no. 5 - mala'ai'opio

as often as we have driven out to the west side for my fella's dawn patrol surf sessions when we go home, i never realized that there were as many as 200 mom & pop farms hidden throughout the valley. one of them is the grassroots effort at mala'ai'opio (aka ma'o) which was established a few years ago as an organic farm where the 15 to 25 demo on the waianae coast could simultaneously receive vocational training while learning to care for the 'aina.

many island foodies have enjoyed ma'o's organic produce which is dished up at alan wong's, town restaurant, and aloha 'aina cafe. with the popularity of its produce growing, ma'o is working to expand its programs at waianae h.s. and turn the current 10 month internship into an associates degree at lcc. the good work they are doing to make the waianae coast more self-sufficient is as cool as their mantra:

no panic . . . go organic!

click here to learn how you can make a difference!

big island delights

 

thanks to the melting point of chocolate, fedex is the go to man for big island delights which means you still have time to stuff yourself or someone you love silly with ono snacks this holiday. the family run business whips up everything from furikake party mix to chocolate dipped biscotti (yum!) using ingredients like fresh island eggs and maui sugar.

check out the online shop for the full line of preservative-free goodies.

the scent of green papaya

if the holidays are all about gifting those you love with something they would never buy for themselves, i present to you fresh papayas shipped direct from hawaii's volcano isle fruit company. this is such a wonderful last minute gift idea since orders will arrive on the mainland in 2-3 days (of course, it's best to double check the current holiday turnaround to guarantee xmas delivery).

mainland dwellers know that papayas grown in other parts of the world are not nearly as ono as ones from the islands and when a hawaiian papaya can be found at the market prepare yourself for sticker shock. thanks to the wonders of fedex, two jacksons (no, not tito or rebe . . . think along the lines of the u.s. mint) will get a 10 lb box of either sun red or rainbow varieties or a papaya mix from the big island straight to the door of your favorite foodie.

on another note, it may be the busiest day of the year but i have to dash to the post office to drop off a few packages to hawaii (thank goodness for online postage) but check back later today for more holiday inspirations for all the procrastinators (you know who you are!).

treats for your sweet

crunched for time and dread circling the mall for parking, are all thumbs when it's time to wrap presents, and equate standing in line at the post office days before xmas like being stuck in dante's inferno? lucky you, click over to big island candies which has a sweet selection of holiday treats wrapped and ready to be shipped straight to the mailboxes of everyone on your gift list.

it's no secret that people from hawaii love food and kama'aina on the mainland always appreciate goodies from the islands. you might also want to check out new goodies like bienvente lavender cookies, tropical chocolate truffles (with hibiscus & coconut), and there's even some sugar-free joy for the health-conscious.

one tip: get your order in this weekend since big island candies' shipping deadline is on sunday.

punalu'u bake shop

pahala sweetbread box

those who have made the drive from kona to volcano know that somewhere along the way you are going to get hungry. if you can hold out until the halfway point, you can stop by the punalu'u bake shop (which touts itself as the southernmost bakery in the states) and enjoy sandwiches & burgers made on some of the best sweetbread in the islands.

and now that the online bake shop is open you don't have to wait until your next trip to the big island to satisfy your craving for their onolicious taro sweetbread. the online shop also stocks punalu'u's popular shortbread cookies in flavors like mac nut, coffee, guava & coconut which are perfect for sharing with friends during the holidays.