Tag Archive for ‘Taro’

Page 0 of 2

Know Your Land and Eat It Too

Published on August 25, 2011 in Ag Tourism, Cacao, Coffee, General Ag News and Notes and Taro.


IN YOUR FRIDGE / Farmers’ market managers, Pamela Boyer and Annie Suite have joined hands with local farmers to create Oahu Agri-Tours. There’s no fancy farmhouse or massive farm machinery; what you see is what you get. You’ll experience first-hand how farmers are committed to practicing clean, organic farming.

Poamoho Farms is one of the farms on tour, and guests learn how the fruit orchard uses natural pest management and fertilization methods. Tin Roof Ranch farmers Luann Casey and Gary Gunder butcher their chickens the day before selling them at the market.

Na Mea Kupono wetland taro farm practices old school taro farming methods that most locals don’t even know about. Here you can also watch a traditional poi-pounding demonstration.

At Mohala Farms you’ll see how simple and natural farming is still possible (and still exists). Continue reading ‘Know Your Land and Eat It Too’

OK sought for traditional taro

Published on February 28, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes and Taro.


When Daniel Anthony first tried selling fresh, traditionally prepared paiai two years ago, he found out that pounding the taro was the easy part.

It was much more difficult to sell it.

Anthony said that before the Department of Health shut down his small business, he was pounding and selling almost 10,000 pounds of taro a year, with another 15,000 a year used in his educational workshops. Now he can’t sell any of it.

“The (Department of Health) told me I couldn’t sell poi off the board,” Anthony said. “It’s not poi, though. It’s paiai.”

Paiai — young, unfermented and undiluted taro ground with a traditional lava rock and wooden board — first came under scrutiny by the Hawaii Department of Health in late 2009 when Anthony was cited for using traditional porous implements that could not be completely sanitized.

But a pair of proposals now before the state Legislature could make Hawaii’s food code compatible with this traditional Hawaiian food preparation practice. The bills would create an exemption for cultural practitioners like Anthony to sell their paiai, provided they sell directly to consumers, attend a food safety class, maintain hand-washing facilities and label their products as traditionally made. Continue reading ‘OK sought for traditional taro’

Kailua High offers imu space

Published on November 3, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Turkey.


The Kailua High School athletic program will tend to a Thanksgiving imu and is offering space inside for trays of food.

Food goes into the underground oven on Nov. 24, emerging the next morning steamed full of luau flavor.

Cost is $15 per large foil tray. Food — such as whole turkeys, roasts or pork butt (meat chunks should have three deep cuts in them), sweet potatoes, taro or luau leaves — must be thawed, seasoned and well wrapped in foil. Drop in pan and wrap again in foil. Weight limit per tray is 25 pounds.

Reservations due by Nov. 17. Make checks payable to Kailua High School and send to the school, 451 Ulumanu Drive, Kailua 96734. Write “Attention IMU” in lower left corner of the envelope. Include your name, telephone number and a self-addressed, stamped envelope so a confirmation ticket can be sent to you. To be included in an e-mail list for future imu, provide e-mail address as well.

Call 266-7910 or 728-7389.

Morsels – Hawaii Features – Staradvertiser.com

Kalo connections

Published on October 20, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Taro.


TARO FEST

    » Where: Haleiwa Farmers Market, at Kamehameha Highway and Leong Bypass near Haleiwa Beach Park
    » When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
    » Call: 388-9696 or e-mail HaleiwaFarmersMarket@gmail.com
    EVENTS
    Recipe contest (call or e-mail for details), poi-pounding demonstration, talk story with North Shore kupuna, taro farm tours, dishes by Hawaii chefs, makahiki activities and entertainment. Plus, taro submissions to break the Guinness world record (call or e-mail for details).”

In a Hawaiian genesis story, a stillborn baby’s grave site grows the first taro plant, which feeds his younger brother, the first Hawaiian. The tale is at the root of the culture’s reverence for taro, called kalo in Hawaiian.

“Poi and family are one and the same,” says Aunty Betty Jenkins, a North Shore kupuna who is one of the guiding forces behind Haleiwa Farmers Market’s taro festival on Sunday. “Kalo connects us to all Hawaiians, to all of our neighborhood, to all community. It’s very spiritual.”

