Sonia Tastes Hawaii

The Buzz on BISS

BISS stands for Big Island Self Sufficiency.  It is a Yahoo group started in November of '08 by my friend Kele.  Kele stands for Jerry/Gerald in Hawaiian.

The Home Page of the group says it best: This group is for the purpose of learning and teaching self sufficiency gardening/farming for people on the "Big Island" of Hawai'i.

Our purpose is to join together and help each other develop some
level of essential food production in our own yards and farms as we
are soon to be faced with large food shortages globally accompanied
by skyrocketing prices for that which remains available. We are very
vulnerable to these changes..even more so than the rest of the 49 states
of the US.

 

 
Although aimed at residents of the Big Island of Hawai'i, we do have several members in some of the other Hawaiian islands, the mainland and even Mexico. 

Our members come from all walks of life...we have professionals and retired professionals, farmers, professors, nursery owners, music teachers.....some are members of the younger generations (our future) and some are older......some are bluegrass aficionados as well as aficionados of opera; our group is like the Hawaiian islands....a wonderful melting pot! 

Many of the members are very knowledgeable about growing anything and about so many other subjects that are interesting or necessary to know if you plan to live your life as sustainably as possible.

 

Many members grow at least some food, others grow most of what they eat...yet others own nurseries and give advice on planting and harvesting... others are into medicinal plants....Recipes are shared.  Advise on fertilizers and organics is given and discussed...

 

Not a day goes by that something new doesn't come up for discussion, whether its about State or Federal government as it relates to agriculture; recalls on produce on the mainland....interesting websites members find and like to share with the rest.

 

Kele started the group on November 26th of '08 and I believe I was the 7th member to join it after meeting Kele and visiting his quarter acre urban 'farmette' where he grows a hundred or more banana trees of different varieties, sugar cane, papaya, pineapples, the tiny red hot Hawaiian chile peppers and also a collection of herbs and other edible plants.  Except for a very few ornamentals, everything else growing in the 'farmette' is edible.

A few months after I joined, Kele requested I share moderator duties with him and recently made me an owner....no, no raise in pay with each new position... I still get the same as when I was just one of the members.... ;-)

 

BISS got stuck for a little while at the half year mark and then all of a sudden it exploded.  We started getting together as a group at his 'farmette' and little by little the membership grew, mostly by word of mouth.  Our BISS 'gatherings' are on the Sunday closest to the Solstices or the Equinoxes.... no, we don't hold pagan rituals, unless you consider pot-lucks a pagan ritual ;-); sometimes the date has to be moved to a different Sunday if it falls on Father's Day in June or too close to Christmas in December.

At our gatherings besides a dish to share for the potluck, members bring seeds, seedlings, cuttings, plants and fruit or produce to share. 

 

Since we are a group that cares about the future, members bring their own dishes, flatware, napkins and glasses or cups from home....We always request that if disposable paper products are brought they be at least compostable.

Some of the same members come to all the gatherings, some driving a couple of hours just for the afternoon; some come to a few and there is always someone new.  The members who have been attending from the start have become like family and new 'family' is added at each.

Besides meeting at Kele's place, we have had gatherings at a nearby beach park, a park near downtown Hilo and at the home of another member. 

Members bring their kids or a friend or two to introduce them to the group. 

 

The last gathering was this past Sunday at Kele's and we had about 67 members (not all at one time) attend this one.  The biggest gathering to date.  We had a lot of fun as some members brought their musical instruments and entertained us with music for about an hour.

If  you live in Hawai'i and are interested in joining us to learn more about self sufficiency in the islands or in the tropics, check out Big Island Self Sufficiency

 

 

Big Island Roads and Byways.... a zebra?

You never know what you're going to encounter when you travel around our island...

Earlier this year we were returning from the Avocado Festival at the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens in Captain Cook, which is on the southern part of the West side (Kona side) or our island; as I was driving along, my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a zebra as we were zipping right along....

Whoa.... a zebra?  By the time it registered, we had driven a few yards pass the place and I decided to find the first drive to make a turn and go back...

 

Sure enough, there was a real, live Zebra behind a fenced-in area right by the road!

The zebra and a little burro were companiably eating their supper and completely ignored us.

