For those that are looking for a plant or two to get them started in their food growing efforts…here are a few ideas that are also ornamental. Each of these plants has become a reliable plant in the garden. Some serve multiple purposes, as in ground cover and bee nectar plant. Florence fennel (for bulb and seeds) beans (lima/pole/bush) Thai Red Roselle (for calyxes and edible leaf) mint (for edible leaf) Sweet potato (for edible tuber)
The National Heirloom Expo, The Squash Epicenter, The Squash Super Bowl. I have called it many things in the past few months as I made preparations to attend for the first time. My nervousness and excitement grew as my dreams and participation level also grew. I had gotten myself into a beautiful mess of sorts as I responded to a critical email from Jere Gettle, president of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, and founder of the National Heirloom Expo, with a very quick and decisive “YES!” to his question of if I would present a talk. This may not seem like a lot to many, but in the weeks prior, as a first year farmer, I had gone from the idea of I should go to the event, to being a presentation speaker. It was slightly terrifying upon review of my situation. It was a big step, but also something that seemed to manifest itself quite naturally. It was one of those thoughts that flashes in your mind, then 48 hours later, the email came. I tried to calm my near panic with soothing thoughts of “it is meant to be,” and “this is what you are meant to do,” but it wasn’t working. Regardless of all the reassuring thoughts, trying out my first ever Powerpoint at a National Expo seemed like a bad idea to most.
You see, it wasn’t simply a new Powerpoint, it was the Powerpoint that was rejected in my Hawaii agriculture class when my business plan was deemed “and unworkable business model.” There was far too much do gooding and elder outreach to be a real farm. I was doomed to failure as a farmer. Here I was like a farming Phoenix rising from the smoldering compost of my fledgling farm with my failed Powerpoint. Though the image was nice, the reality was still troubling. I decided that the underdog farmer’s story is just as valid as any other story, and that what good is giving a speech if nobody can relate to you. Everyone has snuffed the life out of a garden plant, or two, fumbled through absurdly steep learning curves, and had to practically force produce on people so to get them to trust your venture. So I slid in slides and talking points and the framework told my story, the story of a tiny zero waste farm trying to make a go of it in the midst of a drought, fruit flies, and unexploded WWII ordinances.
For those that do not think in terms of slides or transitions, or talking points for that matter, I am with you. I decided to change my way of looking at the Powerpoint and reenvision it as a photographic safety net. I was not comfortable with my speaking, but quite comfortable with my photography. I had roamed the globe, and crawled through muck to find the quiet angles of discovery. If I put in enough images I am sure they would shake the words out of me if I froze mid speech. My Father was a natural storyteller, or as the Irish say, he had the gift of the gab. He could inform, entertain, inspire, and more. I hoped to channel him during my talk. Having over six generations of now passed farmers looking over me, I figured one of their farmer entity spirits may have had some time off and would be looking over me during my talk. What I have forgotten to mention is that I often become so terrified when I give a speech, that I have little if any memory of the event. Perhaps a detail or two, like the woodgrain of the podium, or the ear rings worn my the person who “miked” me up because I have the voice of a mouse. I would be stunned as strangers would hug me post talk and marvel at the monkey story that I told. My response was frequently, “oh no, I told a monkey story?” But from what I would hear time and time again, it was a meaningful, well placed monkey story, so I had to just accept that my speaker mind went on autopilot and always saved the day.
I have taken my fear of speaking through many public speaking classes, and even took this fear internationally. I stood before an inter island grouping of tribal elders, and daringly chose to work without a translator, so I babbled my thank you to them in many tribal dialects. For once the monkey stories may have revelant, I may have told them, who knows, I went blank. So why did I keep doing this if it pained me so? It seemed like a reasonable question to those who were concerned about an ulcer being in my future. So why? The answer is a simple one for me. I love stories. I adore language, and the sharing of ideas. I want to be transported and inspired to reach new places. But most importantly, I believe that those who love stories need to be storytellers themselves. Your own sharing will create a ripple effect so that the great art of the speech will not be lost. Do and encourage others to do the same, one monkey story at a time.
After the Heirloom expo speech. photo by Keith Wyner
After 20 years, the Waimea farm fair returned this year. Expanding on the giant pumpkin growing contest of years past, this year brought tomato tasting and pumpkin cooking elements as well. I may max out at a 45lb squash, so no “giants” for me, but I do love to celebrate with the growers. It is a squash solidarity. You do not understand patience until you grow squash in Hawaii.