A new generation is now standing alongside elders like Jenkins to perpetuate taro’s cultural relevance. For Daniel Anthony of the organization Mana Ai, that effort centers on eating. “First and foremost, Mana Ai promotes the eating of taro in any way, shape or form,” Continue reading ‘Kalo connections’

Water conservationists of the year honored

Published on October 16, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Water.


PO’IPU — Damage from heavy rains and floods and the resulting repairs were the basis for the selection of this year’s Outstanding Water Conservationists by the Kaua‘i Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Rodney and Karol Haraguchi, Hanalei Valley taro farmers, were selected as the East Kaua‘i SWCD honorees for their outstanding work in conservation and protection of the Hanalei Valley water resource, said Ted Inouye, representing the East Kaua‘i SWCD.

The presentation was made before the 49th annual Hawai‘i Water Works Association convention, Thursday, at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa. Continue reading ‘Water conservationists of the year honored’

Growing Dryland Taro Part I

Published on October 6, 2010 in Banana, General Ag News and Notes and Taro.

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent,
UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service

Molokai is blessed with many Hawaiian taro varieties, in part due to the vision of the late Martha and Cowboy Otsuka in seeking out and preserving these legacies. Also, under the direction of Alton Arakaki and Faith Tuipulotu in making huli available each year at the annual Molokai Taro Field Day.

With the advent of drip irrigation and water distribution systems, taro can be grown in areas where it could never grow before. In the past, dryland taro was only grown in the uplands in mulch where seasonal rains were sufficient to bring the taro to harvest.
Most varieties will mature between eight and 12 months, and keeping plants actively growing is the key. Taro loves water, and along with fertilizer, will flourish before your eyes. Dryland taro is distinguished from wetland taro in that the latter grows in water ponds or lo`i. Different varieties were selected for these two conditions. Taking a soil sample of your planting area is the first step in growing upland taro. Call our office at 567-6932 for more information on taking a soil sample.

The biggest challenge in growing taro is weeds Continue reading ‘Growing Dryland Taro Part I’

Taro expert to appear at workshop

Published on August 26, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Native Hawaiian Plants.

maui-news-ad

KAHULUI – Maui Nui Botanical Gardens will host a kalo (taro) workshop Sept. 4 to 6 led by Hawaiian cultural practitioner and mahi’ai (farmer) Jerry Konanui as part of its new education program, “Ulu Ka Hoi” (to grow interest).

This three-day event will educate local farmers and practitioners on the varieties of kalo available, techniques to identify these varieties, proper cultivation methods and cultural applications. Participants also will have the opportunity to learn innovative wood- and stone-sculpting methods using modern equipment.

Space is limited and daily fees apply. Call 249-2798 to reserve a place. Continue reading ‘Taro expert to appear at workshop’

Na Wai Eha: Streams flow again — along with controversy and conflict

Published on August 10, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Water.

maui-news-ad

WAIHEE – At its mouth, the Waihee River was only around a foot deep Monday afternoon – but that was good news to Scott Fisher of the Maui Coastal Land Trust.

Fisher was monitoring conditions in the first hours after Wailuku Water Co. restored water to the river, carrying out the terms of an order by the state Commission on Water Resource Management in June that the company return 12.5 million gallons per day to two of the four streams that make up Na Wai Eha.

Fisher said the water in the river was at about the same level it would typically be during the rainy season, and it was noticeably colder than it would normally be on a mid-August day. The water restoration would almost certainly mean healthier plants and animals in Waihee River, he said.

Wailuku Water Co., which diverts the stream for users including Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co., had opened some of its diversion gates at Waiehu Stream on Monday as well.

Commission member Dr. Lawrence Miike, who oversaw the contested case hearing, originally recommended that half of Na Wai Eha’s water be returned to all four streams. But the other commissioners did not agree and no water was returned to the Iao and Waikapu streams below their diversion points, while less water than he recommended was returned to Waihee and Waiehu streams. Continue reading ‘Na Wai Eha: Streams flow again — along with controversy and conflict’

Two companies to release Maui stream water as ordered by the state

Published on August 3, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes, Sugar Cane and Water.


