Ha Ha Ha!

Satisfied Customer

Richard recently heard from a “satisfied customer.”

Sandra Reed, who lives in Tennessee, wrote:

Aloha! My husband and I are visiting here from Tennessee. Tennessee prides itself on its great produce, and with good reason. Nevertheless, I have experienced your cocktail tomatoes and they are unequaled! What a taste! Sooooo good!

She closed by writing:

Y’all come see us some time!

Sandra and her husband were on O‘ahu visiting their son Derek and his wife Lorri, who is a major in the Air Force, when they had Hamakua Springs tomatoes.

It was their fourth visit, and she says they had gotten their sightseeing out of the way the first couple times (like Pearl Harbor, which they found very moving, and Don Ho’s show, which Sandra most recently took in shortly before he passed away). 

On their more recent visits, she says, “Derek and Lorri scout out places for us to eat, and we pretty much gorge our way across the Island!”

She says her son brought home some Hamakua Springs cocktail tomatoes from the commissary as a snack food. “Little did he know that I was going to eat three cartons of them while I was there. I ate them straight out of the container with a touch of salt. My mouth waters just thinking about them.”

She says she and her husband always used to have a garden in the summer, but don’t these days. “We try to buy fresh produce when it is available. If the people here ever got a taste of your tomatoes, they would throw rocks at the farmers who sell tomatoes here!"

She and her husband hope to return to Hawai‘i for a family vacation in the next few years. In the meantime, she says she wishes there had been a way to bring home some of Richard’s cocktail tomatoes.

“That was a taste I will savor in my mind for a very long time!” she said.

Thank you, Sandra, for taking the time to be in touch. We loved hearing from you!

– posted by Leslie Lang

Aloha Luigi

 Richard Ha writes:

Since June is away in Texas for a few weeks, I’ve decided to visit lunch places outside my normal routine. Aloha Luigi, the small restaurant on Keawe Street in downtown Hilo, qualified.

The back entrance, from the very convenient back parking lot.

The main dining area.

I’ve actually tried several different places. But Aloha Luigi is one I can already write about now, without even trying anything else off its menu.

I ordered the spicy ono served on linguini with lots of garlic and capers, to take out.

This is where you place orders. You walk straight through to the back parking lot.

While waiting for my order, I wandered out back to look around. An old bathtub with a decorative purple crawling taro growing in it caught my attention. I noticed some guppies swimming around – for mosquito control, I thought to myself.

A friendly guy with a slight New York accent asked me if I was admiring the fish. I told him I liked the potential of the place and he said he was Luigi, the owner.

Nearly 30 years ago he built the restaurant in Hilo that eventually became Pescatore. He moved back to New York, and then back to Waimea where he opened the original Aloha Luigi. He said he returned to Hilo four years ago, because Waimea was getting too built up.

This is a multi-function mail box. Local artists' works hang on all the walls.

Four months ago, Luigi purchased the land where the present Aloha Luigi now stands, just down the street from Garden Exchange on Keawe Street. And now he is building the place up. He told me he’s going to open up second floor dining as well as an outside, open air dining area.

Two tables and the view from under the outside canopy. Looking toward Keawe Street, where there will be more outside seating.

Look carefully and you can see the outline of his vision. He has a gem of a location. The back parking lot is so unbelievably convenient.

Outdoor dining in Hilo. Who would have thought?  But if you look closely, you can see that too. Upstairs and downstairs dining? I love that.

The spicy ono linguini was so good that I went back later to order a Sicilian slice of pizza. It’s square. As toppings I had jalapeno, spinach and garlic. I’ll be back often!

Starting on Our Hydroelectric Plant

Richard Ha writes:

It’s really true: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

We are now starting to construct our hydroelectric plant, which everyone thinks is a wonderfully new, fresh idea.

But Kapono uncovered this interesting bit of history that we posted here recently, in which we learned for the first time that people were evidently doing the same thing here more than 70 years ago.

Pepe`ekeo’s mill was located at the shore to make use of fluming to transport the harvested cane. For many years before 1935 the hydraulic head of mountain ground water (spring water) drove a hydroelectric plant that supplied all of the mill’s needs and also supplied power for housing.

We are making an access to the flume head so we can begin laying the pipe.

The rest we will do by hand because we don’t want to do anything that compromises the river.

If you look carefully, you can see the old concrete work. This flume source is a permitted use, according to the Water Resource Commission. Its personnel came by to look at the site and said we can proceed as long as we do not affect the river in any way. We're being very careful.

Here is the start of the Wai‘a‘ama flume.

