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Honey bees—Specialty Crop Profile

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Honey bees can provide multiple products, in addition to essential pollination services.

There are several bee species that are cultivated for their products and pollination services but the most widely used species is the honey bee, Apis mellifera. In Hawai‘i and in the Pacific, there is a great potential for beekeeping at all scales. Rural areas in the Pacific are ideal for supporting beekeeping activities because of the abundant year round floral sources that can provide enough honey for family and/or community needs with the possibility of additional income from the selling surplus honey.

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Locally Grown Skin Care Products by Second Skin Naturals

SSN 009Raven C.J. Liddle of Second Skin Naturals in Moloa'a, Kaua'i, harvesting ingredients for her line of skin care products.Second Skin Naturals™ produces beauty and skin care products, including its flagship Hawaiian Jungle Shield Spray, salves, scrubs, masks and rejuvenators, all made from certified organic and locally grown ingredients. The company’s founder Raven C.J. Liddle created the company out of her personal search for high-quality skin products, finding that the market did not supply what she was seeking.

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Hawai'i Island Goat Dairy

HIGoatFarmCheesecave2Hawai'i Island Goat Farm cheeses.The Hawai'i Island Goat Dairy is a small goat farm and dairy that produces all handmade "Farmstead Goat Cheeses" the old fashioned way.

The farm is located in Ahualoa, above the Honoka'a area at about 1800 feet elevation, nestled into the flanks of Mauna Kea on a beautiful 10-acre property that was at one time a macadamia nut tree farm. The macnuts trees are still there but are not harvested commercially.

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Breadfruit ('Ulu)—Specialty Crop Profile

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A breadfruit tree can produce 160–500 kg (350–1100 lb) of fruit per year with very little effort on the part of the grower.

Breadfruit produces abundant, nutritious fruit (i.e., high in carbohydrates and a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals) that is typically cooked and consumed as a starchy staple when firm and mature. Ripe fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, processed into chips and other snacks, dried into flour or starch, and minimally processed or frozen. Breadfruit flour can be partially substituted for wheat flour in many bread, pastry, and snack products. Seeds, cooked in the fruit and eaten throughout the Pacific islands—but rarely in Polynesia—are high in protein, relatively low in fat and a good source of vitamins and minerals. Breadnut seeds tend to be larger and sweeter than breadfruit seeds and can be roasted or boiled. In Ghana, breadfruit and breadnut seeds have been made into nutritious baby food. In the Philippines, immature fruit is sliced, cooked, and eaten as a vegetable.

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