Orchid Alley Orchids. Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Community Market

9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kauai Community College
Bring mom to the Kauai Community Market and focus on things you can do for her this weekend. Make breakfast in bed with Midnight Bear breads and croissants, Monkeypod Jams, Moloaa Bay Coffee and Kunana Dairy Goat cheese, along with a variety of tropical fresh fruit and greens. Special demonstrations include:

• Elvrine Chow of Heavenly Hakus ~ haku lei demonstration in the “hale” at 10:30 a.m.
• Jen Ortal ~ Plumeria lei activity: keiki make a lei for mom
• Kawaikini kids ~ floral bouquet fundraiser
• Terry Gordines always sells out of her bouquets, so come early
• Laurena Silva should also be there with her arrrangements

Sunday, May 12, Mother’s Day

Collin Darrell at the 2012 Kauai County Farm Fair Cook off with cotton candy made from local beets. Daniel Lane photo

Pop-up Dinner

Na Aina Kai, 5 to 8 p.m., $85 per person
Grow Culture is featuring a six-course progressive meal will be served tapas-style and the food will be paired with wines from Spain. Quinten Frye of Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar on Oahu will be the guest chef. Frye won the 2012 Hawaii Rising Star Sustainability Chef award by pushing for sustainability through supporting a network of Oahu farmers, using whole-animal butchery and making dishes that focus on line-caught fish and local octopus. You can learn more about Grow Culture in this week’s issue of MidWeek Kauai. For reservations call 808-722-6316.
Look for additional Mother’s Day menus on Tasting Kauai’s Facebook page. I will be posting menus from Roy’s, Ilima Terrace, Poipu Bay Golf Course, RumFire, Nanea, Makana Terrace and more. The May 8 issue of MidWeek Kauai will feature 10 fun and delicious things to eat on Mother’s Day.
Tuesday, May 14

Sam Adams Tap Takeover and Beer Paired Dinner

7 beers, 7 courses, 7 p.m., $60
Join the Feral Pig and Sam Adams for some great small production, food friendly beers to pair with a seven course meal. Space is limited. RSVP at the Feral Pig 808-246-1100.
Friday, May 17

Oahu resident Tara McKellar samples three preparations of taro. Daniel Lane photo

A Taste of Old Kauai

Waipa, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., $155
Tasting Kauai’s north shore tour is part agritourism and part ecotourism. We visit Waipa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians, which remains undeveloped. This one-of-a-kind experience was designed by Tasting Kauai and the Waipa Foundation especially for those who wish to learn about traditional agriculture systems, endangered wildlife, and enjoy real Hawaiian food saturated in Kauai’s rugged beauty.
Tucked in a valley and surrounded by towering mountain ranges, our guests learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. Waipa is nestled in the Hanalei Valley which is an is a Wildlife Refuge and endangered birds flourish here. We explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams.
At the “Poi Garage” we learn about Hawaii’s staff of life: taro, or kalo as it’s called here, and guests sample cooked taro corms, poi and kulolo, a traditional dessert made with coconut.
We tour the farm and learn how Waipa teaches kids about the circle of life through farm animals and gardens. Continuing through the property, we’ll learn the difference between native, canoe and introduced plants, while we walk to the Halulu Fishpond.

Guests learn the difference between native, canoe and introduced and plants at the Halulu Fishpond. Daniel Lane photo

Papaya’s Natural Food’s and Cafe 15th Anniversary Celebration

8 a.m. to 9 .p.m., free

• 15-percent off items store wide
• Free samples
• Free Tastings from local vendors such as Uncle Mikey’s Dried Fruit, Kauai Living Goodies, Kauai Kombucha, Lotus fudge, Da Cha Teas and Rick’s Hawaiian Gold Mustard
• Free Music by Madison and Paradise Found 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“We would like to thank the community for their continued support in making Papaya’s what it is today!” says event coordinator Chelsea. For more information, call 808-823-0190
Sunday, May 19

Lisa Fuller and Sun. Daniel Lane photo

One Song Farm: The Garden As Teacher Workshop

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,$36 per person, cash only please
Lisa and Sun will share their 30 years combined knowledge and experience in organic, bio-intensive gardening to the people of Kauai. Come prepared to be in the sun bring a water bottle, big hat, sunscreen and snacks. For experienced and novice gardeners. For more information, click here.
Wednesday, May 22