The state says Wailuku Water Co. and Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. will begin releasing water to Waihee River and North and South Waiehu Streams in central Maui next week.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says the companies next Monday will act to comply with a state water commission order issued in June.

But the move is unlikely to satisfy two Maui groups who want the companies to return more water than the commission ordered.

Hui o Na Wai Eha and Maui Tomorrow appealed the water commission’s ruling in state court last month.

They say they’re being deprived of the water they need to grow taro and restore natural habitat.

Two companies to release Maui stream water as ordered by the state – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

USGS releases report on Na Wai Eha – The Maui News

Published on May 20, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Water.

maui-news-ad

WAILUKU – A U.S. Geological Survey study 4 years in the making and released this week describes the effects of taking millions of gallons of water daily from "the Four Streams" of Na Wai Eha that originate in the West Maui Mountains.

USGS also presented a complex matrix showing the amounts of stream water needed to return to each of the Central Maui streams to revitalize flora, fauna and aquatic life; to recharge the aquifer and to promote taro growing. The report also details the amount of water necessary to resume mauka-to-makai, or mountain-to-ocean stream flow, something not seen for more than a century of stream diversions to irrigate sugar crops.

"The idea is to give people and the commissioners the tools to understand the effects of a decision to divert water and adjust those diversions," said USGS hydrologist Delwyn Oki, who presented the findings of his 176-page report to about 50 people in Maui Economic Opportunity’s classroom Tuesday night.

Continue reading ‘USGS releases report on Na Wai Eha – The Maui News’

The demand is there for locally grown food – Starbulletin

Published on January 3, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes, Sustainability and Vegtables.

star

UNDER THE SUN

By Cynthia Oi

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 03, 2010

Growing food is better then picking up cigarette buts at the resort.
CLICK for a larger image

Now comes a study suggesting that early Hawaiian agriculture was vast and substantially more complex than previously known, implying that what was grown fed a population of perhaps a million people, which is about the present occupancy of Hawaii.

Samuel M. Gon III was clearly excited by the findings of a team of researchers and scientists from noted institutions.

"If a million mouths could be fed back then, this points to a future where we can wean our reliance on food from the outside world," said Gon, who as senior scientist with The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii participated in the study.

Continue reading ‘The demand is there for locally grown food – Starbulletin’

Water staff: Restore one of 19 streams – The Maui News

Published on December 13, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes, Sugar Cane and Water.

maui-news-ad

Attorney for taro farmers calls recommendations ‘ludicrous’
By CHRIS HAMILTON, Staff Writer

POSTED: December 13, 2009

WAILUKU – In what appears to be a blow to East Maui Native Hawaiian taro farmers and environmentalists – and a potential much-needed win for struggling Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. – the state Commission on Water Resource Management staff has recommended that water diverted by HC&S be restored to only one of the 19 streams it uses to irrigate its sugar crop.

The staff findings are only recommendations, but Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. attorneys said on Saturday that they believe the seven-member commission will rely heavily on the staff assessments and recommendations when it renders its decision, most likely during a public meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Paia.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the Paia Community Center with a staff presentation and time for questions from Water Resource Management Commission members, Chairwoman Laura Thielen said on Saturday. Thielen is also director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The public will get a chance to testify beginning at 1 p.m., and Thielen said she expects her fellow commissioners to reach a consensus that evening or the next day, depending on how many people want to speak.

Thielen said she received the 56-page report, signed by Deputy Director Ken Kawahara, last week.

Thielen said she thinks that the staff "did a very good, very thorough job," but she will listen to other commissioners’ questions and public testimony before making a decision on how she will cast her own vote on the issue. She also noted that the Native Hawaiian groups did get more than 12 million gallons of water a day restored to streams in the same watershed last year through an almost identical commission process.

Continue reading ‘Water staff: Restore one of 19 streams – The Maui News’

Reuters AlertNet – Micronesia atoll grows taro in concrete to hold off sea surges

Published on December 10, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes and Sustainability.

logo_reuters_media_us By Justin Nobel

YAP, Federated States of Micronesia (Alertnet) – Giant tides inundated the remote atolls of Micronesia last December, scouring beaches, damaging homes and inundating banana and taro crops. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, Emanuel Mori, declared a nationwide state of emergency and relief rice was shipped in.

