NEWS:

Four stages of noni growth. Daniel Lane photo

Hawaiian Health Ohana

If you’ve perused these webpages for awhile, you likely know that I am a huge fan of noni. As a freelance writer, I write. A lot. Awhile back, my right forearm was seriously complaining and I couldn’t type. I had deadlines, so I used my left hand! Lucky for me, I’m pretty ambidextrous. I may have even been left handed before school put me in the right hand box. Anyway, I posted a picture of me writing with my left hand on my personal Facebook page because I thought it was kind of funny. My friend Ryan Wooton of Kauai Kunana Dairy suggested I use Hawaiian Health Ohana’s noni lotion. They squeeze a lot of udders for their yummy goat cheese, and that’s what they use. Now, this is no lie. I spread some on and it took away the pain. Completely. And it hasn’t come back! When I did a story about owner Steve Frailey in MidWeek Kauai, I learned that noni is 75 percent as effective as morphine at removing pain and that noni heals the problem, with no side effects.
Now, you have a chance to learn about noni at Steve’s organic farm. Hawaiian Health Ohana now offers Farm and Wellness Tours at their Kaakaanui Plantation in Moloaa. The centerpiece of the tour is the whole, raw food Steve makes from the noni grown on the plantation. “Let Food Be Thy Medicine,” from Hippocrates certainly is appropriate in this case. Kaakaanui is USDA Certified Organic, and Steve will be showing you the “best farming practices” he and his family have developed over the last 30 years here on Kauai. You will get a behind the scenes look at one of the more interesting examples of food becoming medicine, as well as a taste of wellness on Kauai.
The tours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. and advance reservation are required. The normal cost is $40, but for the rest of March it’s $20 per person. Call 888-882-6664. 
EVENTS:
Sunday, March 24

Collin Darrell at his inaugural event at One Song Farm. Daniel Lane photo.

Grown

Mahiko Lounge at Kilohana Plantation, $75, 5 p.m.
Grown, a restaurant for the community, has been operating as a popup restaurant for the last year, and is proud to once again feature its original Chef Garrison Price. Grown’s debut was largely facilitated with Garrison’s dedication and willingness to share resources. Unfortunately for us, he left the Kauai Grill and moved to New York City to join Jean Georges Vongerichten‘s think tank, Culinary Concepts, and has been spending time at some of the world’s most brilliant restaurants.
Grown is welcoming Garrison back home for one very special evening as and will combine techniques rooted in culinary tradition with local Kauai products. This inspired menu will call upon classic themes, yet embrace the flexibility of utilizing what the market has to offer. The ticket includes a full tasting of the menu with wines paired by sommelier Collin Darrell, and enjoyed in the newly renovated Mahiko Lounge at Gaylord’s.
Being able to “pop-up” when the talent and inspiration are aligned provides a uniquely real dining experience. Grown appreciates food and those who provide it, and feel privileged to be able to share with our community.
Reservations Required. OpenTable.com, Facebook, Twitter: @GrowCulture, collin@growculture.com, 808-722-6316
Saturday, March 23

Wine Tasting

Princeville Wine Market, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., free
Princeville Wine Market is hosting a free wine tasting featuring wines of Piedmont, Italy.

• Michele Chiarlo, “Le Marne”, Gavi $25
• Bruno Giacosa, Roero Arneis, $39
• Coppo, “Camp du Rouss”, Barbera d’Asti, $27
• Sandrone, Barbera d’Alba, $48
• Ceretto, Moscato d’Asti, $29

*This wine tasting is for those 21 and older.
This will be in conjunction with the final reception of the Patrick Ching, “Kai Art show” which begins at 6 p.m.
“We have extended our premise for this event to include the next door space which will feature the art,” says owner Daniel Braun. “As usual, guests of the wine tasting will also be able to utilize the deck space in front of the building for tasting and mingling.”

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, Hawaii, which produces a range of value-added products including jams, jellies, dried fruits, and coffee.
Dr. Diane Ragone, guest presenter at our March 27 Value-Added Innovation workshop, is offering a Ma’afala breadfruit tree to Kaua’i workshop participants. This is a very generous offer. Please see Diane’s email message below regarding submitting an application (form attached to this email) for a tree. Applications are due by Friday, March 22 by email to breadfruitinstitute@ntbg.org or faxed to 808-332-9765.
For more information and to register, visit the Value Added website or call 808-756-9437.
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:

Photo by Daniel Lane

Entrepreneurial Apiary Workshop

Kauai Community College

•  March 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.

Growing aquaponic lettuce at the Kauai Community College. Daniel Lane photo

Introduction to Aquaponics

Kauai Community College, $25
Learn the basics of aquaponics, which is a combination of two technologies. It’s aquaculture, or fish farming, and hydro-ponics, a technology that enables people to grow plants without soil. The class is taught by Bernie Tsao. He launched the Aquaculture Technology Training program at the University of Nations, Kona, where he was the director for 11 years. Today, he is the Aquaculture and Aquaponics instructor at KCC, and provides consultation services to the community, including the Hyatt, which is considering implementing its own aqua-culture system.
 
The workshop is three sessions for a total of 21 hours.
Dates and times:

• Saturday, March 23rd, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 30th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Registration & Payments:
Deadline: Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 – payments must be in by deadline.
If you are interested, please contact Melanie P. Marshall UH Kauai Community College – Office of Continuing Education And Training. 3-1901 Kaumualii Hwy., Lihue, HI 96766.
808-245-8318
UPCOMING:
Friday, April 19

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.
 

Loi, (low ee) or taro garden at Waipa. 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

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 Honokaa, Hawaii 96727
808-775-0867
ONGOING:

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.