Stopping the Glottal Shift

It’s always been interesting to me, and a little sad, that the rich history of Hawaiian words gets more and more diluted, overlooked, and even changed as time goes on and so many of us without an intimate knowledge of the language and culture inadvertently make errors.

Such as that which seems to have been made with the name of the place where the farm sits.

“Kaupakuea” is located in Pepe‘ekeo, north of Hilo, and a few years ago the county put up a street sign off Highway 19. It read like this: “Kaupakue‘a Homestead Rd.”

We recently wrote about some of the history of Kaupakuea (without the ‘okina, or glottal stop), where the farm is located.

The name Kaupakuea is mentioned in an 1860 Hawaiian language newspaper, and the area even had its own Kaupakuea post office from 1858-1869.

Suzanne Romaine, writing in the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, says that the place name seems to be composed of two words: kaupaku (ridgepole, highest point) + ea (to rise).

Though there are different meanings for “ea,” this linguist for whom the Hawaiian language is an area of concentration says that “rising ridgepole” is most consistent with other recorded place names of that type, and also the morphology and semantics of the 4,000 place names analyzed by Pukui, Elbert and Mookini in their respected work “Place Names of Hawai‘i.”

The “rising ridgepole” translation also fits the topography of the ahupua‘a, the land division, whose high ridge culminates in Pu‘u Ka‘uku, a prominent feature of the landscape that is visible from afar.

“Since the greatest number of Hawaiian place names (21 percent) refer to geographical features, it is not unreasonable to suppose this is an appropriate etymology for Kaupakuea,” she writes.

The gravel road fronting the farm’s banana packing house, which joins Kaupakuea Homestead Road, sits exactly on the ridgeline. Part of the hydroponic houses sit on the Hamakua slope, and the other part sits on the Hilo-side slope.

Romaine finds nothing that allows the spelling “Kaupakue‘a” to make sense, and suggests it is a county misspelling on the sign. She also details a long story wherein back in 1996, the president of the Kaupakuea Homestead Association learned an ‘okina had been inserted into the name’s spelling (Kaupaku‘ea), and tried to get it removed.

One person at the county assured that the ‘okina would be removed, and then the county council voted to keep it – and yet when the sign was printed, the ‘okina, still present, mysteriously moved to a different location. The street sign was printed with yet a third spelling (Kaupakue‘a).

It’s a long and involved story, and one that is undoubtedly still going on all around us as words evolve and morph.

All we can do is grasp onto the words that we do know, and their definition and cultural meanings, and pass them down to our keiki. Pronounce them correctly, teach the meanings we know, and let them live on.

– posted by Leslie Lang

Hilo Living

Richard Ha writes:

I just knew that Hilo would soon be discovered by discerning people who value quality of life. This blog is the first, real-life proof that confirms my suspicions.

It lays out the thought processes of a former Silicon Valley citizen who moved to Hilo four months ago. 

This person made a conscious decision to move where he can improve his quality of life in the face of world turmoil, caused by world oil supplies not keeping up with demand.

He chose Hilo.

Hilo is much more special than a lot of us realize. I read this person’s previous blog posts, too, and it was so reaffirming that we do, indeed, live in the most special place on earth.

I am very optimistic for our future.  I notice that Café Pesto and Hilo Bay Café are full of people from away. I believe more and more people will discover Hilo. And they will bring in outside money.

I came to the same conclusion when I was in Houston last September, at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil.

I was the only one wearing shorts. I did not have the heart to tell the people I met that I was going to wear shorts right through the winter. I did not have the heart to tell them we would grow food all winter long.

And when I got off the plane in Hilo, I knew – just like the person who wrote this blog – that Hilo, Hawai‘i is the best place in the world to ride out this new period in human history. We just need to take care of each other.

Emmy Award-Nominated!

We were happy to see that Chefs A’ Field, that PBS series that did an episode on Chef Alan Wong recently, has been nominated for an Emmy!

While they were here, the Chefs A’ Field people accompanied Alan Wong and Richard to Keaukaha Elementary School, where Chef Alan had adopted the 6th grade through our Adopt-a-Class program, and videotaped him teaching them about cooking and also a little bit about life. It's scheduled to air sometime in 2009 — we'll keep you posted on that.

Here is some information about the Emmy Award nomination. Our huge congratulations to them on a really impressive achievement.

