Keiki Garden and Grindz: Fruit Leather Recipe
By Brittany P. Anderson Some kids just don’t like vegetables. As the stepmother to a child who consistently picked tomatoes out of tomato sauce, I had to get creative. Hiding nutrient-rich veggies in smoothies, breads, and sweets was a weekly…
A Fabled Fruit Orchard and Apple Crisp Recipe
By Brittany P. Anderson Along the side of Maunakea in the Hilo Forest Reserve is an old orchard. Sitting at 6,000 feet elevation, the Keanakolu orchard, also called the Humu‘ula orchard, is a remnant of a bygone era. The twisted,…
The Gift of Trees: Hilo Nursery Arboretum
By Brittany P. Anderson In the heart of Hilo, between the old downtown and new city center, sits the Hilo Nursery Arboretum. As cars bustle along Kīlauea Avenue, a chicken shuttles her chicks to gather under the shade of one…
A Return to the ‘Āina: Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
By Brittany P. Anderson Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1985, making it the first national wildlife refuge to encompass rainforests since the program was established in 1908. The 33,000 acres running above Hakalau along Maunakea’s eastern side…
Local Food: Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Trail & Island Birder Trail Mix Recipe
By Brittany P. Anderson One of my favorite hikes on Hawai‘i Island is the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Trail, located off Saddle Road (Daniel Inouye Highway/Route 200) at the base of Maunaloa, between the 22 and 23 mile markers. The nearly 9-mile…
The Sweetest Mistake, with a Recipe for Pains de Macadamia
By Brittany P. Anderson Macadamia nut tree orchards are a common and welcoming sight on Hawai‘i Island. Many a summer afternoon I find a cool respite in the shade of their branches. Greedily, I’ve filled the pockets of my overalls…
Hawaiian Islands Land Trust: A Legacy of Land
By Brittany P. Anderson There is a place on Hawai‘i Island where clouds come down from the sky to walk amongst the trees. Noe kolo (creeping mist) overcomes the jungle as an ‘i‘iwi (scarlet honeycreeper) call rings out—its location masked…
A Taste of Hawai’i Island’s Vanilla Industry: Anything but Plain
By Brittany P. Anderson As the day’s first light sneaks over the horizon, a light green orchid blooms in a tangle of vines. A flurry of activity buzzes around the flower. With a swift hand, the orchid is pollinated, ready…
Cool for the Summer: Vanilla Lemonade Granita with Whipped Banana Cream
By Brittany P. Anderson Lemonade is the official drink of summer. When I was 11 years old, my sister and I briefly had a lemonade stand. We sold cups of lemonade during rush hour when cars were stopped in traffic on our street. She…
Local Food: The Gift of Kalo, with a Recipe for Taro Greens and Feta Phyllo Triangles
By Brittany P. Anderson Something stirs inside of me with each writing assignment, yet diving deep into kalo (taro) farming on Hawai‘i Island for this issue felt a little more profound. Waipi‘o Valley in its truest untamed form is a…
The Past is Present: Kalo Farming on Hawai‘i Island
By Brittany P. Anderson There is a story behind every plant on Hawai‘i Island. Sometimes it is a legend of betrayal, sometimes a voyage across the Pacific Ocean, or an accidental introduction to our island home. The tale of kalo…
Local Food: The Bounty of ‘Ulu
By Brittany P. Anderson There is something effortlessly regal about an ‘ulu (breadfruit) tree. The dark green leaves look like oversized hands gracefully waving in the breeze and the attractive trees’ towering size, up to 60 feet, give them a…
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…
For the Love of Cacao: Highlighting East Hawai‘i Cacao Farmers
By Brittany P. Anderson A Hawai‘i Island farmer once told me, “Plant some; if it grows, plant some more,” and that’s just what East Hawai‘i cacao farmers are doing. From the lava scalded shores of Puna to the rolling hills…
Local Foods: Naughty and Nice–The Chocolate Ghost Pepper
By Brittany P. Anderson “I just don’t know what to do with these hot peppers,” my friend Barbara said to me, “They’re beautiful, but they are just so hot.” Barbara has a thriving chocolate ghost pepper plant in her bountiful…
Ray Bumatay: A Canoe Calling
By Brittany P. Anderson The outrigger canoe is one of the most essential and iconic elements of Hawaiian culture. For centuries, kāhuna kālai wa‘a (master canoe carvers) have been guided by their ‘aumākua (ancestral spirits) who live in the ocean…
Local Foods: Hawai‘i Island Hō‘i‘o (Fiddlehead Fern)
By Brittany P. Anderson It’s one of those rainy days, when the sky is filled with endless layers of clouds painted with broad strokes of lilac and gray. Looking out at the ocean, I see dark indigo patches of rain…
Hala Kahiki: A Brief History of Pineapple and Pineapple Pavlova Recipe
By Brittany P. Anderson Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits grown on Hawai‘i Island, with the white pineapple being absolute perfection. One of the only edible varieties of bromeliad, the pineapple is neither pine nor apple and many a…
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…
Local Foods: A Sandwich for the Season
By Brittany P. Anderson This time of year when it is still spring, yet starts to feel like summer, is one of my favorite seasons on Hawai‘i Island. The weather is a bit unpredictable–warm, sunny summer days are on the…
Local Foods: Going Bananas
By Brittany P. Anderson I used to think that all bananas were the same. Yellow skin, bland taste, mushy, and eaten on the go for breakfast. The Cavendish banana was all I had ever known. Chopping down the thick stalk…
Local Foods: For the Love of Chocolate – And a Recipe for Maunakea Truffles
By Brittany P. Anderson What better way to say ‘I love you’ than with a delightful chocolate candy? As Valentine’s Day approaches, lovers all over the country will be in pursuit of the melt-in-your-mouth confection. Victorian age etiquette books warned…
Hawai‘i Island Tea – Craft Brew
By Brittany P. Anderson The quest for Hawai‘i Island grown tea starts with the perfect storm of volcanic acidic soil and humidity. Those bold enough to take the journey tend to their plants with patience and a kind hand. The…
A Taste of History: The Magic of Malasadas
By Brittany P. Anderson I can still remember the first time I tasted a malasada; fresh and warm, the sugar glistening. First, there was the crunch of the fried outside as I bit into it, then the rich soft eggy…
Sustainable Living and Learning at Hawaiian Sanctuary
By Brittany P. Anderson Along the densely forested stretch of Pahoa–Kalapana Road, towering albizia reach into the sky. In their lacey shade sits the Hawaiian Sanctuary, a 44-acre haven tucked away from the busy thoroughfare. There is no large gate…
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…
Recipe for Sweet Kabocha Soup: A Taste of History
By Brittany P. Anderson As I stroll around the farmer’s market, a woman in front of me turns to her travelling companion, “Look, there’s a kabocha!” She pushes her sunhat back off her forehead to feast her eyes on the…
A Garden Fit for a Queen: Celebrating Lili‘uokalani In Her Garden’s Centennial Year
By Brittany P. Anderson & Leilehua Yuen As the sun rises steadily over Hilo Bay on a bright Saturday morning, a group of college students rake leaves at the far end of Lili‘uokalani Gardens. While dozens of early morning walkers and…
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.…
A Place to Call Home: Celebrating the 50th Model Home
By Brittany P. Anderson While the locations have changed and more programs have joined the project, the core of Hawai‘i Community College’s Model Home Project has remained the same over the past five decades—offering hands-on learning to students, and affordable…