Pumpkin and squash can be tricky here and Hawaii, and our giants can vary by hundreds of pounds from season to season. But that isn’t the point, the point is that community gathered to celebrate nature, ambition, and the pure dedication that it takes. HPA school entered three very different pumpkins that helped to illuminate how different pumpkins from the same patch can be. The Largest at rear of photo took 1st in the school garden category) Soil maverick and giant pumpkin grower Noah Dodd led the way for HPA by using his own unique soil microbe building methods to get the squash to grow to super sized proportions.
I know and respect organic grower Donna Mitts, who has been giving me updates throughout the season. ( see image above) Her squash was golden and beautiful, and very deserving of the attention that it got. She named the squash Myrtle, and it grew into it’s name.
Baby Max showed the enthusiasm that we all felt. Here Max celebrates Donna’s pumpkin. Council woman Margaret Wille joined Donna Mitts and myself in a photo among the giant pumpkins. Chefs and home cooks alike marveled at the culinary possibilities.
Young Kawika Winters himself weighed in at only 1/2 a pound more than the giant pumpkin that he grew. Here he awaits the judging flanked by the other contenders.
Ribbons were awarded in many categories, including record keeping for the school gardeners. How wonderful to reward a quieter, but valuable dedication. Mala’ai School garden won the record keeping prize by creating a beautiful photo log that captured the season. http://www.malaai.org
After the celebrations for giant pumpkins, we moved on over to the tomato tasting and pumpkin cooking competition.
As the judging took place, many of us marveled at the challenges of comparing the beautiful island grown produce. We were very happy to see some of our islands best including the innovative Chef Sandy that were part of the judging crew.
Then more talk of pumpkins. Donna Mitts wore many hats throughout the event including making the wonderful and refreshing “Pumpkin Juice” that cooled us under the hot Waimea sun. She used pumpkin puree, apple juice and pumpkin pie spice to make this welcomed treat. Then came the judging of the pumpkin cooking contest. Many of us were nervous as the judges buzzed around through plate after plate of homemade, beautiful food. There were three categories, including Main course, desert, and misc category. Pumpkin butter, pumpkin curry, pumpkin tortellini, pumpkin nut bread, pumpkin casserole, pumpkin chiffon pie, pumpkin crumble, and my dish Pumpkin Noodle Nut.
I am not sure why I was nervous with such a wonderful mix of people celebrating food. But when farmer/organizer Paul Johnson and the judges gave the “all clear sign” that the crowd could sample all things squash, my tension eased, as we laughed and nibbled the plates clean.
I mean we really went for it. Each dish was special, and made with love. We celebrated local ingredients and family recipes.
Paul was a good sport, and surprised us all by reappearing in costume. The kids loved it!
Then the prizes were announced by category. I would not have been a very good judge, because, each one was so wonderful. It was like picking puppies or kittens. The unique dishes were creative and flavorful, and many were very nutritious as well.
I took a risk by entering a brand new recipe to the contest. I wanted to showcase squash as much as possible in one dish. I had made a gluten free, vegan recipe called noodle nut last year. After meeting with Chef Stephen of Under the Bodhi Tree restaurant in the shops of Mauna Lani http://www.underthebodhi.net I was inspired to try new things. So I changed my existing recipe to include cooked pumpkin puree, ground toasted pumpkin seeds, and grated fresh pumpkin. Chef Stephen does raw and vegan entrees, and also loves to use pumpkin seed. Pumpkin is so versatile, so I thought…heck go for it, this is the only pumpkin contest we have ever had on the island, so I thought it is time to pull out all of the stops.
So just a day before the contest, I was revamping and “pushing the pumpkin” into the recipe, and I am so glad I did. Using all gluten free and vegan ingredients, my home grown black pumpkins, home grown cayenne chili peppers, Pat Hall’s aquaponic grown green onions, and local macadamia nuts. It was an island proud dish. The empty dish says it all. It was cleaned out and awarded a 2nd place ribbon in the main dish category. Third went to the lovely pumpkin curry, and first place went to one of our island’s best chefs, Executive chef James Babian. Chef Babian was the Executive chef of the Four Seasons resort here on the Big Island. He can be credited with helping to move the buy local movement here over a decade ago. He makes his own pasta from scratch in the kitchen of the restaurant that he and his wife Christine created in Waikoloa village named Pueo’s Osteria. http://www.pueososteria.com Go there, trust me.
