This article was originally published in the Hamakua Times of Honoka'a (August 2011 issue)
The mango season has me singing a song that originated in my birth island of Cuba. The original song words use ‘mambo’ instead of mango…and ‘que rico’ means ‘how delicious’ ….and we know that mangoes are now plentiful, at their peak and definitely onolicious!
In a column I wrote for The Hamakua Times in July of 1999, I mention that the mango (Mangifera indica) is probably a more important fruit in the tropics than the apple is in the temperate zones and has been in cultivation for at least 6,000 years.
In another column for this same newspaper, in August of 2000, I again write about mangoes and share that the mango is a relative of the cashew and pistachio trees and also to the poison ivy and poison oak vines which we’re very lucky to not have in the islands!
More mango facts:
Whether that last one is true or not, I will let the readers find out for themselves.
Mangoes have always been my most favorite fruit and when reading recipes using other fruits such as peaches, apricots and nectarines, I automatically think mangoes!
Mangoes can be eaten out of hand just plucked from the tree with juices running down your chin and arms or in what my grandmother would have considered a more civilized manner by peeling and dicing, cutting or slicing the fresh fruit; mixed in tropical fruit salads, as juice by itself or in tall refreshing mixed drinks; in pies, cheesecakes, tarts, cakes, smoothies, ice cream, pickles, chutneys, mousse and puddings, sauces, soups, jams and preserves and even used as an ingredient in cooked dishes.
Did you know?:
*Mangoes have a practical application as a meat tenderizer.
*The fruit is very high in Vitamin A (beta-carotene) which is considered a cancer-fighting agent.
*Mangoes are said to be good for the kidneys, aid digestion, relieve clogged skin pores, reduce cysts and reduce excess body heat and fevers.
*The mango flowers and sap also have medicinal uses, but there are many people allergic to the skin of the mango and the sap from the trees, but can eat a peeled fruit. *The leaves are toxic when digested.
Choosing and Storing:
When choosing fresh mangoes make sure that the surface yields to gentle pressure and that there are no blemishes or dark and soft spots.
A ripe mango will yield a very noticeable fragrant aroma. If the mangoes are still hard and green when picked, place them in a brown paper bag on the counter for a few days to ripen. If picked too soon, they will not ripen properly and will smell and taste like turpentine.
A ripe mango can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
To freeze mangoes, just peel, seed and slice or cut in chunks and place in a freezer-proof plastic bag, taking care to extract all the excess air… or do as my mother used to do when we lived in Cuba and had more mangoes than we could consume… wash and freeze them whole. These can be used in recipes, or as we kids used to love to eat them, frozen and peeling with our teeth….they tasted like mango ice cream!
If you want to learn more about mangoes, celebrate the mango and taste all kine ono ways in which mangoes can be enjoyed, I invite you to attend the Hawaii Healing Garden & Mango Festival at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort this coming Saturday the 30th of July from 10 am to 5 pm.
Mango Bread Pudding
If you have only eaten plain bread puddings, you are missing great treats when combined with fruits. Serve hot or warm with your favorite tropical fruit sauce or the Mango Sauce recipe below.
4 eggs 2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 to 4 ripe mangoes, sliced
5 to 6 cups day-old bread (*)
1 Tablespoon butter, cut up small
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped small and slightly toasted (optional)
Spray 8 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Break up bread into pan, tuck mango slices in between bread and sprinkle the chopped nuts all over.
Mix beaten eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla until all the egg breaks up and sugar is dissolved. Pour egg mixture over the bread and mangoes, dot with pieces of butter. Bake at 325 degrees for about 55 minutes. Note: Can be assembled night before and put in refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
(*) For a special treat, use Portuguese sweet bread.
Mango Sauce
Try this over the bread pudding above, ice cream, angel food or pound cake. For an even greater taste explosion, try over a slice of chocolate cake! Excellent served with grilled chicken, fish or shrimp. This recipe can be doubled or tripled easily.
1 ripe mango
1/2 to 1 cup fresh homemade lemonade
Peel the mango and remove flesh cutting off from around the stone. Combine mango pieces with the lemonade in a blender and process until smooth. If too thin, add more mangoes. If too thick, add a little bit more lemonade. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil, stirring with a whisk. Remove from heat and cool. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Habanero Chile Mango Ice Cream
Eat cautiously! It is deceptively cool at first, and absolutely delicious, but then........... hot, Hot, HOT!
1 quart Half & Half
6 or 8 whole cardamom pods 1 vanilla bean pod, split 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup mango juice
Juice from one lemon
1 cup sugar
3 or 4 Habanero chile peppers, seeded, cored and chopped
1 large ripe mango, peeled and mashed
Bring Half & Half, cardamom and vanilla pods to nearly boiling. Do not scald. Let cool completely, at least 4 hours.
Mix mango juice and cornstarch. Add sugar and lemon juice bringing mixture to a boil. Simmer till mixture begins to thicken. Let cool completely.
Remove cardamom and vanilla pods from cream. Add juice mixture, the chopped Habanero chiles and mango pulp.
