Sweet and Dry: Day 4- My Experiments with Food Truth- 60 Days of Eating Locally Grown
Solved the problem of the local buzz today when some friends gave me some mead- sweet, dry and rose. I will report back when I imbibe. I also scored some homemade lilikoi jam and a huge taro root. Not having bread or crackers is a bit of a challenge, I am dying to put the lilikoi jam on a cracker! Anyone have any kiawe, ulu or taro flour?
The biggest challenge I am having so far is really one of preference, not of availability of food. There is plenty of local food available- and a wide variety at that- but what I want is another story. Sure, I can have poi with honey for breakfast, but will I continue to do that? Unlikely. I will probably go back to toast. That being said, eating no processed foods makes me realize how eay it is to slip into a diet that has way too much bread and pasta going on. I am feeling great- lighter and stronger.
What I ate today:
-Mountain Apple brand Eggs Omelet with kale, Hamakua mushrooms, Puna goat feta, basil and green onions
-Carrot-ginger soup
-Opihi
-Crabs
-Spinach salad
-Mango
-Steamed Soybeans
-Cucumber with goat cheese
-Sautéed Eggplant
Costco and Crabs: Day 3- My Experiments with Food Truth- 60 Days of Eating Locally Grown
Yesterday I bought the “local” local food and today I ate it- my first experience with the local crabs (live on video, below!). Today I took a trip to Costco to pick up some pictures and took the opportunity to check out the local food scene.
Costco, the place where many people (more confessions, myself included) buy a lot of their food, has quite a bit of locally grown vegetables and some fruit.
I did not see any organiclocal fruits and veggies at Costco and most of the produce was from Oahu, with a few exceptions- the Papayas from Hilo (GMO papaya? I am not sure), purple sweet potatoes from Molokai, Hamakua Springs tomatoes and Hamakua Mushrooms. I am guessing that in order to supply Costco a farm would have be pretty well industrialized and is probably not practicing sustainable and regenerative farming techniques. (I would love to be proven wrong- send examples if you have any!) I think we would all agree that our preferred future would not include adding chemicals to the soil or spraying our vegetables. It would also be ideal, in my humble opinion, if our food was produced on smaller homesteads or diversified family farms- and if this food was more easily accessible. Farmers markets are hot these days, to be sure, but most people still buy their food at the food store or at Costco. Do we need more co-ops? Do buyers need to be more flexible? Do we need more direct farmer-to-consumer distribution systems? Knowing we are currently importing 90% of our food- do we need large scale local farms to tip the import balance? I love the idea that we all produce food and trade…but it is more of an ideal than a reality for me. I am more of a shopper than a grower, more likely to help organize food systems than supply the food. If I had to survive on what I grow in my yard today I would starve. (I did cook up some of my container garden grown kale in my kale, Hamakua mushroom, Puna goat cheese, green onion, Mountain Apple Brand Egg omelet this morning!)
So go ahead blog readers, give it to me...are you pro buying local food in Costco or anti buying local food in Costco? When expressing your opinion, I would like to know how large a family you are feeding and how that effects your purchasing behavior.
Now to the crabs…
By the way- what I ate today:
squid luau
crabs
opihi
cucumber with goat cheese
carrot-ginger soup
omelet with goat cheese, hamakua mushrooms and green onions
mango
banana
Today was one of those embarrassing haole days. After dance class (Nia) I stopped by the Hawi farmers market to do some connecting with people about the North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Campaign and to try to score some food, of course. What I got was local food, and an education in “local” local food, as in Hawaiian foods. I have always steered clear of “local” local food because I don’t eat pork, prefer brown rice and can not abide the calories in even one scoop of macaroni salad. However, I love real local Hawaiian food. A booth at the corner caught my eye…squid luau, opihi, limu and crab. Score! I ordered all of the above, but realized that I didn’t know what to do with the limu, opihi or the crab. I have had opihi and limu at luaus before, but they were prepared for me. I have never eaten the Hawaiian crab. Totally embarrassing! How could I have been living here for 20 years and not know how to prepare those foods. And worse yet, I don’t know how to harvest those foods. No wonder why locals give me the sideways eye when I talk about eating locally. I know nothing about eating “local” locally! Someone teach me please!
When I got home from the market, I delved into making my local lunch.
Is your community interested in local food self-reliance? The North Kohala community came together on August 22nd at the North Kohala Food Forum to discuss how we can supply more of our food from local sources. Check out the North Kohala Food Forum video on You Tube:
On August 22, 2009, the North Kohala community convened the North Kohala Food Forum. The Food Forum focused on the commercial production, distribution and sale of food in the community. The Food Forum looked at consumption from the viewpoint of the local retailers, restaurants, & caterers.
The North Kohala Food Forum recognized that home food production, hunting, fishing and gathering are critical to overall food self-sufficiency in the community. In addition, the Forum recognized that there is a long-standing tradition of the informal sharing of food with one another. However, the measurement and discussion about how this informal economy contributes towards our community goal was beyond the scope of the North Kohala Food Forum. Gathering information on home food production and sharing was just too big a fish to fry.
Now, under the guidance of Guy Kaulukukui, Director of the Kohala Center’s Food Self-Reliance Project, student volunteers from the University of Hawaii-Hilo are conducting a pilot study in North Kohala surveying consumer behavior and preferences with regards to local food.
From the Kohala Center’s Guy Kaulukukui, Director of Food Self-Reliance Project:
North Kohala Consumer Food Survey
What:
Community canvassing to conduct a consumer survey looking at issues related to household consumption and production of food in North Kohala.
When:
On Saturday, October 17, 2009 between the hours of 10:30am and 3:30pm, volunteers will be going door-to-door in North Kohala to conduct the consumer survey.
Where:
North Kohala, focusing on residential areas between Kokoiki and Keokea.
Why:
The survey aims at gaining a better understanding of the North Kohala community’s consumer preferences as it relates to home production and consumption of FOOD. Results of this survey will help guide the North Kohala community in reaching it’s goal of producing 50 percent of the food that it consumes.
How:
Under the guidance of The Kohala Center, student volunteers from the University of Hawaii-Hilo will be distributing surveys to households in North Kohala. Surveys are in print form consisting of approximately 30 questions and should take approximately 10-15 minutes to fill out.
Mahalo in advance for allowing us in your community and for participating in the consumer survey.
