Collecting Produce for the Garden Island Range & Food Festival

The Garden Island Range & Food Festival (GIRFF) is this Sunday at Kilohana Plantation. It’s the ultimate locavore paina (party) in which the restaurants, ranchers and farmers of Kauai donate their time and product for a family friendly community event.

According to Wikipedia, “A locavore is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. One often cited, but not universal, definition of “local” food is food grown within 100 miles of its point of purchase or consumption.”

The food at GIRFF is hyper-local because nothing comes from more than 34 miles away. This year, we have had the pleasure to be on the committee, me as farm chairperson, and Dan as treasurer. We have been donating our time and talents since January to the non profit event that benefits students in the Culinary Arts Program at the Kauai Community College.

Jerry Ornellas of Jerry’s Farm in front of a longan tree. Daniel Lane photo

Yesterday, we drove from Waipa to Lihue to pick up produce. As our truck filled with vibrant, just harvested produce, my heart swelled with gratitude by the farmers’ generosity, despite a difficult growing season.

It was another glorious Kauai morning as we drove the rented U-Haul into the parking lot of the Kapaa Ball Park. Josie Green of Mariando Aranda Farm handed us her donation: a box of slender Japanese eggplant and another box of bright red cherry tomatoes.

As she pulls away, Jerry Ornellas of Jerry’s Farm, and the newly elected president of the Kauai County Farm Bureau, pulls up.

“The drought on Kauai has been rough on us,” he says, handing Dan a 25-pound box of longan that was special ordered by The Garden Cafe at Common Ground. “We haven’t had much this year. This is all I have left.” I smile, knowing this donation is from the heart. I give him a hug and heartfelt thank you.

As we climb into the U-Haul, my phone pings with a new email:

“Unfortunately, Common Ground Kauai will not be able to participate on Sunday. We apologize for the inconvenience and wish you a fun, successful event! Please know this is something beyond our control and definitely not an event we would have opted to miss . . . cancel the lamb delivery or redirect it since we cannot use them.”

This is the lamb I framed my story around in the Nov. 13 issue of MidWeek Kauai. I call the GIRFF chef chair Ben Takahashi, who calls GIRFF range chair Duane Shimogawa of Aakukui Ranch. Dan and I head north.

The lamb is from AkuaMakanalani Ranch in Kilauea. Daniel Lane photo

The Waipa Foundation has already delivered poi to the Kalaheo Cafe, and are scheduled to deliver taro to the St. Regis. As we pick up four huge trash bags of crisp and lacy kale, they ask me if I want to collect recipe entries for the Kalo Festival on Dec. 1.

Kalo is the Hawaiian name for taro, and the event includes music, food, a contest for the biggest kalo, and a contest for the best kalo recipe. Besides collecting entry forms and assigning entry numbers to the recipes, I will be responsible for picking two judges from the crowd. The third judge will be Waipa’s staff chef. So, if you’d like to judge the recipe contest, come find me at Waipa.

Heading south, we stop at  North Country Farms. Lee Roversi’s eldest son Sky is in the garden, the early afternoon sun reflecting off his bare back. His mom is looking at retirement, and Sky is slowly taking her place. As we walk into the barn, Bay, Lee’s youngest son, is drying off after a swim in the ocean. Lee gives us  a bag of “super sweet, super juicy” oranges, Mexican oregano, curry leaves, and lemongrass. Her daughter Nell calls as we leave.

As we pull into Olana Organic Farm, my phone pings again. Two chefs want to know if they can get permission, green papaya, lime, cilantro, scallions, tomatoes, braising greens, cooked taro leaves and avocados. We load baby carrots with tops, baby carrots without tops, Swiss chard, red Russian kale, baby pak choi, red turnips, Italian parsley, breadfruit, mint, and yacon into the U-Haul, while a young lady named Katie goes to harvest green papaya.

Ben calls to say Rodger Liang of RumFire is trading his beef heart for lamb. Yes! Now I just have to worry about Jerry’s longan.

We are scheduled to meet Ken Lindsey, owner of Ono Organics, at the Moloaa Fruit Stand at 2 p.m. It’s 1:30, so we decide to get some lunch there.

Linda, Richie and Leighton Yoshii. Daniel Lane photo

Dan negotiates the U-Haul onto a strip of grass as Richie Yoshii of Yoshii Farm drives by. The Yoshii family grows tropical fruit on more than 30 acres in Moloaa. Dickie and Linda started farming in 1975 on Kauai, and their son Richie is picking up the business as his folks prepare to retire. His mom still works three markets. We are supposed to pick up their donation at the Kapaa Farmers Market later in the day, but the farm is just five minutes away and Richie decides to bring it to the fruit stand.

