DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
The new open market on Fort Street Promenade offers fresh produce in the center of town.
Oahu sprouts
new farmers’
markets
They're sprouting, they're blooming, they're spreading like weeds.
The open market is the concept at which we are tossing these clichés. It is an idea that is bearing fruit (OK, that was the last one).
An open market allows the hungry to prowl produce stations in the open air, under the big sky, sometimes negotiating terms directly with the farmer who harvested those very tomatoes this very morning.
In these last weeks of summer, three new markets have taken root (OK, that really was the last one).
A month ago, Daisy and Ken Kamiya, of Ken's Produce, opened a Tuesday-Friday market downtown. Two weeks ago the Friends of Heeia State Park began a Sunday market. And Saturday marks the debut of the most ambitious of the lot, a Saturday market at Kapiolani Community College sponsored by the Hawaii Farm Bureau.
Let's begin at the end:
The Saturday Farmers' Market is spearheaded by Dean Okimoto, of Nalo Farms, and Joan Namkoong, a sort of foodie activist who has been supporting a number of culinary causes since leaving her position as the Honolulu Advertiser's food editor.
Their aim is a true gathering of farmers who would truck in the freshest possible produce from all over the island, including specialty items not normally found in supermarkets. Neighbor island farms also will be represented.
What you'll find: Greens and microgreens from Nalo Farms; tomatoes from Hauula and Waialua; asparagus, eggplant and sweet corn from the North Shore; vanilla beans and extract from Hawaiian Vanilla Co.
On the nonproduce side: Kauai shrimp, organically grown beef from Haleiwa, moi raised in cages off Ewa Beach, organic eggs from Blue Lotus Farm in Hauula, as well as fresh breads and homemade pastas.
For opening day, chef Elmer Guzman, of Sam Choy's Diamond Head, will be serving a variety of loco mocos as breakfast plates.
Namkoong acknowledges that it is hard for farmers to make a weekly commitment like this on a day that is often devoted to harvest or deliveries. But she's hoping they'll see the value in making a direct connection with shoppers.
"Hopefully the consumer gains knowledge about the food they are eating and an appreciation for the farmers' efforts -- food doesn't just come in a pretty package at the supermarket. It's all about building farmer-consumer relationships."
The Windward Open Market is an ongoing fund-raiser for the various needs of Heeia State Park. "If you get to know the place, it just grabs a place in your heart," says Woody Barboza, a longtime volunteer who launched the market. "You don't have to look too hard to find things that need to be done."
Vendors range from local farmers to backyard growers, such as one man who was overwhelmed by his own starfruit, Barboza says. "His tree was kicking so bad, he just boxed it all up and brought it down."
He has more than 20 vendors so far and expects those numbers to double in the next few weeks. Along with produce, they're selling fresh flowers, native Hawaiian plants and craft items. He's hoping to add fresh fish, massage therapy, even tai chi lessons.
Vendors are charged $25 each week, although Barboza let the first week slide, largely out of relief. "The first day, I was so happy to see people showing up -- I was so elated, I thought I was going to be standing in the parking lot by myself."
The Fort Street Open Market is sponsored by the Fort Street Promenade (formerly Fort Street Mall) Business Improvement District, with its aim of revitalizing the area.
The goal is to open up the entire mall as a market, offering all kinds of Polynesian crafts as well as food items, says Daisy Kamiya, who with husband Ken manages the twice-a-week market.
The market has 10 regulars, selling baked goods, plants, candy, crafts and flowers as well as produce. Entertainment is offered on Tuesdays.
The Kamiyas have participated in open markets since their days farming on the Big Island. When they moved to Oahu they immediately signed on at the old Piikoi market.
The downtown site is the third they've opened since April; they also run markets in Hawaii Kai and Manoa, which keeps their whole family busy all week.
Kamiya says their vendors tend not to be farmers, who find it difficult to both maintain their crops and tend to market stalls. Instead, most of her sellers buy from farms, wholesalers or even from Costco, breaking bulk packages into smaller amounts.
The downtown location has the potential to be their largest, Kamiya says, and the potential to effect the most change. "In the past whenever I passed Fort Street Mall I always thought of it as a homeless mall. ... They're trying to change the image of Fort Street. ... They're giving it back to the people."
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New markets
Kapiolani Community College: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays beginning this weekend. Call 848-2074.
Fort Street: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, near Wilcox Park. Call 848-4800.
Heeia State Park: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Call 948-1111.
More markets
Hawaii Kai Town Center: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, near Costco. Call 848-4800.
Manoa Marketplace: 7 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Call 848-4800.
Waialua Sugar Mill: 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Call 941-2439.
City markets
MONDAYS
Manoa Valley District Park: 6:45 to 7:45 a.m.
Makiki District Park: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Mother Waldron Park: 10:15 to 11 a.m.
City Hall Parking Lot Deck: 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.TUESDAYS
Waiau District Park: 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
Waipahu District Park: 8:15 to 9:15 a.m.
Wahiawa District Park: 10 to 11 a.m.
Makaunulau Community Park: 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.WEDNESDAYS
Palolo Valley District Park: 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
McCully District Park: 8:15 to 9:15 a.m.
Queen Kapiolani Park: 10 to 11 a.m.THURSDAYS
Waimanalo Beach Park: 7:15 to 8:15 a.m.
Kailua District Park: 9 to 10 a.m.
Kaneohe District Park: 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.FRIDAYS
Aiea District Park: 7 to 8 a.m.
Ewa Beach Community Park: 9 to 10 a.m.
Pokai Bay Beach Park: 11 to 11:45 a.m.SATURDAYS
Banyan Court Mall: 6:15 to 7:30 a.m.
Kaumualii Street: 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.
Kalihi Valley District Park: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
Salt Lake Municipal Lot: 11:15 a.m. to noon
Hawaii Kai Park-n-Ride: 1 to 2 p.m.SUNDAYS
Kapolei Park: 7 to 8:30 a.m.
Royal Kunia Park-n-Ride: 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Asing Community Park: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Click for online
calendars and events.
