Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths

One of the prettiests customs of Christmas in Hawaii is making wreaths using native materials. 

If you don't have some of the plants growing in your yard or a neighbor that will let you pick them you need to get a special permit to go up to the Hawaii National Volcanoes Park grounds or up on the slopes of Mauna Kea to pick some of the greens, flowers and berries.

The permit is free and good for two days, and you need to display it on your car dash if you park anywhere to pick along the roads or forests.

The proper protocol for picking is to first "ask permission" of the forest deities as you enter the woods.  This is a must.  You also pick only what you will be using and not strip a bush or plant completely. 

A good rule of thumb to follow is to take only from 3 to 6,  3" tips from each plant, so as not to disturb the plant.

The straw forms for the wreath are usually covered first with ti leaves

We might not have the 'traditional' greens, berries and pinecones associated with a mainland Christmas, but there are many beautiful greens, flowers and berries to choose from when you go foraging for your own wreath material in the forests of Hawaii.

Some of the materials I usually look for are the buds of the lehua blossom showing a bit of the red and also some of the blossoms.  The lehua is the blossom of the ohia tree and in ancient times was a symbol of strength.  The flower is the favorite of Madame Pele and represents the Big Island of Hawaii.

Ancient lore tells us that you must not pick or wear the lehua blossoms on your way up to visit Kilauea Volcano, but it does not forbid you from picking or wearing it when you arrive or on your way out of the forest or Madame Pele will make it rain.  We always wait to pick them until we are almost ready to leave.

Another wonderful part of the ohia tree to use are the tender new tips of branches as they resemble velvety green or silver rose buds.

Uluhe and palapalai, laua'e, and whisk ferns are often used in the making of the wreaths, as well as 'club moss' and a ferny looking moss that resembles little clusters of chenille pipe cleaners.

The berries and the tiny, sort of prickly leaves of the pukiawe plant are also used.  The berries can be red, pink or white even on the same bush and the use of bits of this plant give your wreath a light airy look.

Another berry and leaves that are interesting to use is that of the 'ohelo, although we rarely if ever pick them in areas where the Hawaiian Nene, our State birds, make their home, because they like to feed on them.

Other plants such as the Uki grass are also used, especially when the "flower heads" have dried.

One of the perks of making Hawaiian Wreaths with all native material is that they usually dry well and can last a long time..long past the holidays.

If you buy the wreaths already made, they can run from $40 - $60 for one made on a 10" to 12" frame and up to $125 for a large one made using a 14" to 16" frame.

I missed going up to the slopes of our mountains this year in time to pick for making wreaths as I had planned, mainly due to weather conditions.  We have had a lot of rain in the last few weeks and I dislike driving the Saddle Road (between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa) as the road is quite curvy and can be dangerous in the rain.  You can see a sample of one of my wreaths here

I hope you enjoyed looking at the different styles of Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths!

Mele Kalikimaka to you and yours!

Christmas Blooms at the Farmer's Market

Last Saturday we visited the Hilo Farmers Market just to take photos of the colorful array of fruits, veggies and flowers.  The whole market was teeming in a riot of colors and looked as if it had dressed up just for the Holiday Season.

I shared some of the photos of fruits and veggies taken that day in an article at Gather.com TROPICAL TASTE - Hilo Farmers Market at Christmas Time

I wish all of you a very "Mele Kalikimaka" and thank you for dropping by to read and look at my posts.  Here is my Christmas Gift to all of you....May it provide you with joy and pleasure!

Midori - Lime Green and Pink Anthuriums

Anthuriums are lovely to use anytime of year, but they seem so much more alive and colorful to use during the holidays!

Awapuhi is the name for ginger in Hawaiian.  The Pine Cone or Shampoo Ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) or Awapuhi Kuahiwi reflect the colors of the season.

As I walked through the market, each bunch of flowers called to me...I took dozens of photos and wish I could share them all!

The Heliconiacae family consists of a huge genus of heliconias in many colors and shapes. 

Some blooms stand straight up and some dangle- some look like they are made of wax and others look slighly fuzzy.  They are all beautiful!

With names like "Lobster-claw", "Sexy Pink", "Wild Plantain", "Parakeet" , the whole family of heliconias is a very colorful one.

Bright Christmas Red Anthuriums.  In the past we have decorated our Christmas trees with these blooms.

Also called Classic South American Red Anthuriums, these are the most familiarly known by the most people.

The Pink & Green Tropic Ice  is a type of Obake Anthurium which are the largest blooms in this family.

As with the Heliconia genus, the Anthurium ia also part of a huge family of flowers.  Many different colors, combination of colors and sizes.  A big advantage is that they last so long in arrangements.

 

Red Gingers - none of the gingers shown in these photos are the edible ginger.

