Raine Servantes looks after tomatoes in the greenhouse at Wilcox Elementary School in Lihue. Daniel Lane photo

School Gardens in Hawaii

A 2012 study conducted by the Hawaii Farm to School and School Garden Hui found that there are 168 school gardens across the state with 21,577 participating students, 830 teachers, 1,500 volunteers, on 30 acres of land! Fourteen schools on Kauai participated. That’s great news because this past week, I’ve been checking out the Hawaii DOE cafeteria food photos Facebook page, and the food our kids are being served I wouldn’t give to my dogs!
Hawaii school garden students grew and harvested healthy snacks; created farmers markets; integrated science; math; social studies; literature and arts; and learned social skills and teamwork. Research indicates that children who participate in school gardens and farm to school programs develop healthier lifestyles and life-long eating habits, improve academic performance, provide real-life learning about sustainability and ecoliteracy  while creating stronger community connections.
I don’t think we need studies to prove this. I think we all know that gardening is excellent exercise for body, mind and spirit and good, wholesome foods come from it. Our school gardens need support. If you’d like to help, or want more
information, visit the Kokua Foundation Hawaii website.
March 15 is the final day to sign up for the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program for the School Year 2013-2014, so tell your principals about it. All schools received an email a few weeks ago from the DOE Office of Child Nutrition and they have the application, but they have not had filled it out and sent it in.
The Program gives between $50-75 per pupil per year for fresh fruits and vegetable snacks. Ninety percent of the funds go to food purchases and 10 percent to administrative costs. This is a great opportunity to move locally produced produce into our schools and into our children’s nutritional school food program. This program is for K-8 grades only.

Nina Starsongand Ivo Monroe Miller at Mahiko Lounge. Daniel Lane photo

Mahiko Lounge

Mahiko Lounge is now open daily from 11:30 a.m. “5 at 5” Happy Hour runs Monday through Saturday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Live music Thursday through Saturday nights. Thursday night is “Mahiko Martini Night” with $5 select martinis served all night long.
“5 at 5” Happy Hour

• Five Select Pupus $5 each
• Mahiko Hot Wings-with spicy sugar cane glaze & blue chesese
• Edemame & Cashews-Togarashi spiced, truffled Kabayaki
• Coconut Popcorn Shrimp-with citrus ponzu sauce
• Kalua Pork Flautas-with avocado cream & pico de gallo
• Beef Satay-spicy teriyaki-peanut sauce
• $3 select beer, $5 well drinks, $6 select wine, $2 off Mai Tais

EVENTS:
Sunday, March 3
Waimea Theater, 2 p.m., free

Atrazine In Waimea School Water

Dr. Tyrone Hayes, a professor at Berkley, will speak at an event hosted by the lawyers involved in the westside GMO lawsuit. Dr. Hayes will speak about Atrazine, a chemical that is widely used by corn companies. This chemical was found in drinking water at Waimea Canyon School, but was said to be in a safe zone. Dr. Hayes will be joined by Hawaiian activist Walter Ritte and the Maui health officer Dr. Lorrin Pang. Here is a clip of Dr. Hayes on a PBS real scientists show.

Around the World of Plants

KCC Campus Center Cafeteria, 5:30 p.m., free
National Tropical Botanical Garden(NTBG) and Kauai Community College (KCC) have announced a new lecture series, Around the World of Plants. The first lecture of the series will feature Professor Sir Ghillean Prance on ‘Ethnobotany of the Guarani of the Argentina Rain Forests’. The next two lectures in the Around the World of Plants series are on April 23  with NTBG Director Chipper Wichman with a film showing of A King in China: the Life of Joseph Francis Rock. On May 21, NTBG Librarian Richard Hanna will discuss ‘Captain Cook’s Artists in the Pacific’. NTBG and KCC have collaborated to bring this series to the public as they share a common goal of quality education to change lives. For more information visit the NTBG website.