 

Just on the other side of the same pen, there were some strange looking cattle I later learned were originally from Africa and called Watusi.  Doing an internet search I learned they were actually called Ankole-Watusi and the most remarkable thing about them are the long horns and that they can live on very limited amounts of food and water.

 

In the same pen with the Watusi were a couple of American Bison or American buffalo...

A couple of months later, I found myself having to go back to the gardens in Captain Cook for a meeting and made it a point to stop again on my retutn home, but this time I wanted to find out more about them and how they had all ended in this sparcely populated area of the Big Island.

I turned makai (towards the ocean) of 'Aina Lani Road which forms a corner by the fenced in pasture where these definitely not Hawaiian natives live.  At the first (and only) house I found a roadside stand with labeled and bagged coffee being sold as well as an assortment of fruit and avocadoes.... and met Miss Sudy.

Miss Sudy is a very warm and welcoming woman who had a Hawaiian grandmother, but was born and raised in Alabama and speaks with a soft Southern lilt.  She married her husband Leonard Jose who is a 5th generation Portuguese born in Hawaii.  Leonard brought Miss Sudy back to Hawaii with him and they found the property where they settled, which is a very nice place with views of a mountain on one side and views of the ocean on the other.  Here they grow coffee, have a few fruit trees and Leonard has his 'pets'.

Besides Leonard's 'pets', Miss Sudy has her own pets; several friendly pigs, what looked like dozens and dozens of chickens and roosters, and a peacock who roam all over her yard and didn't seem to bother her flower beds and plantings around the house.

If you find yourself driving on Hwy 11 between Ka'u and South Kona, be sure to stop and visit with Leonard's 'pets' and then mosey on down 'Aina Lani (Heavenly Land) Road to buy some of Miss Sudy's 100% Kona Coffee....Of course, I chose the Zebra Blend, which has both medium and dark roasted beans....

 

There are signs on the fence advising lookers to not feed them, as they need special food.  Please heed them.  The sales of coffee and fruit from their land goes towards purchasing the special feed the 'pets' need to eat. 

Darn it, I REALLY love this island!

 

 

My Birthday Adventure continues....

 
Waipi'o Valley, or the Valley of Kings as it is also known, because the Hawaiian men destined to become kings were brought to be raised there, and also because many of the ali'i (royals) are buried along the edges of the valley, is about a mile wide and about 5 to 6 miles deep (depending on whom you ask!) and rimmed with pali (cliffs) that are about 2000 feet high.

The floor of the valley itself is hard to reach.  The road going down into the valley is VERY steep and you need 4-wheel drive or else, walk it.  But our adventure didn't take us down into the valley.  We were up around the eastern rims of the mountains bordering the valley.  Anthony took me on a tour of the valley and beach when I first visited him here in summer of 93.  The trip down is not so bad, but coming back up you can't even see the road beneath your vehicle....THAT was scary!

I have never been on an ATV in my life but was game to try.  We started out with the orientation and testing the machines.  Helmets were passed around and everyone got ready to go.

 
Unfortunately, when I was just starting out I realized my arms were not strong enough to hold that thing on the paths....particularly since the paths are muddy, rocky, uneven, steep (both up and down) in many places, so I settled to ride in the 4 seater with one of the guides....which turned out to be a boon, because Les is a foodie and his 'day job' is working as a chef at the Mauna Lani Resort Hotel in South Kohala!

 

The paths mauka (up mountain) took us through deliciously fresh smelling eucalyptus forests.  We saw quite a few bright red-orange amaryllis growing wild through the forest as well as some white ginger (mariposas) starting to bloom here and there.

 
Lots of mudholes....that is Anthony riding in front of us as the rest of the riders snake up hill.  There were 13 of us plus 3 guides.

At the first stopping place we had to go down some stone steps holding on to a thick rope and then walk across a make-shift wood plank that crossed a stream....or I should say the stream passed over it, as we sloshed through water to go across.  The tour company has a small platform open-deck lanai built on the far side with a picnic table and benches built along the sides.