Deschutes Brewing Company Tap Takeover and Beer-Paired dinner

6 beers, 6 courses, 7 p.m., $55
Deschutes Brewing Company brewer Veronica Vega will be joining the Feral Pig for a 6 course beer paired dinner. Don’t miss the chance to meet one of the world’s most respected female brewers and listen to her talk about her beers. It’s going to be an unbelievably fun night of beer, food and knowledge! Space is limited so please sign up early. RSVP at the Feral Pig 246-1100
ONGOING:
May 23-26

12th Annual Kauai Polynesian Festival

Vidinha Stadium
All Kauai residents and visitors are welcome to attend the Kauai Polynesian Festival. The event kicks off with “A Polynesian Evening of Stars”, a Polynesian cultural protocol ceremony with Hawaiian and contemporary entertainment.
The weekend festival May 24-26 features Tahitian, Maori, Samoan and Hawaiian entertainment, Polynesian arts and crafts, solo and group dance competitions, food booths, workshops, and much more.
On May 23, there will be a fashion show and a newly added event, “U TINK U GET TALENT” a contest for youth and adult singers, dancers and musicians.
For more information, visit the Kauai Polynesian Festival website.

Sunshine Farmers Market in Kapaa. Daniel Lane photo

Farmers Market Class

Wednesdays, 3 to 4 p.m., $30
Learn how to select perfect produce, when it’s in season and how to cook with it during Tasting Kauai’s new one-hour farmers market classes. Marta Lane, Kauai based food and farm writer, teaches residents and visitors how to negotiate market pitfalls.
“One day I was at the farmers market and I saw friends who were visiting from Colorado,” says Tasting Kauai founder Marta Lane. “As we hugged and said hello, I saw a table full of near-rotten mangos. It was still snowing in Denver and my friends were excited about the big, beautiful tomatoes they just bought. Their faces fell when I told them they were not grown on Kauai. I felt bad for them, and was inspired to offer this class.”
Farmers markets are an affordable way to immerse yourself in local culture and the best place to buy produce that’s so fresh, it was harvested that morning. But buying at the farmers market doesn’t always insure that it was grown on Kauai.
It happens all over the world. In Hawaii, customers want mangos year-round. In Colorado, they want tomatoes in May. To make that sale, vendors buy imported mangoes or tomatoes and sell them as their own. Customers unfamiliar with the seasons can insure their dollars are spent on local products by learning how to identify locally grown produce.
There’s a whole world of delicious produce that many residents never try. Let’s face it, some of it looks like it came from another planet. Once unfamiliar produce is demystified and cooking tips are shared, it may become a regular at dinner table.
Many factors can make exotic produce expensive and the last thing you want to do is buy a pineapple that isn’t at peak perfection. This class will also teach you how to tell when produce is ripe as well as how to store it for best results.
Learn what to look for, the right questions to ask and how to prepare exotic ingredients. You’ll never get taken advantage of and you have a table full of delicious, local produce.
For reservations, call 808-635-0257.
UPCOMING:

Sampling seasonal fruit at Kilohana Plantation. Daniel Lane photo

A Culinary Romp Through Paradise

Various locations in Kapaa, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., $130
Tasting Kauai’s Culinary Tour offers an intimate glimpse into the Garden Island’s culinary scene. We start with a farm tour and learn about exotic fruit grown on Kauai. At the Kauai Marriott Resort, we join executive chef Guy Higa for an outdoor cooking demonstration and gourmet, four-course lunch made with Kauai grown ingredients. Our last stop is at Nani Moon Mead, where we’ll get an exclusive tour of Hawaii’s only meadery, and sample all five honey wines in the Nani Moon Mead collection. Ticket price includes a bottle of mead. You can read what LandingStanding said about this tour, or visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page. We have a Facebook photo album that shows how much fun the tour is, and our 5-Star TripAdvisor reviews. Chef Higa donates proceeds from his portion of the tour to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. For a complete list of 2013 dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.