, and poison oak. The tree was transported to the Philippines and other Pacific…
Ginger
By Sonia R. Martinez If I had to guess what item is bought most often at any of our Hawai‘i Island farmer’s markets, I would say, fresh ginger. Although edible ginger (Zingiber officionale) is found today growing in many tropical…
Ka Puana–The Refrain: Island Naturals Cookbook
This book can be found at: Island Naturals Hilo Island Naturals Kona Island Naturals Pahoa Basically Books Book Gallery Hilo Big Island BookBuyers Kona Stories Waimea General Store Seaweed Salad If you aren’t eating seaweeds, you are missing out on…
Heart of Palm
By Sonia R. Martinez One item often missing in most farmers’ markets is the heart of palm, so when you find it, it’s like striking gold. You can harvest heart of palm from any kind of palm tree, including the…
Warabi—Fiddlehead Ferns
By Sonia R. Martinez Whether you know them as warabi (Japanese), ho‘i‘o (Hawaiian) or ostrich fern (most of the mainland), the fiddlehead ferns are the young, edible, tightly coiled shoots of the fern that resemble the end of a violin…
Taro, ‘Ohana and Jerry Konanui
By Marya Mann Lau or Lū’au ~ Leaf Turning over a new leaf this magical year of 2012? Think of making that a taro leaf. For a taste of the divine, simmer it into a soothing soup with coconut cream…
A Breadfruit Lunch with Chef Olelo Pa‘a: Love for the Land Sparks Joyful Cooking
By Fern Gavelek Olelo pa‘a Faith Ogawa respects and loves the land through the preparation and celebration of food. The private chef and food educator, who prepares meals for Fortune 500 executives and celebrities, will participate in the Breadfruit Festival–Ho’oulu…
A Vegan Evolution: 40 Years without Meat
By Cynthia Sweeney It’s easy to dismiss peace of mind and peace on planet Earth as utopian ideals. However, a visit with our vegan friends, with 40 years of a truly peaceful lifestyle under their belts, gives us tangible proof…
Kukui Nut Oil for Beautiful, Healthy Skin
By Barbara Fahs Polynesians of yesterday and today have beautiful skin. This could be due to their use of the oil from our state tree, the kukui, which their ancestors introduced to Hawai‘i around 1600 A.D. Kukui trees and the…
Healthful, Tasty Recipes Using Noni (Yes, really!)
By Barbara Fahs Noni is hot. People pay big bucks for a jar of the juice, believed to be a cure for cancer, helpful for chronic respiratory conditions such as tuberculosis, influenza, asthma, coughs, colds, sinusitis and sore throat. It…