Let’s just say if anyone deserves first place, I have to say it is him. I managed to get one lone tortellini off the plate before the other tasters descended. It was divine, and sort of melted in your mouth. I feel lucky to have gotten one, and no, I have no photos, because it was either grab one, or photograph it. So sorry blogosphere, but eating won. It was that good. But watch out Executive Chef Babian, I’ll be back next year with another year of pumpkin cooking under my belt. I’ll do my best to take on your tortellini again..or at least be quite ready to again grab one off the tasting plate.
Mahalo to all those who attended, volunteered their expertise, and added their talents to the day. We all love a good come back story, and what better come back than that of the community farm fair.
It was a pleasure to have Chef Voudouris of Team Downey visit the farm last evening!
He has just arrived, but he immediately set out to travel the island to source high quality fish and produce direct from our fishermen and farmers. His smile reveals his excitement in experiencing what is new (or in the case of heirlooms-old) on our farms. Here visiting the isle, Chef Charles is the private chef for Team Downey who are on island for the next two weeks. When presented with the table of rare heirloom squash, Chef knew immediately which one would be taken back to the kitchen, it was the Thai heirloom Rai Kow Tok.
This is the first season that I am growing the lovely, dappled Winter squash. The 20 lb c. moschata variety thrived here in Waimea’s challenging environment. Without missing a beat, Chef Charles had the recipe worked out before even setting the produce in the trunk of his car.
It was so nice to have him visit the farm, to share in his stories and insight, as well as take these beautiful farm photos. I was happy to hear that Team Downey is dedicated to finding sustainable produce, and that they frequently enjoy vegan meals. It is an honor to have my squash be a part of their island experience. I wish the team a wonderful visit, and a big mahalo for allowing us small farmers to take center stage at the dinner table.
Mahalo nui loa Chef Voudouris and Team Downey, you are welcome back anytime!
I remember working very hard to earn my Girl Scout cooking badge. Though that may seem dated to some, learning through food is all the rage once again in our schools. Last year I had the great opportunity to peer into our island classrooms, school gardens, and pre-k daycare centers. I got to have a lot of one on one talks with teachers and child care providers about what is lacking in the children’s food. I learned that all pre-k classrooms have to have a certified kitchen on property. That may mean little to most people, but to me, it said opportunity. What better place to launch a food movement than to the little ones who are so eager to learn…and eat. So that is what happened. I took it upon myself to figure out how to teach the 4 year old set how to make something to eat. The result, happy young chefs that were happy to “feed themselves” something that they made themselves and as bright and tasty as a pumpkin pie smoothie (see Vegan squash smoothie recipe.) It was so much of a hit that I am expanding it this year. Who doesn’t want their child to help out in the kitchen and have a little more time with you? Be on the lookout for more of my mini chef classes to be offered this fall. Want it to come to your kid’s classroom? Sponsor a class at the school of your choice. See my funding page http://www.gofundme.com/squash-and-awe for more details.
I often question why farmers are pitted against each other at a time when farming is harder than ever. I have had many try to coax me into being competitors and not allies with others that work the land. More importantly, the question remains why do farmers fall victim to it?
Let me explain my upbringing, and that may clarify my confusion. I remember a B&W photo of my Grandpa on a tractor. He was one of many tired, but glowing faces at the end of a long line of tractors, and at the tail end of a long harvest day. One of the farmer’s in the area had suffered an injury at a critical time of the year. Without being asked by the injured farmer, or his family, a small convoy of tractors made their way to the field one Saturday at dawn. It was community in it’s purest sense.
From what I hear, that was pretty common. The take away was a photo, maybe some sandwiches shared under a shade tree, and the comfort in knowing that you were in it together. It is just what people did, and it is what people can still do.
Political leaders, and some farmers in Hawaii, and beyond have tried to dismiss that kind of sediment, noting that romanticizing farming isn’t the way to go. But what if you are not romanticizing, but simply farming with the integrity that used to be common. To me, not having concern for your fellow farmers isn’t “real farming” rather than the opposite. Where did our ethics go? When did greed outshine being a neighbor? I ask us all to look inside ourselves and see if we are being a neighbor in a true sense.