 
The view is gorgeous.  A waterfall coming down from the upper parts of the Kohala Mountains falls into a pond deep enough for swimming.  The waters from the waterfall and stream end up down in Waipio Valley, which is preserved by the Bishop Estate and Kamehameha Trust as taro farmlands.  According to the old stories, this swimming hole was used by King Kamehameha the First as his personal bathing spot.  It was believed that when the king bathed in the pond the waters going down into the valley contained the king's mana which would cast blessings to the people below and help the taro crops grow.

 
Some in the group decided to go swimming.  Although I wore my bathing suit under my clothing I opted to not go in the 72 degree water!  A snack and drinks were shared and after a while, we returned to where the vehicles were and walked down just a few feet to a second vantage view.

This was yet another waterfall and secluded swimming pond below.  You could see the area with the smaller waterfall above where we had just been from here.  This one was not as easy to get to as the first one and no one tried.

 

Returning to the vehicles, we then made our way down to a place with stunning views of Hi'ilawe Falls, the tallest of all our island's waterfalls....  

The valley below with all the little taro farms looked like a patchquilt in shades of greens and browns.  Unfortunately, the angle of the sun at this time of day was not friendly to my camera to take many photos of the valley floor.

 

One of Anthony at the rim above the valley

 

Down in the valley.....you can see some of the little taro farms.  At one time thousands of people lived in the valley.  Now barely 10 families live there, some fishing and some raising wetland taro.

 

Ready to head makai (down or towards the sea) - in Hawai'i directions to anywhere are given by telling you if the location is mauka (up mountain) or makai (towards the sea) of any road....beats having to say if you're going North (or South) it will be on your left (or right)....

 

Anthony revving up!

 

Going down we saw plenty of evidence of wild pigs where they had been rutting and eating vegetation.  Les, my driver guide and new chef friend told me he hunts for wild pigs in all these forests.

 

Our trail took us by sections of the old sugar cane flume and ditch systems that were used in 'olden days' to send the cut cane down from the mountain slopes to the mills below.  The system was started in the North Kohala area and called the Kohala Ditch.  Parts of this system is still in use by farmers between this area and down towards Hilo.

Below is Les closing the last gate after everyone has gone through.  Tour takes approximately 3 and half hours and it was all fun.  The guides are all quite knowledgeable and 'talk plenty story' letting everyone know the history and culture behind all they are experiencing. 
   

Les has a small farm down in the valley and extended an invitation to visit it sometime in July or early August.  He grows taro and ho'io (fiddlehead ferns).  Can't wait for that visit!

This was one huge, fantastic, fabulous adventure and never in a million years would I have guessed what that devious son of mine had planned.

To learn more about Waipi'o Valley click HERE

 

My Birthday Adventure

A couple of weeks ago, my son placed a note on the big calendar we keep on the office door - the day June 19 was X'd and the note said "Don't make plans" and there was a note attached with a list of clothing I was supposed to wear; old jeans, short sleeve T, tennis/walking shoes, socks, jacket and "my birthday present".  Bathing suit under clothing optional.  Don't wear anything that you don't want ruined.  Be ready to leave house by 10:30 am!!!.  When I asked him what was going on, he said I would find out when the time came. 

 

When I shared the above with friends on FB, the first thing one said was that I was probably going 'ziplining'....hooboy!  That would be something to see me flying like Mary Martin!

To my questions about his plans, he would say things like 'about an hour away'....'just be ready and all is taken care of''...'you'll find out when the time comes'... He can be quite exasperating!

Unfortunately, on the 19th I woke up with my head spinning. It had been a long time since this had happened and couldn't imagine why now.  I took one of the dizzy pills that were Rx'd for dizzy spells and waited for it to kick in. The spinning settled down but was still a bit queasy.  At this time, I still didn't know what exciting activity Anthony had planned.  I asked him if it was something we could postpone if the dizziness didn't go away and he said, possibly....  Thankfully, by 10 am I was feeling much better and up to whatever the day was to bring.  He gave me my "birthday present"; a small package done up in a ti leaf with raffia ties....it was a tube of 'Chapstick'...but not just any Chapstick...It was a "Limited Edition Design" Chapstick...only the best for his mom!

