Pigs – you gotta love ‘em. Or hate them. Kama-pua’a was a pig-god to old Hawaiians, associated with Lono, the god of agriculture, and also was a lover of Pele. He was a shape shifter, capable of appearing as a handsome young man or randy, rascally hog with super powers of fertility. The epic story of Kama-pua’a is a wonderful example of ancient Hawaiian’s oral mythology and literature. Pigs were a special food for ancient Hawaiians and are still the centerpiece of a baby luau or graduation imu.

Harvest! Puna Makai Locavore Store.

There is a new storefront on the boardwalk in Old Pahoa Town. You can find it tucked in between Paolo's Italian Restaurant and Mike's Pizza, almost right across the street from Luquin's Mexican Restaurant. Harvest! Puna Makai Locavore Store opened in early August. It had been doing business for the last 13 months out of a small fruit stand in an outdoor market space just two doors from the present location.

A partially mature Shiitake mushroom emerges from a koa log.

Have you ever accidentally kicked over a log while wandering through a forest, and noticed the white mass of cobweb-like fibers running across the ground? That's mycelium. Only one cell-wall thick, yet capable of supporting more than 30,000 times its own weight, mycelium wend their way through nearly all healthy land-based ecosystems. Given the proper conditions, mushrooms can emerge from these fungal fabrics.

Long marginalized in Western culture, mushrooms are gaining greater recognition for their outstanding benefits to human and ecological health. As keystone organisms, fungi play a primary support role in the recycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and various minerals.

For what solid reason do I know this plant is not useful here? What do I know about this plant I am labeling a weed

Conversations with the Most Poisonous Plant in the World

Change the way you look at things,
and the things you look at change.
~Wayne Dyer

Recently, I took part in starting a small agroforest on a section of cleared property. I prepared the newly excavated landscape, pulling any unwanted existing plants, then applied what I thought was a good layer of mulch. Next came the planting of young fruit trees, along with supportive shrubs and edible ground covers. Wiping dust and soil from my forehead and hands, I walked away crossing my fingers for a good combination of rain and sunshine. I revisited this area day after day, monitoring and watering as needed. Very quickly it was easy to see little green castor beans (also known as castor oil plant) sprouting all over, their dormant seeds having been awakened by the disturbed soil.