CKMS Street Fair

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Campus, 5 to 8 p.m.
Once a month, Chiefess students organize the CKMS Street fair, a fundraiser for student field trips. Choir students are responsible for the February event and proceeds will be used for a music competition in California. Food trucks include JC’s Puerto Rican Kitchen, Paco’s Tacos, Hanalei Taro & Juice Co., Kauai Marriott Resort, Yamato’s Ice Cream, as well as fresh squeezed juice, kettle corn, and saimin. Craft vendors will set up stalls and kids can play in the bounce house, get their face painted or play games. A bingo game starts at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place on campus at 4431 Nohou St., Lihue.
Sunday, March 10

Spring Detox Workshop

5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Healthy Hut Market & Cafe, Free
Gretchen Imdieke, ND, will be speaking on natural methods of detoxification, signs to look for that may suggest when our bodies are in need of detox and what type of detox we should choose to address certain symptoms. Dr. Gretchen Imdieke graduated from Bastyr University with a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine. She now lives in Kilauea and is a practicing naturopath at Ohana Health Care Center. Imdieke is experienced in treating gastrointestinal disorders, thyroid disorders, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal pain, and autoimmune conditions.
Friday, March 15

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. Our last stop is at The Feral Pig where we’ll learn about how the Koloa Rum Co. makes their award-winning rum. Afterwards, Dave Power, co owner and bartender will show us how to make two cocktails, which we get to drink! 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 today we got a 5-Star TripAdvisor review for last week’s tour! For a complete list of 2013 dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.
 
 
 

Get Kauai Grown seeds from Regenerations Botanical Garden at the Seed Exchange. Daniel Lane photo

11th Biannual Seed and Plant Exchange

Church of the Pacific in Princeville, 5 p.m., free
Regenerations Botanical Garden is joining forces with Ohana o Kauai, who will offer an all Kauai luau at the seed exchange, a service they regularly perform at special events on the north shore. “Food like chayote, tapioca, kalo, chaya and ulu are some of the plants that often show up at the seed exchange, but are new to many people’s taste buds. Ohana o Kauai’s gift of aloha grinds is the perfect way to share the abundance and diversity of what we can grow and eat here on the Garden Island”, says Jill Richardson, event co-founder and organizer.
The event will showcase dozens of tables of seeds, cuttings, and potted plants that community participants bring to share. Felicia Cowden of Regenerations says, “this is a generosity party celebrating the potential of our homegrown food and plants. It’s important for our leaders to see the strength of our combined citizenry, people who want food independence and resilience, individual sovereignty and home rule.”
To find out more visit the Regenerations Botanical Garden’s website, or call 652-4118.

Kalua Turkey lau lau made by Waipa’s chef for the Kalo Festival. Daniel Lane photo.

A Taste of Old Kauai

Waipa, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., $155
Tasting Kauai offers this new tour of the Waipa ahupuaa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians to settle on Kauai. Guests are saturated in timeless beauty as they learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. This one-of-a-kind experience was designed for those who wish to explore traditional agriculture and food, and how it relates to today. In a verdant valley surrounded by majestic peaks, guests explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams. While learning about Hawaii’s staff of life: taro, or kalo as it’s known in Hawaii, guests sample cooked taro corms, poi and kulolo, a traditional dessert made with coconut. Lunch, prepared by Waipa’s chef, changes seasonally and is made with vegetables grown in onsite gardens, locally sourced meat or fish, and mamaki tea with lemongrass and mint. Afterwards, will visit a garden and learn the difference between native, canoe and introduced plants. For more information, visit our A Taste of Old Kauai page or call 808-635-0257.
 
 

Dragon fruit is a special summertime treat. Daniel Lane photo

Value-Added Innovation for Hawaii Growers: Making the Family Farm Profitable

Kalaheo, National Tropical Botanical Garden, free
This workshop helps growers hone their skills at adding value to their products and services. Competing with cheap imported agricultural goods, many Hawaii farms have a difficult time selling their products profitably as raw commodities. The workshop will show how Hawaii farm enterprises can differentiate their products to become more profitable, and therefore viable businesses.
The workshop will be led by Craig Elevitch, Ken Love, and specialist presenters at each workshop location. Elevitch is an agroforestry educator whose most recent book Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands (2011), provides insights into sustainable cultivation and processing techniques for local and export markets with an emphasis on production methods, postharvest processing, and marketing. Love, widely known as a passionate advocate for the innovative small farm, is co-owner of Love Family Farms in Kona, Hawai’i, which produces a range of value-added products including jams, jellies, dried fruits, and coffee.
For more information and to register, visit the Value Added website or call 808-756-9437.
UPCOMING: 
Monday, April 29