 

With Anthony, I should realize by now that he can be very close-mouthed and to always expect the unexpected.  I was to carry the 'present' with me and use it 'when the time came'.  As the day progressed, I realized he had given everything a lot of thought and had it all planned out. 

As we left our drive and drove down the road to the the junction to Hwy 19 I asked which way and he said 'North by Northwest'....so I turned left.  About 20 miles later he said 'We don't have to be there until 1 pm, so let's stop somewhere to eat a bite'....Well, he didn't want to stop at Tex so we drove into Honoka'a expecting to find one of the little eating places open.... NOT.  It was Sunday and only Tex, on the Highway or Blaine's, in town, were open.  Since we were in town, Blaine's it was (for those not familiar with them, Blaine's is a small chain of 'drive-in' eateries)....I can tell you that it was not my idea of a special Bday lunch, but what the hay....I roll with the punches...!  (Later I found out that the original plans had been for a Saturday and we were supposed to stop at our friends' 50's Cafe in Laupahoehoe and Kendra was to have a bday pie ready for me....but Anthony changed the plans for Sunday when he realized we would be attending funeral services for a family friend on Saturday)

While our order was being prepared I ran across the street to the service station to use the restroom....Blaine's was out of order.  At the service station when I asked for the key to the restroom, I noticed a small bunch of beautiful tiny orchids in greyish green and commented on how pretty they were.  The attendant let me smell them - just like vanilla - and put them back where she had them.  When I returned the key, she said 'Here Auntie, these are for you' and handed me the flowers!  Of course I thanked and her and when I told her it was my bday, she came around the counter, hugged me and said 'Hau'oli la Hanau, Auntie!"

 

After eating our lunch, Anthony suggested we drive over to Waipio Valley Lookout, since it was still early....as we neared the intersection by the Malama store he asked if I could stop for a second.  So in the parking lot we go and he goes in the store...and comes out 10 minutes later with a small bag and a see through clamshell with a gorgeous orchid lei.  Yes, he had called a week ahead and ordered a special one called 'butterfly lei'.  At first he requested one made with the rolled white ginger lilies, which are called 'mariposas' in Spanish (butterflies), but the white gingers are not blooming very profusely at the moment, so the salesperson on the phone suggested this one:

 

On to Waipio Lookout.  I asked if he wanted to go through the regular road (the upper road) or the one through the little village of Kukuihaele (the lower road).  He asked me all innocent like 'What's in Kuluihaele?" I reminded him about the gift shop gallery and ice cream...so he said let's take the upper road and maybe come back through the village later....

 

At Waipio, of course we had to stop for photo ops....  There was a gorgeous flame orange bouganvillea exhuberantly growing all over the place! 

 

Coming back through Kukuihaele we had to stop a couple of times to take photos of a gorgeous pin cushion protea bush by the side of the road

 

and also to take pics of an amazing jackfruit tree with fruit growing all the way down the trunk to the ground! 

 

We stop at the gallery and Anthony pretends to be looking around and then goes to the ice cream chest.  We chose our flavors and go to pay at front and the very nice gentleman tending the store asks us where are we visiting from and we told him we're locals and that it was my birthday and we were just touring around....so I was given a flexible rubber magnet with a photo of Waipio Valley as a present....and it was then that Anthony told him....'and we have a booking for a tour of the rim'.

 

My birthday surprise is an ATV tour of Waipio Valley Rim! 

WoooooooooHooooooo!

Follow me as we continue to be tourists in our own backyard!

 

 

Playing tourists in our own backyard...

My son Anthony, our friends Jenn and Chris and I decided to play tourists this past Sunday and explore the wonders of our island home. 

We packed a picnic lunch and made our way to our destination of the Hawai'i National Volcanoes Park, but we made a small stop in Hilo first to admire the statue of King Kamehameha the First.  The statue stands in Wailoa Park in Hilo. 

 

The day before had been King Kamehameha Day and as is the custom on this date every year, the statue is decorated with long flowing flower lei that often trail the ground. 

The day was gorgeous and as we neared the park there were rumblings of "I'm hungry, let's eat first", so we stayed on the road and went on to our favorite picnic spot at Kipuka Puaulu (Bird Park) on Mauna Loa Road.

 

The park was busy, but we found a nice secluded place for ourselves and took out our spread.  Jenn and Chris made the sushi you see in the photos.  They were ono!

 

Afterwards we walked around a bit to take some photos.

 

A small koa tree coming up above a little strip of old lava....from little seedlings.....

 
.......a mighty koa will grow.......A larger koa tree in bloom.

 

Even old dead trees can be beautiful.

 

This bit of ancient lava looks like a bunch of old ropes... 
A lovely old ohia tree full of lehua blossoms. 

 

Jenn and Chris at the Jaggar Museum on the edge of the Kialuea Caldera.  You can see Halema'uma'u Crater smoking in the background.

 

It can't be seen from where we stood, but the smoke and steam is coming from a lake of lava that has opened up on the floor of the Halema'uma'u Crater

We later drove over to the Old Chain of Craters Road and while Jenn and Chris walked the Devastation Trail and Anthony sat in the car reading, I took a little stroll in the area surrounded the parking area...both of us have walked the trail before.

A path through the ancient forest....

 

Meeting a 'stranger' in the path....

 

An old mossy log....

 

A rest stop in the forest....

 

.............and as I walked back to the parking area, the 'stranger' returned bringing his mate....they are actually Kadji Pheasants.  The male got braver each time he came by and his mate followed his lead.

 

A most beautiful day in our beautiful island!

 

A girl's only just because tea party

I've always loved tea parties... from the days when I used to play with my little tea set as a child... and I love getting together with friends over good food and relaxed conversations while drinking tea....I still collect tea pots and adore tasting different teas.

 

Somehow in conversation one day, my friend Brenda said she had never been to a tea party, so I talked it over with my friend-and-just-about-daughter Cathy and we decided to host a tea party for a few women friends on the lanai of Cat's wonderful 'Pond House' down in Kapoho, and invitations were sent for yesterday afternoon.

 

 
Cat's lanai, setting for our tea party - photo by Gail Armand

So it wouldn't be too much on just one person, we did what comes naturally to anyone who has lived in Hawaii for any length of time...we hosted a pot-luck tea party!  Guests were asked to bring either a savory or a sweet dish and no one was disappointed.

Some of us commented afterwards how it always works out and the food brought is always a good balance between sweets and savories and there never are duplications!

 

I follow a blog called 'Home is Where the Boat is' by a very talented woman called Mary in North Carolina.  Her posts are very creative, her photos are gorgeous and regardless of what the topic is, I get inspired to also create after reading her posts.  In a post a couple of weeks ago, Mary posted this "Fairy Cake" and I was determined I was going to make something similar.

What makes living in Hawaii so wonderful can also cause havoc with cake frostings.... our lovely humidity which contributes to dewy complexions can make a lovely cake look like a little pu'u (small hills formed by volcanic eruptions through vents on the flanks of a volcano) with white lava and decorations flowing down the sides...

 
My "Fairy Cake" was not as pretty as Mary's but it was delicious.

Start with a sponge cake and cut it into three layers.  Mary used a lemon curd and whipped cream, berries, flowers, butterflies and chocolate mushrooms.

Mine was layered with fresh mango I had poached in a bit of simple syrup made with Maui raw sugar and a vanilla bean.  Refrigerated overnight, the mango firmed up enough and was lovely spread in between the layers.  I then sprinkled some blueberries and placed slices of strawberries on top of each layer and added cream cheese vanilla frosting.  I was hoping the frosting would hold up better than just whipped cream....No such luck!

 
Fresh whole strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and poha berries were scattered all over as well as some freshly picked blackberries that my friend Gail brought me from around the Volcano Golf course.  Doing a canvasing around the neighborhood for flowers to use on the tables, Cat found 2 Surinam cherries, which were also added to the cake as well as an assortment of edible flowers....including some blooms from my own strawberry plants, which are ready to gift us with a second harvest this year....!

 
Flowers in the pitcher on the food table were my hostess gift to Cat - from the Hilo Farmers Market

The assorted hibiscus on the table were some that Cat and Janet picked canvassing the neighborhood

Lovely company on a beautiful lanai with delicious food and tea while a soft rain is falling around us....a cooling breeze is blowing...and no mosquitoes....It can't get any better than that!