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Your guide to efficient
open-air shopping
It's early Saturday morning at Kapiolani Community College. Already, white tents are arranged in long rows under blossoming rainbow shower trees. The vendors are here, too, setting up under those tents, and it's easy to imagine them calling out their wares, as in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: "Strawberries, straawwwberries ... "
But this is Honolulu, not Catfish Row, so they'd sing a more Hawaiian-flavored song:
Corn and kale and sweet potatoes, come and try my wares!"
Farm fresh
This is National Farmers' Market Week, so proclaimed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, with Gov. Linda Lingle echoing the sentiment locally in a proclamation signed July 21.
The Department of Agriculture says the number of farmers' markets is on the rise, doubling since 1994 to more than 3,700 nationwide. Most of them serve small family farms. Hawaii has 76 farmers' markets statewide, 35 of them on Oahu.
For a list of Oahu markets, see below.
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They're the Regulars, the experts, and happy to share their KCC Farmers' Market experience with newcomers who show up each Saturday needing advice.
"Just ask me," says Mapuana Teixeira. "I'm always here, mainly because I eat anything that doesn't crawl. ... For plums, go to Foodland. For everything else that suits our local tastes, this is where you'll find it."
Advice from Teixeira and others can help you navigate the market, where around three dozen farmers, food producers and their families display their made- or grown-in-Hawaii wares.
This week is National Farmers' Market Week, so to celebrate, here's a list of tips from both Regulars and vendors.
Evelyn Yoshioka of Kahala, left, selects mangos at TLS Farms' stall. "I come here for mangoes -- I absolutely love them," she says.
Preparation
Check the weekly tip sheet prepared by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and posted at the Web site, www.hfbf.org. It lists vendors and what they'll be bringing. Not online savvy? The list is also posted at the market.Each Saturday, too, different chefs cook up inexpensive gourmet breakfasts, so check to see if you really want to eat your Cheerios before arriving.
If you come early, tuck small bills in your pocket so making change won't be difficult.
Getting started
Enter the KCC campus from the Diamond Head Road side, turning in by the white chapel. You'll see the tents and a large parking lot on your right, with another large lot on the left. A few Regulars, those able to control their appetites for heavy Kahuku watermelons, come by TheBus (lines 3, 22 or 58).When's the best time to come? "Early" is the universal answer. The market officially opens at 7:30 a.m., but Regulars arrive at least an hour early, when selection is best.
Their tip: You can't make purchases before 7:30, but you can make selections. The vendor will put your name on them, for payment and pickup later.
Flowers and produce are farmers' market staples. Jack Walter sniffs an orchid blossom as Terry Malterre browses through the plants.
What to bring
A hat. Look around and you'll see Hawaii Open visors, baseball caps, straw hats (Chinese Mexican and Hawaiian), many trimmed with fresh flowers."Come early, no need," the Regulars say about headgear. But by 8 on a sunny morning, the market's parking lot floor reflects the heat, so if you're hatless, you may need to take shelter under the trees.
Wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes or slippers. This large market is arranged in a long U, so you'll be hopping between intriguing displays on either side, racking up plenny mileage on da slippahs.
What not to bring
Signs have recently been posted discouraging pets. A poll of Regulars shows general approval for the new policy. "Big dogs used to knock you over," one shopper says. "Yeah, " her husband adds, "and you had to be careful not to step on those little pupu-sized dogs. "
Carrying your treasures
Vendors provide plastic bags, but Regulars bring their own bags, and many stuff their melons and mochi into large backpacks or foldable wheeled carts. Some bring coolers, as well.A KCC Farmers' Market bag is available at the information table for $10, with proceeds supporting Hawaii's agriculture.
What to look for
This is the fun part, and the Regulars will point out their favorite tents:Vivian Tanaka lives nearby on 20th Avenue, but she drives because she can't carry everything she buys. She begins each Saturday selecting an orchid from Margaret Harada's colorful display. "Margaret brings her own plants and some from other growers, and they're wonderful bargains," Tanaka says.