Chefs A’ Field: Kids on the Farm
NOMINATED FOR 2008 EMMY AWARD &
RECEIVES HONORS FROM THE PARENTS’ CHOICE AWARDS

WASHINGTON, DC – May 1, 2008:
The public television series Chefs A’ Field: Kids on the Farm has been nominated by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for a 2008 Daytime Emmy Award. The awards recognize outstanding achievement in television production broadcast in the 2007 calendar year. The series was nominated in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Photography. The coveted Emmy will be presented at the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards broadcast live on ABC Friday, June 20th  at 8:00 pm, from Hollywood’s famed Kodak Theatre.

Last month, Chefs A’ Field: Kids on the Farm was awarded the 2008 Parents’ Choice Award for excellence in family programming. This national award recognizes programming that exceeds standards set by educators, scientists, artists, librarians, parents, and kids themselves.

In other news, Chefs A’ Field: Kids on the Farm is in the midst of field production for a fourth season, with shoots in Washington DC, Mexico, Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Virginia. In the coming months the series will continue its culinary adventures traveling throughout the United States filming America’s best chefs and their kids as well as the stellar farmers and fishermen the chefs rely on. Thirteen exciting new episodes will be released on public television in Spring 2009.

Currently in its third season, many have described Chefs A’ Field’s “green cuisine” approach as “a cooking series with a conscience…bringing the important issues of sustainability and the environment to forefront…without getting preachy.”

In over 40 episodes filmed so far the series explores the vital relationship between great chefs and their food sources. Each episode features one of America’s best chefs traveling to the field to explore the offerings of their local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. The chef then returns to the kitchen, where ingredients are transformed into delectable dishes.  As the chefs interact with the farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, viewers see how environmental practices make a difference in how foods taste and hold their nutritional value. Shot in locations across the United States and abroad, the high-definition series showcases regional cuisine and is filled with picturesque scenes shot at the peak of seasonal harvest.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Chefs A' Field currently airs on public television stations nationwide--check your local listings or visit chefsafield.com for national listings.  The series is a co-production of Warner Hanson Television (Washington, DC) & KCTS 9 (Seattle, WA) and is distributed by American Public Television (Boston, MA).

SPONSORS: Chefs A’ Field is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Whole Foods Markets,  W.K. Kellogg Foundation, USDA/SARE (CSREES), The Park Foundation, Seeds of Change, Topco/Full Circle Food, The Wallace Genetic Foundation, California Strawberry Commission, Walnut Marketing Board.

CREDITS: Producers: Heidi Hanson & Chris Warner; Writer/Narrator: Jed Duvall; Directors of Photography: Tim Murray, Mark Thalman, & Chris Warner; Editors: Rachel Vasey, Don Lampasone, & Chris Warner; For KCTS 9: Executive Producer: Jay Parikh; Production Manager: Tom Niemi; Station Relations: Shaylan Frazee

PARTICIPATING CHEFS: John Besh, Michael Mina, Joseph Wrede, Bruce Sherman, Robert Weidmaier, Richard Sandoval, Mitchell & Steven Rosenthal, Cathal Armstrong, Michel Nischan, Jason Wilson.

ADDITIONAL AWARDS:  James Beard, CINE, Chicago Film Festival Hugo, Film Advisory Board, New York Festivals, White House Photographer Awards, Food & Wine Tastemaker Award, and others.

MERCHANDISE: Chefs A’ Field DVD’s and Cookbooks are available by phone KCTS 9-Channel 9 Store (800) 937-5387 or visiting channel9store.com & amazon.com

SERIES WEBSITE:  chefsafield.com

— posted by Leslie Lang

Halema‘uma‘u 2008

There’s a lot of excitement up at the volcano lately, where suddenly ashes and gases are billowing dramatically from a newly formed vent within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kilauea.

From the National Park Service: What began as a new gas vent (fumarole) in Halema`uma`u crater sometime between March 10 and 12, 2008, has progressed to be the first explosive eruption in Halema`uma`u Crater since 1924 and the first lava erupted from the crater since 1982.

The National Park Service website continues with this synopsis of events since the new vent appeared within Halema‘uma‘u crater on March 11, 2008:

At 2:58 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded a small explosion in Halema`uma`u crater, the first explosive event since 1924. Debris was scattered over a 75 acre area. A light dusting of ash fell in a community several miles away in the district of Ka`u.

On April 9, another small explosion occurred, depositing dense blocks and particles of fresh lava on the Halema`uma`u overlook area.

On April 16 at 3:57 a.m., another small explosion from the vent occurred producing a dusting of pale-red ash west of the crater.

The new explosion pit continues to vigorously vent gas and ash, with the plume alternating between brown (ash-rich) and white (ash-poor).

