Sustainable Initiatives by Andrea Dean

Ka Hana No’eau has another Kohala Style Lu’au on Saturday, February 5th, 9 am – 2 pm at the Kohala Intergenerational Center (Behind Hisaoka Gym in Kamehameha Park) in Kapa’au. Tickets are $45, call 884-5838 for reservations. The Kohala Style Lu‘au is a fundraiser for Ka Hana No‘eau’s 10 x 10 x 10,000 project, a taro growing project that addresses both food self-sufficiency and economic development in North Kohala. It was totally cool and I wrote an article about it for Ke Ola Magazine.


Ever been to a lu‘au and got to make your own lau lau? (Say that 10 times fast!) Ka Hana No‘eau and the Hawaii FFA Foundation have created the Kohala Style Lu‘au, where visitors and residents get mentored by Kohala locals in how to prepare all of the traditional lu‘au foods. And then, of course, you get to sit down and eat with your new mentors and friends. Funded by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Kohala Style Lu‘au brings visitors and new residents together to connect in an authentic way with the people and culture of the Kohala community. Read more, click on the picture below for the full article.

Food Prep with Friends: Day 28- My Experiments with Food Truth- 60 Days of Eating Locally Grown


Food preparation time definitely increases when you eat fresh, local food. Cassava needs to be peeled and grated. Taro needs to be boiled a few times. Veggies needs to be washed and cut. Dressing and sauces have to be made from scratch.


By getting together with a group in the Stone Soup Club with Chef Greg Menke, we processed a variety of local ingredients and made a delicious gourmet meal. The idea is to get together and process together whatever is abundant at the moment. Working all together (and chatting and listening to music!) we process a big quantity of normally hard to prepare items. Then everyone brings home food. We made fresh coconut milk, killer fruit punch with lilikoi, lemons, limes, jaboticaba, grapefruit and orange juice, breadfruit pudding, breadfruit home fries, soup stock, fish dumplings, grilled and marinated local beef, a big salad, bags of fresh herbs, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and more!

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‘Ulu and a Lamb Education: Day 27- My Experiments with Food Truth- 60 Days of Eating Locally Grown


I am happy to report that my tapioca pudding made from the fresh cassava I got yesterday came out awesome! It was a hit at the Eat Local Challenge potluck in Waimea tonight. I probably over cooked it, because I have that tendency. I cut the cassava in half and peeled it. Then I boiled the big root pieces. I was faced with grating all of that cassava and decided that I had to get a food processor. I had to go to Kona today and stopped in at Costco and bought a food processor for $79, which is possibly one of the best gifts I have ever given myself. I grated up all of that cassava in no time. Then I pulverized a good deal of it with milk and added honey, fresh cinnamon (locally grown from Richard Benton!) and eggs. You just have to bring it to a boil for a few minutes with the variety of cassava that I got. Different varieties have different levels of toxic cyanogenic glucosides, so knowing what you have and how to prepare it is important. Just ask the farmer or grow it yourself. Thankfully my son was home and willing to hang out and stir while I went to visit with Ralph Blancato to score some ulu.


Ralph and Laura have an amazing place where they grow a variety of native trees, hardwoods, fruit (great mangoes!), ulu and more. I will be cooking up the ulu tomorrow in our Stone Soup Club. Ralph also raises sheep for meat and he explained to me the difference between sheep, mutton, weaver, ewes, lamb and rams!

Crazy for Cassava (and Asparagus): Day 26- My Experiments with Food Truth- 60 Days of Eating Locally Grown


Today I visited with Richard Liebmann at Lokahi Farms and got some Cassava and Asparagus.



Cassava, a.k.a. manioc and tapioca, is according to wikipedia – the third-largest source of carbohydrates for meals in the world. Cassava is not as popular in Hawaii as it is in the South Pacific and other parts of the world, but it should be! It is very easy to grow- low maintenance and high yield. My kind of crop. I got a few cuttings from Richard and am going to plant one each in a gallon pot. Richard showed me how to harvest the cassava and explained how to prepare it.





I have already cut and peeled my cassava and am about to go and grate it to make tapioca pudding for a local foods pot luck tomorrow night. I will report back about how it comes out tomorrow. Click here for an article that Richard wrote about cassava with links to other resources.


I was lucky because I called Richard just after he had his first asparagus harvest. I ate the asparagus tonight with my local Hula Cows butter and Kona Sea Salt. Totally divine! Have you ever seen what asparagus looks like when it comes out of the ground? I never had. Check it out: