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AMAZING THINGS
Revitalizing Breadfruit

Revitalizing Breadfruit

"The Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu Project.“

Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu is a project to revitalize 'ulu (breadfruit) as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food which addresses Hawai'i's food security issues. It is well known that Hawai'i imports about 90% of its food, making it one of the most food insecure states in the nation. Additionally, since the economic downturn of 2008, many families lack access to affordable and nutritious food. We believe that breadfruit is a key to solving Hawaii's food security problems.

Read more

Newsletter 37 - March 2012

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Aloha!

This Saturday (March 3) please join us at the Puna ‘Ulu Festival--Celebrating Breadfruit. Without a landscape that was conducive to abundant taro production, Hawaiians in Puna traditionally relied heavily upon the ‘ulu as a primary staple food source. Due to the young lava lands, Puna was uniquely known for its ‘ulu trees that were planted in deep holes so that the leaves and fruits grew at ground level. The festival will be held at Kua O Ka La Public Charter School (PCS) located at Pu‘ala‘a in Puna, a 600-acre ancient Hawaiian village site. This is a unique opportunity to explore breadfruit within the cultural context of Puna at a very special site. Get directions and download the festival program at breadfruit.info. We look forward to seeing you.

Enjoy eating locally & sustainably!

Me ke aloha,

Craig Elevitch and Pedro Tama
for the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
http://hawaiihomegrown.net
visit us on Facebook

Breadfruit tree in South Kona.


Events

Every Thursday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Puna
Hawaiian Style Permaculture Class

Monday, February 27, 2012, 01:30pm - 04:00pm, Puna
Animals, Including Us! In Permaculture Systems

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 08:30am - 12:30pm, North Kona
Exporting Hawaii-Made Products

Thursday, March 01, 2012, 09:00am, North Kona
West Hawai'i Master Gardener Monthly Meeting

Friday, March 02, 2012, 09:00am - 12:00pm, South Kona
School Gardens for Families and Volunteers

Saturday, March 03 To Monday, March 19, 2012, Puna
3rd Aloha 'Aina Holistic Permaculture Design Course

Saturday, March 03, 2012, Puna
Puna 'Ulu (Breadfruit) Festival

Wednesdays, March 07 & 14th, 2012, 6pm - 8:00pm, South Kohala
Create a Cookbook!

Friday, March 09, 2012, 09:00am - 12:00pm, South Kona
Ethnobotany – Human and Plant Relationships

Saturday, March 10 to May 20th, 2012, Oahu
Permaculture Design Certificate Course

Saturday, March 10, 2012, 09:00am - 03:30pm, North Kohala
The Taste of Kalo

Saturday, March 10, 2012, 03:00pm, Puna
Pahoa Community Garden Work Party

Monday, March 19, 2012, 07:00pm - 09:00pm, North Kona
Hawai'i Tropical Fruit Growers Meeting

Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 09:00am - 06:00pm, South Kona
Tropical Edibles Nursery Grand Opening

Friday, March 23 To Sunday, March 25, 2012, South Kona
Natural Farming Workshop

Saturday, March 24, and Sunday, March 25, 2012, Oahu
Learn Why and How to Save Seed

Thursday, April 05, 2012, 09:00am, North Kona
West Hawai'i Master Gardener Monthly Meeting

View events calendar


Reports

Written by Sonia R. Martinez | 27 February 2012

Abundant Life in-store ready-made foods.
Abundant Life ready-made foods.

—an interview with owner Malu Shizue

The original Abundant Life Natural Foods store was located in the Old Hilo Drugs Building on the corner of Kamehameha and Waianuenue Avenues, and moved to its present location at 292 Kamehameha Avenue in 1990. 

The store was founded in 1977 by Malu Shizue, when she was barely out of her teens. She says it was a response to an inner-call for “Right Livelihood,” and to wanting to be a positive influence in our ‘aina and the environment. Malu, a petite dynamo of a woman, is the sole owner and driving force behind the operation, although she credits long-time loyal employees for the store’s success.

Read more...


Written by Craig Elevitch | 28 February 2012

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Many people now have some sense of the importance of growing food at home. Here are a few of the benefits of homegrown food.

Taste and nutrition

Homegrown is the freshest and therefore tastiest and most nutritious you can get. There is nothing like the flavor and vitality of freshly picked fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that produce that has been on the store shelf for a few days has significantly lower nutritional value as compared with freshly harvested produce.

Food self-reliance

Homegrown gives you control over your food. Currently about 85% of our island’s food is imported by ship or airplane from distant locations, and there is just a few days worth of food in stores at any given time. Many residents are concerned about economic, ecological, or health issues that might slow down or cut off our food imports. Many of our Hawai‘i Island Community Development Plans prioritize growing more of our food locally, supporting farms, and protecting agricultural lands. An event that restricted food imports might also curtail imports of fuel, fertilizer, and chemicals that are used commercially to produce and distribute food on the island.

Read more...


Written by Sonia R. martinez | 27 February 2012

Awareness of local food is on the rise.

It shouldn't surprise us that more and more people are beginning to wake up about our food situation. Living in these islands, so far away from any other landmass, we are dependent on much of our food being imported and at the mercy of many whims of nature and man.

Farmers Markets & CSAs

Farmers markets keep opening all around our island. Almost 30 of them at last count!...and new CSA farms or brokers are also popping up all around us.

Farmers Market Co-ops

We know that not all of us can farm or grow enough to maintain a booth of our own at any of the farmers markets, or have the time to do so, but here is a concept that started a bit over a year ago and now others are picking up in other areas.

There are several very enterprising people who are forming co-ops to sell whatever amount of produce/fruit/veggies you might have growing in your yards or farms w/o having to make a weekly commitment to rent or man your own booth at a market.

Read more...


Written by Andrea Dean | 27 February 2012

A plate of healthy, locally grown food.
A plate of healthy, locally grown food.

Remember the Food Pyramid? Well...that was recently flattened into a plate! The new "food pyramid" is now called "Choose My Plate" which is designed to help people more closely approximate—on a plate—the daily, healthy amounts of food to eat in each food group.

Here in Hawai‘i we are going one step further: we call it the "My Eat Local Hawai‘i Plate"--which is designed to help people choose healthy, locally grown foods. 

Read more...

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Announcements

Puna 'Ulu Festival--Celebrate Breadfruit!

The Eastside Hawai'i 'Ulu (Breadfruit) Festival will be held at Kua O Ka La charter school on Saturday March 3. For more information, see 'Ulu Festival.

Other announcements


Farmers' Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Please visit our comprehensive directory of Hawai'i Island farmers' markets and Community Supported Agricuture.

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This newsletter is published by:

Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
PO Box 5
Holualoa, Hawaii  96725  USA
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Web: http://hawaiihomegrown.net

 

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