Visitors may view the new vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and the plume from the overlook at Jaggar Museum. Other overlooks with views include: Steam Vents, Kilauea Overlook, Kilauea Iki Overlook, and Volcano House hotel.

We had a few days of poor air quality when our normal tradewinds died off, and the vog settled in over the island.

But this is not the norm, and mostly it's just exciting to go up and see the volcano and wonder what will happen next. Will it erupt? Scientists up at the Hawai‘i Volcanoes Observatory tell us this is unexpected behavior and they are following it closely to see how the situation develops, too.

Following long-time local custom, we packed everybody into the car and went up to have a look the other day. It was so interesting to see the crater, which we are used to seeing doing nothing at all, looking so alive.

Photos by Macario

There's a webcam, too, if you'd like to look for yourself.

— posted by Leslie Lang

Sustaining

Yesterday was very interesting. I drove from Hilo to the Outrigger Hotel at Keauhou to give a thirty minute speech about sustainable agriculture at the third annual Kuleana Business Conference and Trade Show. It was part of the Kona Earth Festival, which has the slogan: "Island Self-Reliance Through Sustainable Living."

A native Hawaiian speaker described us as floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a little life raft. It is hopeful to see that people are coming together to find ways to make our lives here sustainable.

Right after my talk, I was interviewed for a video documentary about sustainable agriculture issues, then participated in a 30-minute talk-story session on the radio station Lava 105. It was all very interesting and promising.

The most interesting thing I did yesterday, though, was a talk-story session with the interns in the Keaholoa STEM program at UH Hilo, which I rushed back to Hilo for. The students are preparing for next week’s ho‘ike, where they will report on their research projects. Some of the projects: the study of coral health at Vacation Land; alternate insect pollinators, other than bees, of the Big Island; the cultivation of edible limu, and other interesting topics.

These are our best and brightest native Hawaiian students of Science, Tech, Engineering and Math. We had a short discussion about bio fuels, genetically modified organisms, hydro- and geothermal power. It doesn’t get better than talking with the students. It was very stimulating and I am left with an encouraging feeling that our future is in good hands.

Tomatoes for Education

Richard Ha writes:

I’ve been reflecting on what it means to participate at the Kino‘ole Street Farmers Market.

The most touching and rewarding moments have been when teachers I’ve never met have come up and thanked us for giving them Hamakua Springs tomatoes.

It was especially meaningful to them, I think, at a time when newspapers were reporting that this or that school was in danger of restructuring under the No-Child-Left-Behind federal program. We knew morale was at a low point, and that was exactly when we wanted to make clear that we thought they were the greatest! 

The gift was not much monetarily, but we felt the gesture was important. We feel strongly that teaching is the most important profession. And we wanted to tell each teacher that we support them 100 percent.

I am really partial toward elementary school teachers. The most impressionable time of my life was when I was between 8 and eleven years old. That’s when my belief system was formed and it has lasted all my life.

This is what motivated us to do the Adopt-a-Class project at Keaukaha Elementary School, and it’s why we support teachers like Karyl Ah Hee at Kaumana Elementary School.

Education really is the great equalizer.

On the east side of the Big Island we have disproportionately more than the state’s average of low income families.  Hawai‘i Community College Chancellor Rockne Freitas explains it best: He says that the best predictor of children’s success is the family’s household income. And the best predictor of a higher household income is education.

Hawai‘i Community College is one of the most important institutions of higher learning here in East Hawai‘i, because it has “open enrollment.” In other words, there isn’t an entrance exam to keep students out. Also, class credits are transferrable to the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

This is the pathway to higher education for students who might not otherwise have qualified.

HCC was ranked thirteenth in the nation at bringing higher education to its students. This in spite of having the most dilapidated classrooms and structures in the entire community college system.

This is an extremely big deal, and Chancellor Freitas and his staff deserve a big round of applause. These people are doers, not talkers. We respect that!

Kaupakuea Plantation

Richard Ha writes:

I got this email from my grandson Kapono today:

I was doing some research today in Hawaiian History for a project that we're doing on Sugar Plantation Days and I found some really interesting info about where our farm is and the history behind it. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

I did. Here's the information, which is from Sugar Islands – The 165-year Story of Sugar in Hawaii, by William H. Dorrance and Francis S. Morgan. (Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii - 2000):

Kaupakuea Plantation
Sometime between 1857 and 1861, the highly successful Honolulu businessman Chun Afong (1825-1906) acquired the Kaupakuea Sugar Plantation and Mill. It consisted of 1,500 acres ten miles north of Hilo. In addition, in 1879 he acquired Makahaula Plantation on 7,600 acres at the southern border of Kaupakuea Plantation. By 1882 Afong had combined the two into Pepe`ekeo Sugar Mill and Plantation Company.

