Sustainable Initiatives by Andrea Dean

HOLUALOA, HAWAI‘I – Hawaii Homegrown Food Network, the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, are presenting the Breadfruit Festival at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in South Kona on Saturday, September 24, 2011 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. The Garden will also be holding a dedication for its new visitor center at 12:00 noon on the Festival day. The Festival and dedication are free and open to the public.


The Breadfruit Festival celebrates the rich culture of breadfruit (‘ulu) in Hawai‘i and the Pacific, raises awareness about the importance of breadfruit for food security and teaches about the many delicious ways to prepare breadfruit.


A highlight of the day will be cooking demonstrations by local celebrity chefs, food booths featuring breadfruit and other local favorites prepared by Hawai‘i Island’s finest chefs, and the “I Love Breadfruit” Cook-Off Contest where anyone may enter their favorite breadfruit dish to compete for prizes.


The Breadfruit Festival will also feature Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultural activities including ‘Ulumaika (breadfruit bowling), talks on the culture and history of breadfruit, ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, woodworking, quilting demonstrations, tapa making, ‘ulu poi making and more.


Workshops on breadfruit propagation, tree care and maintenance, economic opportunities, the Hunger Initiative and other topics will be given by experts Dr. Diane Ragone and Ian Cole of the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.


An art exhibit will feature the finalists in a fine art contest which focuses on the beauty of breadfruit, and a youth poster contest. Breadfruit trees will be available for sale on festival day, but supplies are limited and advance purchase for pick up at the festival is encouraged by contacting hooulu@hawaiihomegrown.net.


In addition to the September 24th Breadfruit Festival in South Kona, an East Side festival spearheaded by project partners Ho‘oulu Lahui and Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School will be held March 2-3, 2012.


Learn more about the Breadfruit Festival by visiting www.breadfruit.info.


The Breadfruit Festival is a program of Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu—Revitalizing Breadfruit, a project of the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network to revitalize ‘ulu as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food that addresses Hawai‘i’s food security issues. The Breadfruit Festival is sponsored in part by the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s Kūkulu Ola—Living Hawaiian Culture Program.

The Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network are presenting a workshop entitled Revitalizing ‘Ulu (Breadfruit) from Root to Fruit on Saturday, March 12th at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in South Kona and Sunday, March 13th at Kua O Ka La Charter School in Puna (near Ahalanui County Park) – both workshops take place from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. The content of the two workshops is identical.


Workshop participants will learn about the breadfruit tree from root to fruit, including: culture and history, propagation, planting, pruning, fertilizing, harvesting, preparing and eating.


Workshop presenters include Ian Cole, Craig Elevitch and Andrea Dean. Cultural practitioners from each workshop location will share about the culture and history of ‘ulu. Ian Cole is the Collection Manager and Curator for the Breadfruit Institute. He manages the breadfruit collections at Kahanu Garden in Hana, Maui and McBryde Garden in Lawai, Kauai. Craig Elevitch of Agroforestry Net and the Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network will speak to the role of ‘ulu in traditional agroforestry systems. Andrea Dean, Co-Director of the Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu project, will discuss the statewide initiative to revitalize breadfruit.


Cost of the workshop is $40 per person or $70 for two. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Register by visiting www.breadfruit.info or by contacting Pedro Tama at pedro[at]hawaiihomegrown.net or 938-5618. Participants are asked to bring a brown bag lunch or food to share.


Revitalizing ‘Ulu (Breadfruit) from Root to Fruit is a program of Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu–a project of the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network to revitalize ‘ulu as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food that addresses Hawai‘i’s food security issues.

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.

This is from Amanda Reiux at Mala’ai- The Culinary Garden at Waimea Middle School

Mrs. Robertson’s 8th grade Advisory class made a 100% local (from Hawaii) lunch. Eating locally grown and harvested food is sustainable. It is good for our local economy, good for our farmers (and friends), good for the environment, good for the land, good for our health, fun and tasty. Menu: Taro stovetop fritatta with leeks and herbs Cassava hash browns Guacamole Chili and lime dipping sauce sweet potatoes Watermelon Sweet coconut milk with kalo, sweet potato, and pandanas leaf coconut water

Butter, baby: Day 5- My Experiments with Food Truth- 60 Days of Eating Locally Grown
It’s a good day on the local foods front when one scored LOCALLY MADE BUTTER! I saw local butter on Vivienne Aronowitz’s Eat Local Week Menu Ideas, but I didn’t know where to score it. A fortuituos meeting with Mala’ai Garden leader Amada Rieux brought me to the butter. Amanda led the way to Tropical Dreams Ice Cream at the Lalamilo Farms lots where I met Kevin Cabrera of Sandwich Isle Bread Company (No I didn’t eat the bread, although, believe me, I wanted it BAD). Kevin’s wife Kay Cabrera is making the butter, brand name Hula Cow, with Tropical Dreams. Tropical Dreams, by the way, makes delicious ice cream from cream from local dairies and local fruit! What better way to enjoy this creamy butter but on fresh local corn? (I admit I did eat a big glob off a butter knife first, it’s that good.)





You can buy the butter in Waimea on Saturday at the Parker School Farmer’s Market, Tuesday afternoon at Kekela Farms (down Mana Road on the left) and if you catch someone there at the Tropical Dreams office at the Lalamilo Farm Lots.