The Power of the Indigenous: Native Success in Education and in Life

This event takes place in Honolulu, but I thought I’d post it because there is a lot of interest in this subject. Indigenous Educators, Ku-A-Kanaka and the Native American Alliance for Charter Schools (NAACS) presents The Power of the Indigenous: Native Success in Education and in Life, at the Hawaii Convention Center, in conjunction with Pacific Rim 2013 International Conference on Disabilities and Diversity.
This one-day Indigenous Education Institute brings together Hawaiian-focused and Native American Charter School leaders, as well as other global Indigenous educators to share Best Practices in Indigenous Education.
Topics include:

• Native Values Inform Modern Instruction
• Pedagogy of Place Drives 21st Century Curriculum
• Traditional Practices Shape Modern Assessments
• Local Communities Impart Global Skills and Responsibility

Each of the four 90-minute exchanges will be moderated by a facilitator and involve four, 15-minute speaker presentations, followed by a 15-minute small group discussion on the same topic, with the final 15 minutes to be used for discussion summaries and comments from the audience.
For more information about the Institute, or other information re: PacRim 2013 visit http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/pacriminfo/pacrim2013/specialevents/indigenous/, or call me at (808) 775-0867.
KU-A-KANAKA – Indigenous Institute for Culture and Language
P.O. Box 1764 Honoka’a, Hawai’i 96727
808-775-0867
ONGOING:
March 16 – March 30

Prince Kuhio Week

Two weeks of numerous events are set to celebrate Prince Kuhio’s birthday (an official state holiday in Hawaii). Kuhio was one of Hawaii’s most beloved alii (royalty) and statesmen. Located in Poipu, Eleele, Lihue and Wailua these events provide many interactive educational sessions about Hawaiian cultural practices and arts. Most events are free to the public. There are also diverse opportunities for entertainment and observing cultural traditions as well as attending luaus, an outrigger canoe race and commemorative ceremonies honoring Kuhio and his efforts to foster Hawaiian values. Proud to be a part of the Prince Kuhio Celebration. For more information, visit the Prince Kuhio website.

Foodie Highlights:

White, red and pink Hanapepe Sea Salt. Daniel Lane photo

Dining on the lanai at Plantation Gardens. Daniel Lane photo

Entrepreneurial Apiary Workshop

Kauai Community College

•  March 16, 23
• April 6,13,26,27
• May 3

Jimmy Trujillo offers four comprehensive classes beginning with an Introduction to Honey Harvest. Each class is $25. Register for all four classes at once and get the whole package for $75. Call 808-245-8318 for details.

RumFire’s Big Eye Tuna with Kauai Kunana Dairy feta. Daniel Lane photo

RumFire

After raising over $18,000 in four months with its “You Dine, We Donate” charity program, RumFire Poipu Beach announces it will continue raising funds for local charities in March. All food and beverage proceeds at RumFire Poipu Beach’s Table #53 will be donated to the The Kauai Independent Food Bank for the March fundraiser.
RumFire Poipu Beach, located within Sheraton Kauai Resort, features Hawaiian-rooted cuisine with a global. Guests dining at RumFire enjoy 180-degree oceanfront views from all 240 seats. Facing the beautifully landscaped Ocean Courtyard and inviting fire pits, Table #53 is prime seating for viewing Kauai’s lovely sunsets. A new menu features enticing dinner additions and exciting new cocktails – including a flaming Mai Tai – and is further reason to enjoy a night out to support a great cause.
The Kauai Independent Food Bank is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization that has served the Kauai community since 1994, distributing over 12.5 million pounds of food, equating to over 16.6 million meals.
“We are thrilled to assist a local charity that does so much good for our island,” says Sheraton Kauai Resort General Manager Chip Bahouth. “As a member of this community, we are proud to offer Table 53 as a fun and delicious way to raise money for worthy causes.”
Patrons who are interested in participating in RumFire’s month-long “You Dine, We Donate” program are encouraged to make reservations in advance by calling 808.742. 4786 and requesting Table #53. The table will be available on a first come, first serve basis. All food and beverage proceeds at Table #53 during dinner service will be donated to The Kauai Independent Food Bank, gratuity will be paid to the server and taxes will be remitted to the State of Hawaii.
For more information visit the RumFire Poipu Beach website or call 808-742-1661.