Chun Afong came to Hawaii from China in 1849 to work in his uncle’s store. He soon became a successful merchant on his own and also invested in sugar and coffee plantations. His stature increased to the point that in 1879 King Kalakaua appointed him a noble of the Kingdom. But a decade later, in 1889, the weary and aging Afong returned to his homeland, leaving his family in Honolulu and his affairs in the hands of his friend Samuel M. Damon (1845-1924), son of the pioneer preacher Samuel C. Damon.

Pepe`ekeo Sugar Company
By 1890, Samuel M. Damon had incorporated Afong’s plantation as Pepe`ekeo Sugar Company and retained 27 percent of the shares for Afong, with Hackfeld and Company holding most of the rest, along with the plantation’s agency contract. In 1893 Hackfeld sold the agency agreement to Theo H. Davies and Afong’s shares were sold to Davies’ associate Alexander Young (1832-1910). In 1904 C. Brewer and Company purchased controlling shares from Young and took over the agency agreement.

The plantation had been profitable under Afong. Much to his credit, the first pioneering vacuum pan used in the sugar-making process was introduced at Kaupakuea mill in 1861. Afong also led the way in providing amenities and good housing for his workers and their families. C. Brewer and Company, Ltd. perpetuated this by improving the housing and providing a model hospital that became a standard for other plantations. Production was 400 tons in 1867, increased to 500 tons in 1872, and to 1,259 tons in 1880.

The lands, however, were acidic and required liming for neutralization. Longtime manager (1905-1936) James Webster and C. Brewer and Company, Ltd. met this challenge in a very unusual way. In 1914 over 20,000 tons of O`ahu’s Wai`anae Coast coral sands were taken by the O.R.&L. railroad to the Honolulu docks, then via the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company to the Hilo docks, and onward with the Hawaii Consolidated Railway Company to Pepe`ekeo. There the sand was bagged and hauled into the fields by mules to be spread. This remarkable effort turned the acidic soil into a hospitable host for sugarcane and the machinery used to cultivate it.

Pepe`ekeo’s mill was located at the shore to make use of fluming to transport the harvested cane. For many years before 1935 the hydraulic head of mountain ground water (spring water) drove a hydroelectric plant that supplied all of the mill’s needs and also supplied power for housing. Until 1913 product was shipped from a landing near the mill. From 1913 until 1946 sugar went by railroad to the Hilo docks. After the tsunami of 1946, all shipments went by truck.

In 1946, production rose to 25,055 tons when C. Brewer merged Pepee`keo’s fields with the neighboring Honomu Sugar Company. Almost two decades later, in 1962, C. Brewer and Company Ltd. further increased the acreage by merging Hakalau Plantation in to the surviving Pepe`ekeo Sugar Company, Ltd. and reaped the economies of scale. In 1973, C. Brewer and Company, Ltd. merged Pepe`ekeo Sugar Company into Mauna Kea Sugar Company, and the original name was no longer used.

Mauna Kea Sugar Company
In 1972, Mauna Kea Sugar Company and the new United Cane Planters’ Cooperative, representing almost 400 independent farmers, formed a non-profit corporation, the Hilo Coast Processing Company (HCPC), to harvest and grind sugarcane on shares. A year later, in 1973, C. Brewer and Company, Ltd. merged Pepe`ekeo Sugar Company with Mauna Kea Sugar Company, thus combining under one corporate name what had once been five separate plantations: Honomu Sugar Company, Hakalau Sugar Company, Pepe`ekeo Sugar Company, Onomea Sugar Company, and Hilo Sugar Company. For a time the three mills at Pepe`ekeo, Papaikou, and Wainaku were operated by the HCPC, but by 1979 only the large, improved mill at Pepe`ekeo survived.

Even with these consolidations, sugar operations in the wet Hilo Coast area were unprofitable. The number of independent farms dwindled to 22. In 1992, C. Brewer and Co. announced that Hilo Coast Processing Company, and its now-named Mauna Kea Agribusiness Company (formerly Mauna Kea Sugar Company), would shut down after grinding the 1994 harvest. More than 450 jobs were affected. After a run of over 150 years, sugarcane permanently left the Hilo area.

Richard brings the story up to date:

Shortly after that I went to see John Cross, who managed C. Brewer's lands, to ask about leasing the land for bananas. He let me use 20 acres free of charge for a year, and we started planting bananas.

That was the start of Mauna Kea Banana Company.