The lunch line is long and we fill the time taking with Lee Roversi, who is there to grab a quick shake to take with her while she runs errands. Dan orders a turkey sandwich and I order the Cucumber with Kunana Chèvre sandwich.

Our lunch isn’t ready by the time Richie returns, so I wait while Dan piles apple bananas, avocados, key limes, rosemary, squash and dragon fruit into the U-Haul.

I have to digress for a moment and tell you about my sandwich, which is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The whole grain bread is slathered with a generous amount of Kauai Kunana Dairy goat cheese. Cucumbers, carrots, tomato, lettuce and red onion are piled on. It is a thing of beauty, and very delicious.

Cucumber with Kunana Chèvre sandwich.

Just as I pop the last bite into my mouth, Ken shows up looking like he’s just left a Hollywood movie set. His brown hair hangs to his shoulders and is bleached from hours in the sun, but his short mustache and goatee are still dark brown. A floppy straw hat shades his face and teardrop shaped sunglasses with shiny silver lenses conceal his eyes. A loose, long-sleeved shirt hangs open, and his sandal clad toes are wet, the cuticles stained with red dirt. He has just finished harvesting our produce, his farm is also five minutes away.

Ken donates radish, dill, and key limes, which we pile into the U-Haul and head to the Kapaa Farmers Market. I’m lucky that most of the farmers sell there, as it’s blistering hot and we are ready to call it a day.

While Dan parks at the far end of the market, I hop out and hit up the Hanalei Taro & Juice Co. food truck. They, along with Kauai Kunana Dairy, have been allowed into the produce only market because they sell value added products made with items grown at their farm.

Hanalei Taro & Juice Co. is owned by W.T. Haraguchi Farm who donates raw taro, cucumbers, and lemons. They don’t have cooked taro leaves so I’ll pick them up at the Kauai Community Market on Saturday.

Lyndsey Haraguchi of W.T. Haraguchi Farm. Daniel Lane photo

Moloaa Organicaa donates a big box of pak choi, green onions and rosemary; Kauai Glory Farm donates a box of beautiful curly kale, and Rainbow Gardens donates their crispy sprout mix, sprouted garbanzo beans and mung bean sprouts.

Kauai Kunana Dairy donates cherry tomatoes, chard, basil (lemon, cinnamon and purple), rosemary, cilantro, limes, tangerines, grapefruit, and two pounds of their newly released gorgonzola.

Kailani Farm is one of the most productive farms on the island. They grow greens on 14-acres and their produce can be found in most of the restaurants and grocery stores on Kauai. Owner Phil Davies has accounts with 13 of the 14 participating restaurants. He has already coordinated with the chefs and Friday he’ll deliver his donation of spring mix, braising greens, ginger, romaine, mizuna, arugula, and kale.

We have one last stop in Lihue. Kauai Nursery & Landscaping is donating 30 pounds of breadfruit. Sandy Nishek, daughter of owner Lelan Nishek, pulls the heavy fruit from a cooler filled with ice water. “Bread fruit keeps best if it’s stored in ice water,” she says, ” it stops it from going ripe.”

Hot, dehydrated and exhausted, Dan and I roll out of the U-Haul and unload our treasure into the cooler at Gaylord’s.

Today, Ben Takahashi and Duane Shimogawa are delivering it, along with beef from Aakukui Ranch and William Sanchez, to the restaurants. Kauai Shrimp is delivering to the Westin Princeville tomorrow; Kaneshiro Farms is delivering their pork to Tiki Tacos, and the goat from Kauai Kunana Dairy has been delivered to the Kalaheo Cafe. Now, it’s time for the chefs to get cookin’!

The event is this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kilohana Plantation. Tickets are $35, half price for children, free under 5 years of age. Visit the Garden Island Range & Food Festival website for more information. Here’s a list of participating chefs and restaurants:

• The St. Regis Princeville Resort – Leanne Kamekona
• Living Foods Market – Jim Moffat
• Merriman’s Fish House, Poipu – Mark Arriola
• Sheraton Kauai Resort – Roger Laing
• Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club – Guy Higa
• Hukilau Lanai – Ron Miller
• The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas – Jason Sessions
• Yum Cha at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa – Reno Rodriguez
• Roy’s Poipu Bar and Grill – Melanie Nowles
• Gaylord’s at Kilohana – Halley Archbold
• The Club at Kukuiula – Ben Takahashi
• Tiki Tacos – Hilda “Tiki” Morales
• Contemporary Flavors Catering – Gavin Onishi
• Kalaheo Cafe – John Ferguson
• Lappert’s Hawaii – Gilbert Moniz and Mary Pratt
• The Right Slice – Sandy Poehnelt
• Kauai Coffee Company – Steve Davis and Melissa Gregory