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A survey of island crops reveals
By Betty Shimabukuro
a rainbow of possibilities
Star-BulletinTHE broccoli is purple, the greens are tiny, the asparagus is white and grows in the dark.
Innovation is at the heart of farming these days. Innovation and the guts of a pioneer, with all the riskiness that comes along.
For four years now, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation has paid tribute to this profession with a benefit dinner at Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai. It's been a night of fine dining for farmers and their supporters that has showcased the connection between growers and chefs -- a key element in Hawaii farming over the last decade.
Several hundred have attended over the years, but with tickets at $100, it's been an exclusive affair.
This year, the Farm Bureau reaches out, expanding Monday's event with a Farm Day, a free family activity designed to showcase the variety of Hawaii's produce. The idea is not just to raise money through a fancy dinner, but to raise awareness by showing off all that farming is nowadays.
"In parts of Arizona, when melon season comes around, everyone is aware," says Alec Sou of Aloun Farms. "There are promotions every weekend; festivals are held around it."
Communities identify with the seasonal rhythm of the crops. They have a stake in their farms. Sou and farmers like him wish for a bit of the same in Hawaii.
Or at least some understanding that this is a sophisticated industry that involves much more than digging dirt.
Dean Okimoto of Nalo Farms goes to career days at Oahu schools looking for kids with the ability to tackle both the business and growing aspects of farming. "It's probably the most complete business you can have," he says.Instead, teachers send him remedial students. "They think farming is a low-end job. That's not what my business is about. ... You send me people that are educated, that have the drive to be entrepreneurs. That's what we're looking for. Until that changes, ag is not going to change."
Awareness, farmers hope, translates into the support necessary as the community-at-large decides the best use for old sugar land.
"We're hoping citizens of the state might look at this land and say, 'Look, this actually puts food on our tables,' " says Larry Jefts, a central Oahu farmer.
"Then they'll say, 'Hey, let's put houses on the hillsides and save the flatlands for the food.' "
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It's surprising what's out there. To get an idea, here is a quick survey of what's happening on farms throughout the islands. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but does serve to illustrate some of the trends in local farming: Developing high-end specialty products, forming partnerships and looking for markets on the mainland.
Maui
Warren Watanabe, president of the Maui Farm Bureau, is experimenting with a broccoli that pokes out of the ground in a deep purple hue. Once cooked it turns green, so to keep it's uniqueness it needs to be served raw. So far he's been producing a just a few cases each week.On his acreage in upper Kula, Warren Watanabe Farms, he has also planted new crops of kale and collard greens.
Principal crops on the island remain the Maui onion, Chinese and head cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers and romaine. But small, individual farmers are likely to find their niche in a unique, high-end product that they can target to restaurants or specialty retailers, Watanabe says.
"One of the things we've been told on Maui is that we need to look into the specialty markets," he says.
Big Island
Here, another aspect of modern farming is playing out: Coalitions.Two years ago, Kurt and Pam Hirabara of Hirabara Farms spearheaded the development of the Kamuela Fresh label, linking a group of farmers through product marketing and the development of new crops.
In the experimental stage now: white asparagus. This variety tastes like regular asparagus, but is kept from turning green by growing it in the dark, either sheltered or covered in mulch. "It just looks spectacular on the plate because it's weird-looking, it's different," Pam Hirabara says.
Also under development are blue, red and purple-fleshed fingerling potatoes, a special request from chef Alan Wong.
In wider production are Kawamata tomatoes, now showing up in Daiei stores on Oahu, and the Best Farms cantaloupe, a super-sweet fruit that benefits from being transplanted to the "wrong" elevation.
"The cantaloupes being grown in Waimea never reached their full potential," Hirabara says. "They never got that musty smell. You get this incredibly sweet, juicy melon with a sugary smell. It's one example of how not reaching their full potential is actually better."
Much of what the Hirabaras and the Kamuela Fresh farmers produce will never be mass-marketed, however, and that's by choice. Their baby lettuces and pear tomatoes will remain the province of restaurants and small specialty markets.
"If you want to produce a quality product you have to stay small enough to be sure the quality stays high," Hirabara says. "The bigger you get the less attention you can give to each one."
Oahu
The farms of the central plains are the big boys of the local industry, supplying most of the tomatoes, cabbage, melon and green bell peppers found in markets.The transfer of sugar lands to private farms and the stabilization of the Waiahole water situation mean that slowly the state is growing less dependent on mainland imports, says Jefts of Larry Jefts Farms.
Local supermarkets once imported 75 percent of their tomatoes; now 85 to 90 percent are local, he says, most from his Kunia land.
He also sees potential in iceberg lettuce and perhaps Irish potatoes, both import crops now.
At Aloun Farm, Sou is growing mainly cantaloupes and honeydew melons, but also is banking on the new Ewa sweet onion, which he is beginning to market on the mainland under the name Hawaiian Hula Sweet.
"We're taking a niche product, taking the risk of large-volume production and hopefully, after a season or two, the demand will increase and there will be room for other people to grow this crop too."
At Nalo Farms, Okimoto is thinking small, focusing on his micro greens and experimenting with baby spinach, baby Swiss chard. He's also looking to develop micro herbs.
The micro greens, mini-versions of leafy Nalo Greens, go for $40 a pound and have been an exclusive restaurant-only product. With increased production, Okimoto hopes to cut that price in half for sale in markets. That may still seem pricey, but you'd buy just a few ounces at a time.
Kauai
At Kahili Farms, owner Mike Strong is looking toward mainland specialty stores as a growth market for his exotic fruits, especially the sugar-loaf pineapple, a low-acid, low-fiber, high-sugar fruit that sells for more than $1 a pound retail.It's priced too high to compete with regular pineapples in Oahu stores, but has found a home in some high-end markets in Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland, says Marketta Smith, who handles marketing for Kahili.
Kahili's other principal crop is the red-fleshed sunrise papaya, but many other unusual fruits are under development, Smith.
Soon they could be following the path of the rambutan, that hairy little lychee-type fruit that has been gaining recognition among shoppers since it went into wide distribution last year.
Among these new fruits are the longan, another lychee-like fruit, and the lizard-skinned atamoya with it's white, creamy, custard-like flesh. "I call it a girl fruit,' Smith says of the atamoya, "because girls say, 'Oh, it's so sweet, I love it!' "
Safeway estimates 25 percent of its produce is locally grown; Foodland estimates 30-40 percent. For example*: BUYING LOCAL
Leafy greens: Head cabbage, luau leaf, won bok, red and green leaf lettuce, hydroponic butter lettuce, some romaine, mizuna
* Some products are seasonal; some are supplemented with imports
Farm Day at Roy's
Farm Bureau Benefit Dinner
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