Kalo connections

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,”

TheGardenIsland.com – Managing uncertainty

IAL meeting creates more questions than answers

By Lois Ann Ell – Special to The Garden Island

Published: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:11 AM HST

KAPA‘A — What began as an informational meeting about the designation of important agricultural lands turned into a heated discussion about Kaua‘i’s agricultural future.

Dr. Karl Kim, a professor at the UH Department of Urban and Regional Planning, presented a slide show of the Koloa-Po‘ipu pilot agricultural lands study he and his colleagues conducted for the Land Use Commission. He was the guest speaker at the monthly Wailua-Kapa’a Neighborhood Association meeting Monday night at the Kapa’a Library.

Recent ‘Awa (Kava Kava) Harvest

Uaka Kava of Hilo Hawaii have recently restocked ‘Awa (Kava Kava) powder they make from the dried fresh root of the Mahakea variety grown on the Big Island. This powder is for sale on their website:
http://www.mauikava.com

There still continues to be a shortage of fresh root due to the disruption in planting caused by BfArM (German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) erroneously linking fresh ‘Awa root to liver damage in 2001. This was subsequently disproved by UH Scientists:

A team of University of Hawai’i scientists may have solved the mystery of why some Europeans who used products containing kava extract suffered severe liver damage, prompting a number of nations to ban sales of the herbal supplement.
Read Complete Honolulu Advertiser article . . .

There have actually been reports of health benefits from using ‘Awa root:
American Association for Cancer Research
Fiji Times

When the supply is normal Uka Kava makes dried fresh root powder processed from these varieties:Uka Kava
‘Awa Hanakapi ‘ai
‘Awa Hiwa
‘Awa Honokane Iki
‘Awa Kumakua
‘Awa Mahakea
‘Awa Mapulehu
‘Awa Pana’ewa
‘Awa Mo’i
‘Awa Nene
‘Awa ‘Opihikao
‘Awa Papa ‘Ele’ele
‘Awa Papa Kea
‘Awa Papa’ Ele’ele Pu’upu’u

During fresh root shortages Uka Kava offers their “Hang Loose Instant Kawa” product which many people prefer anyway due to ease of preparation.

Uka Kava also has a Woodworking Division which produces bowls and other objects made from exotic local woods such as Koa, Milo, Pride of India (China berry), and Norfolk pine.