Evie Char and her ohana help Stan Asato sell tall, freshly cut bouquets of torch ginger, heliconia and other tropical flowers at SKA Tropicals, and Hibiscus Lady Jill Coryell brings her colorful hybrids and offers useful hibiscus advice.
Anchoring the other end of the market are more plants: Olomana Tropicals and Hawaiian Island orchids, which other Regulars swear by. "Look up here," one says, pointing to a cinnamon-scented orchid at Hawaiian Island. "You can buy one for $7.50!"
Regulars come for fresh-from-the-farm vegetables and fruits, of course. Joan and Doug Ellis begin their day at Dean's Greens, selecting from Dean Okimoto's selection of Kahuku okra and corn, fresh herbs, tatsoi, baby arugula and strawberries.
A friendly Regular who's munching on a low-fat oatcake (cranberry/walnut, from Latitude 22 next door), recommends bags of bright-green baby romaine. "So ono, the lettuce," he says. "Gotta buy 'em! "
Okimoto continues to set the standard at the KCC Market, as well he should. He and Joan Namkoong founded the market two years ago after realizing that putting local growers, food producers and shoppers together in a single place would be a win-win idea. The market now attracts around 2,500 shoppers each Saturday.
Other highly recommended produce picks include sweet, creamy-as-butter Waimanalo corn (Golden Melon Farms), Cheryl To's Twin Bridge Farms asparagus (at the PacifiKool tent -- so tender you needn't snap off any woody bottoms), and TLS Farms' fruits and fragrant herbs.
Colleen Lashway shares her favorite sites and products: "Some of the best are seasonal. I've found cherimoya, durians, mangosteen and even apples from Molokai -- yes, apples! Green ones, from up in the heights there. My papayas usually come from Chenin Farms, right here, and I pick up non-perishable, made-in-Hawaii products like honey and sauces to take to the mainland. Something different. Not just the usual pineapples."
At the KCC tents, two students agree that the market gives the KCC culinary arts program a good outlet for their creations. You'll spot everything there from KCC-logo cooking aprons to scones, manju and frozen packages of Thai curry, namasu, sweet-and-sour spareribs and Portuguese bean soup. Stir your plantation tea with a piece of sugar cane while you pick up dinner.
Market Regular and jazz singer Rea Fox pauses briefly for a photograph, her orchids peeking out of a box, and utters this parting advice: "Try those croissants over there from Mediterranean Café. They have dark, smooth, melty chocolate inside. You'll go home with a taste of heaven in your mouth!"
Market list
* An asterisk indicates a city-sponsored People's Open Market. Call 522-7088.
MONDAY
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.*
Hawaii Kai Towne Center: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 396-0766
TUESDAY
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 Park: 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.*
Fort Street: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., near Wilcox Park, 524-4195
Manoa Marketplace: 7 to 11 a.m., 847-0494
Waikiki Farmers' Market: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 923-1802
WEDNESDAY
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.*
Hawaii Kai Towne Center: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 396-0766
Fort Street Open Market: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 524-4195
THURSDAY
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.*
Manoa Marketplace: 7 to 11 a.m., 847-0494
Kailua Thursday Night Market: 5 to 7:30 p.m., Kailua Town Center, 848-2074
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.*
Fort Street: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., near Wilcox Park, 524-4195
Waikiki Farmers' Market: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 923-1802
SATURDAY
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.*
North Shore Country Market: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Kalunawaikaala, between Sharks Cove & Pipeline
Kapiolani Community College: 7:30 to 11 a.m., 848-2074
Mililani Saturday Farmers' Market: 2 to 4 p.m., Mililani High School, 848-2074
Waialua Sugar Mill: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Hawaii Kai Towne Center: 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 396-0766
SUNDAY
Kapolei Community Park: 7 to 8:30 a.m.*Royal Kunia Park-n-Ride: 9:30 a.m. to noon*
Waikele Community Park: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.*
Heeia State Park: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 948-1111
Manoa Marketplace: 7 to 11 a.m., 847-0494
Source: Hawaii State Department of Agriculture
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