I must say I was more than a little skeptical. I had seen the flyer for the Self-Reliant Home Garden Techniques (June 16-17, 2010, Holualoa, North Kona) workshop with the photograph of the presenter, Tim Lloyd, standing on top of his “garden bench” (isn’t a garden bench something you sit on to enjoy the view and smell the flowers?) made out of a couple of pallets. I thought he might just be talented at balancing himself. And a pallet has lots of gaps between the slats—how would the soil stay in? And if it was lined with, say, plastic, how would it drain? Not to mention that the sides were only 3” high—what can you grow in 3” of soil, other than starts?

The Farmers Market at The Hilo Coffee Mill has the distinction of being the only farmers market found on a working farm in East Hawai’i. The market grounds are graced by the farm’s collection of chickens, milling around and scavenging for treats, while visitors shop, eat breakfast and enjoy live entertainment.

Located on 24 acres, The Hilo Coffee Mill farm’s beautifully landscaped property consists of several acres planted in coffee and tea as well as fruit trees; gardens featuring native plants and some non-native ornamentals; chicken coops; a drying shed and the farm’s coffee roasting building; and the central building which houses a café, coffee tasting bar and gift shop.

Pa’auilo Elementary & Intermediate School is located on the Hamakua Coast, between Honoka’a and Laupahoehoe. Its student population is around 275 and is the last K-9^th grade school in the state. The school has had a long history of promoting agriculture and I started the garden here as a volunteer ten years ago. I’ve been leading the school’s agriculture program since then. Besides staffing the parent center, my purpose is to teach students how to produce healthy food and care for small-scale livestock.

For years, any time we passed by the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market site it was usually during a week day and the market was closed. A couple of months ago when we were on our way to the Kohala area on a Saturday, we decided to make a stop and check out the market. Two weeks later, a friend invited us to meet her at the market for breakfast. There is a breakfast tent she recommended and that is where we had a long breakfast while being introduced to some of her friends. The breakfast tent feels like the social hub of the market. Here you will find a bit of everything that is made fresh, including a delicious plate of Eggs Benedict. We have been back three times in the past two months!