I am a farmer’s daughter, and though all thought I would marry a farmer, I became my own farmer. We can trace farming back more than 7 generations in my family, back to those who left Ireland so long ago. So why do I mention this? Because as of late the idea has been weighing heavily on my mind. At last week’s GMO round table, here in Hawaii, I watched people’s head dip low in shame when I mentioned my family legacy with the earth. You see, I don’t “look” like what they think a farmer should look like, and that makes it evermore easy for the pro-GMO clan to dismiss my optimism as the result of being young and silly. But the next generation of farmers looks an awful lot like me, and many, like me, want to return to the farming ways of our own ancestors.
The way I look at it, just by living and breathing all of that farming knowledge throughout my childhood has put me above the rookie category from the get go. So ever more often, when the topic of GMO vegetables comes up, I notice that more are averting their eyes, and changing the subject. I know where my ancestors would stand on things. They were proud of their “family” tomatoes, beans, potatoes and the like. My Brother continues to garden and he grows the same variety of tomatoes that my Grandmother did. Needless to say, that is a wonderful link to a woman that shaped our childhoods. The downside is that kind of seed connection between generations may not always be a possibility.
One issue that never gets brought up by any of the Big Island GMO panel discussions is that when we lose our tie to the seed, we shatter our ties to the many thousands of years of food knowledge that bonds us to both our human family, and to the plants that feed us. This link to ancestral intelligence, along with the pride in growing the food that they did, is what helps people get through hard times. You are never alone, as you carry your ancestors with you. Sometimes we have physical reminders like a pocket watch from a grandfather. At other times, the tie to a people and a place are contained within a tiny seed. The Native Hawaiians and other First Nation Peoples get it, as do many regional farmers who pride themselves in growing what their ancestors did. Any farmer who ever left their homeland did so with seed in their pocket, guaranteed. My family is no exception.
When people ask “how long am I going to farm?” I never have an answer, because farming is a gift. It is a calling. I think about seed a lot these days, and I have to say that I feel successful as a small farmer, because people hug me a lot. I mean a lot. Sometimes I get hugs everywhere I go. It isn’t so much me, but it is my actions, and my interest in their family history. By seeking out the ancient and historic seeds, I am using my skills with the land to rekindle people’s ties to their own ancestors. By planting, nurturing, and harvesting the food of their ancestors, I am tied in with their family. That is why they hug me, and that is why I keep speaking up for those who came before us.
Last November I questioned the idea: In Hawaii, where many native plants are endangered, or under threat, can I help the three varieties of native plants that exist on the farm property to thrive, while also benefiting squash production? The answer ended up being a clear yes.
As we know, squash need a lot of everything: sun, water, compost, bees, the works. So instead of using non-native plantings to attract more bees, what if I studied the nature of the abundantly flowered native Ilima shrub and tried to work out a system where each would benefit? The result : The Ilima Project.
Ilima is special, it is a hardy shrub that has struggled in the past 17 years as the Ka’u desert has extended it’s Northern border. I found several of these native plants, and decided to be their caregiver by not pulling them up, and planting around them instead. It created a perfect companion plant for the squash, while also nurturing a plant that many of the elders noted that “it used to be everywhere,” much like local kabocha squash. I decided these two could stage a comeback together. The Ilima thrived and it was most grateful for any bit of water or compost that it is offered.
I read in the excellent Bishop Museum Book, “Native Planters of Old Hawaii,” that the Ilima plant was often pruned heavily so to create even more buttercup like blooms for lei making. Though we often search specifically for the crop that we farm, here we can see how a regional and historical book can assist in modern farming, by applying this information that can assist with pollination. The fast growing shrub was tolerant of my experimental no-till techniques, and the bees plunged into bloom after bloom and pollinated the squash as well. The smaller blooms attracted many new bees and beneficial wasps that were “new” to the farm. The Ilima thrived, and created helpful pollination assists, as well as wind blocks for the squash that really doesn’t care for wind.
As for the squash, they were happy too, as they climbed up and around the Ilima shrubs and across the no-till cardboard mulch. I grew out one of the world’s rare squash for seed preservation (the bright orange one from Armenia, C. pepo in the photo) along with my go to Hawaiian heirloom squash for the community, a Long of Naples, a grey ‘Crown’ squash that originated in South Africa, and also many lovely Thai squash (C.moschata.)
I am just adding compost to the beds so to have a late summer crop. The Ilima shrubs (seen in the rear of the wheelbarrow photo) are continuing to thrive.
The Spring harvest: Rocker’s, Kikuza,Hawaiian Butternut, and Black Kabocha
Squash and Awe 