Of the hundreds of ginger plants in existence, only the Zingiber officinale and the turmeric or Curcum longa, cardamon and galanga are edible.

There are many varieties of gingers growing in Hawaii.  The Red Ginger Alpinia purpurata seems to be the most prolific.  Cone or flower heads can run from almost shell white, through several shades of pink to deep red.

The flower most associated with the Christmas Holidays is the Poinsettia.

Poinsettias are native to the Americas, originally from the Pacific Coast of Central Mexico and Guatemala.

Named after the first U.S. envoy to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who first introduced it to the United States in 1825.  The Poinsettia is also called Flor de Noche Buena (Noche Buena is what people of Hispanic descent call Christmas Eve, so the translation would be Bloom or Flower of Good Night or Christmas Eve)

May your Christmas Holidays be filled with many, many blooms!

Tropical Ambrosia

I was asked to do a small 'festive or holiday' food demonstration at the new Kino'ole Farmers Market in Hilo.  The demo was this morning and I decided what is more festive and holidayish than an Ambrosia Salad.

In South Carolina, where we lived for many years, Ambrosia is traditionally served during the Christmas Holidays or even as part of the Christmas dinner.  Since we have so many beautiful fruits available to us at this time of year, I decided to make it a Tropical Ambrosia.

Starting with a pineapple, long recognized as 'the symbol for hospitality', I hollowed a pineapple shell with a great gadget that cores and slices it at the same time, leaving an intact shell which can be used for other purposes....of course, we saved the top to replant.

I then added the slices of small apple bananas and mixed well with the pineapple pieces and juice so they wouldn't turn color.  Building on that base I used an assortment of fruit as follows:

Pineapple cut in bite pieces

Apple banana slices

Mango, diced

Tangerine pieces

Strawberry papaya pieces

Solo papaya pieces

Star fruit slices

Persimmon, chopped

Pomegranate seeds

Coconut, freshly grated

Candied ginger, chopped in small pieces

Macadamia nuts, chopped and lightly toasted

 

Mix all together and serve from a clear glass bowl...

or in stemmed wine or martini glasses.

...and visions of Sugarplums dance in their heads...!

 

We recently visited the Big Island Candies showroom and factory for the first time in several years, with the idea of doing some gift shopping for several mainland members of our family and friends...and were blown away with the place, so we decided to go back the next week after making an appointment to learn more about the history and background of the place!

On the year of their 30th anniversary, and after three locations, the legendary institution found the perfect place for their permanent quarters in 1998, after building a modern showroom and baking kitchens.  This is the sole location for a business that ships to all of the islands and world-wide.  Anywhere UPS goes, said Malcolm Murasaki, our knowledgeable host during our recent visit.

Originally founded in 1977 by Allan Ikaiwa, Big Island Candies manufactures all their cookies and candies in house using island products from macnuts to island grown coffee and chocolate.

The original shortbread cookies that made them famous are still available, as well as new products added every year.  The newest to their line is the shortbread cookies dipped in lemon icing.

With about a 100 employees year round and more added during special times of the year, this is even better than a Willie Wonka chocolate factory... Their in-house designer changes decorations according to the season about every three weeks or so... It is worth visiting on a regular basis just to see how the  showroom store is 'dressed up'.

All their cookies and candies are made in-house, many handmade.  The ice cream sold in the retail section is also made with their products, such as the Chocolate Brownie and the Coffee Chocolate Ice Creams. 

Specialty packaging is made just for them, many designed by local artists, such a Sig Zane who this year introduced his third design and much of the packaging designs change with the seasons such as Valentines, Spring, Fall, Holiday and Winter.

Visitors are greeted at the door with a sample of "cookie of the day" and "chocolate of the day" and an offer of 100% Kona coffee to enjoy as you stroll through the showroom and shop.

As you walk through the showroom and store you can see employees in the factory section behind huge glass windows, dipping cookies or adding chocolate squiggles with a decorator's icing sleeve.

Boxes and tins are tastefully arranged in bins and shelves, tables and counters...  We had a hard time deciding what to choose...but actually, it should not be a problem...everything and anything you select is delicious and fresh.

If you can't visit it in person...no problem!  Call them or visit their website to get your name on their mailing list and receive periodic catalogs.... Some items in the store are not available through the catalog, but the catalog offers a huge variety, including Da Kine (a favorite Hawaiian expression meaning 'anywhere, anything, everything') products and even sign up for a Gift of the Month Club.

Do I sound like a commercial??? We were just sold on the place and did not receive payment... unless you can say that a couple of sample treats were payment ;-)

Big Island Candies, Hilo, HI - 800/935-5510 - www.bigislandcandies.com

.....and specially for my friends at Gather.....lookit what I found!!!

This visit and a couple of things we did recently (Savor the Season concert at UH-Hilo for one) were a great start to our Holiday Season!