But on several atolls in Yap, one of Micronesia’s four states, taro planted in elevated concrete pits survived.

"This is a way to save the people here," said Stephen Mara, an agriculture teacher at a high school in Yap.

Devastating tides, called "king tides," are one way sea level rise will manifest itself across the western Pacific in the coming decades, said Charles Fletcher, a University of Hawaii coastal geologist and co-author of a recent report on food security and climate risks in Micronesia.

Long before Pacific islands drown, as politicians and the media often predict, the islands may become uninhabitable from a lack of food. Fletcher, in particular, doesn’t think life on the atolls can last without constant humanitarian aid. But concrete may provide a respite, at least temporarily.

Continue reading ‘Reuters AlertNet – Micronesia atoll grows taro in concrete to hold off sea surges’

Restoring East Maui waterways considered – The Maui News

Published on October 17, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes.

maui-news-ad

Water panel chair: ‘There’s only hard decisions to make’

By ILIMA LOOMIS, Staff Writer

POSTED: October 17, 2009

PAIA – A year after a state Commission on Water Resource Management ruling poured more than 12 million gallons of water per day back into eight East Maui streams, the panel is considering a proposal to restore water to 19 other East Maui waterways.

Taro farmers and plantation workers crowded the Paia Community Center on Thursday, each side pleading for enough water to survive. Chairwoman Laura Thielen said the commission is expected to return with its decision in December.

Without enough water available to fully satisfy all the demand, the commission will have to find a balance among traditional, agricultural and residential users that is unlikely to make everybody happy.

"Water issues are very tough issues," Thielen said. "There’s no bad people here; there’s only hard decisions to make."

Continue reading ‘Restoring East Maui waterways considered – The Maui News’

Shave Ice – The Maui News

Published on September 30, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes and Water.

tbodysurf1

Shave Ice

By TOM STEVENS, For The Maui News

POSTED: September 30, 2009

Amid all the chatter and bluster of isle politics, there arise from time to time truly historic occasions. One of those is coming down on Maui next month.

On Oct. 15, the state Commission on Water Resource Management will hear closing arguments on the future of the Central Maui watershed. The 9 a.m. contested case proceeding should pack the Iao Congregational Church’s Konda Hall, so interested citizens will want to get there early. No public testimony will be taken.

To draw attention to this fateful session, a public "river walk" will be held this Friday afternoon from Iao Valley to Market Street in Wailuku. At the end of the walk, the Native Intelligence store will host water rights speakers during Wailuku’s "First Friday" festivities. Later the same day, commission staff members will travel to the Paia Community Center to seek public input from 5 to 9 p.m. on East Maui water issues.

The contested case proceeding takes as its prologue a startling "proposed decision" the commission’s hearings officer issued in April. At that time, Lawrence Miike recommended that the commission partially restore the historic flows of Central Maui’s famous "four waters" – the Waihee, Waiehu, Iao and Waikapu streams.

Continue reading ‘Shave Ice – The Maui News’

UH News: UH Mānoa CTAHR invites public to 2009 Waimanalo Research Station Field

Published on September 18, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Contact:

Miles Hakoda, (808) 956-3093

Posted: Sep. 18, 2009

The public is invited to take an up-close look at some exciting research and outreach activities in Hawai‘i agriculture.

Who: UH Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR)

What: Will host its 20th Waimanalo Research Station Field Day

When: Saturday, September 26, 9 a.m. to noon

Where: Waimānalo Research Station, 41-698 Ahiki Street

Visitors will have the opportunity to see:

* corn field trials.

* Kapi‘olani Community College’s Culinary Program.

* organic pepper and eggplant field trials.

* biotechnology outreach program.

* taro varieties collection (over 90 varieties).

* plumeria tree collection.

* cacao project.

* biofuel project.

* USDA erosion control project.

The public is encouraged to bring water and wear appropriate footwear, sunscreen, comfortable loose fitting clothing and hats for sun protection.

Continue reading ‘UH News: UH Mānoa CTAHR invites public to 2009 Waimanalo Research Station Field’

Latest Classifieds