Mix thoroughly. Freeze in ice cream maker, according to directions; or freeze in large bowl and whip every couple of hours till desired
consistency.
Sonia's Note:
If you cannot find fresh, ripe mango buy frozen mango chunks. Comes in 3-5 pound bags at Costco - of course...fresh is better!
Also when you add the juice/cornstarch mixture to the cool milk mixture, it stays sort of solid. I had to strain through a fine mesh sieve and then push it through with a spoon.
Sorry about my finger in the pic...
Friends from the mainland are visiting our island from Oregon...they've been staying on the Kona side but came over to join us for a picnic at Leleiwi Beach Park yesterday.
Friends Galyn & Sharon also joined us...and Galyn invited a new Big Island resident to come and join us to get to meet some people.
Tomato Tart with caramelized purple onion, Gorgonzola crumbles, and fresh thyme
Cheese & fruit tray (I forgot to put the crackers out!)
Tomato tart, taro rolls, rice, Puerto Rican stew, mixed green salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado, cheese & fruit tray...and pumpkin pie for dessert... fruit punch and water the beverages.
Photo by Mark G - All set, but waiting for one more!
Photo by Mark G - YUM!
Photo by Mark G - Mark, Kerry, Sonia, Galyn, Michael, Sharon, & Anthony
Photo by Mark G. - It was a gorgeous day...and a good time was had by all!
A group of friends gets together on the first Sunday of each month for 'Beach Day'... it's a potluck affair and everyone who can go is invited. We don't go every Sunday, but did the first Sunday and also attended the 'Bonus Beach Day' yesterday to welcome back friends from Oregon who are spending a few days on the island.
We had a great time...the day was gorgeous, which was actually a bonus, because we have been having horrible weather for the last couple of weeks...windy, cold, and rainy...but yesterday was pristine!
Maggie was in her element...first our little friend Acasia walked her for a bit...and everyone had to say Hi and pet her..she loves that!
Anthony, Maggie & Wade
Maggie had some Anthony time...
Anthony, Maggie, Wade, Carey, Galyn. Sonia, & Sharon! (Wade and Sonia playing 'footsies'...)
She also had to have some Sonia time.
The potlucks are always fabulous!
Stasia and I were talking to Maggie, while Wade, Lori, and Sharon were serving themselves. Stasia and Wade are our friends from Portland... a Beach Potluck is the perfect welcome!
...and Maggie loved all of the attention!
Photos by Liz & Stasia
My Meyer lemon tree has been producing lots of lemons the last couple of years. At this time we have ripe fruit, still green fruit and blossoms!
Besides making Limonade, Limoncello, Spritzers, and Limoncello Cream there are lots of other things you can do with them...
Tips for using Meyer Lemons –
*From my friends Diane in California and Deb in Georgia –Use a vegetable peeler and save the peel before juicing the lemons. Freeze the peels in small snack size bags. When lemon zest is needed, just take the needed amount out, defrost, mince and you will have fresh lemon zest to use in baking and all types of recipes.
The Meyer Lemon peels can be candied as well. They are really tasty and make pretty decorations for cup cakes, cakes, tarts, and other pastries (see my great-grandmother's recipe below)
The following are by Amy Scattergood Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in the January 16th, 2008 issue.
* Infuse your favorite olive oil with Meyer lemon peel: Warm a cup of olive oil and the peel from 2 lemons over very low heat for 15 minutes, then allow cooling for half an hour. Strain and pour into an antique bottle with a tight stopper.
* Make Meyer lemon vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, a splash of champagne vinegar, sea salt, cracked black pepper and a little lemon zest.
* Add Meyer lemon peels into a jar of honey and allow to sit for a few weeks; the peel will perfume the honey while it slowly candies in the jar.
* Perfume your sugar bowl by stirring strips of Meyer lemon peel down into the sugar.
* Make Hollandaise sauce with Meyer lemon.
* Whisk the zest of a few Meyer lemons into your favorite meringue recipe.
* Throw the peel of a Meyer lemon on the grill before cooking shrimp.
* Peel a whole Meyer lemon in one continuous long strand and drop the peel into a mug of hot chocolate.
...and my Great-grandmother's Candied Citrus Peels
Great-Grandmother Rachel (Rate) McElrath Parker Fisher's Grapefruit / Orange / Lemon Rind Candy
Better if made with thick skinned fruit
1. Quarter the rinds.
2. Soak in cold, salty water overnight.
3. Pour all (rinds and salty water) into a boiler. Bring to a rolling boil.
4. Pour off water and cover with tap water.
5. Bring to another rolling boil.
6. Repeat about 6 to 8 times (no salt, just water)
7. Drain and cover heavily with sugar and cold water - continue to add sugar and water as it cooks down -- cook about 3? hours with lid off on low heat (or until cooked down). Turn with fork.
8. Watch closely so it doesn't stick or burn on bottom.
9. Take rinds out and put directly on a pan (no foil or wax paper)
10. Turn occasionally while cooling.
11. Sprinkle with sugar on each side.
12. Let stand out overnight (not covered)
13. Cut with scissors when it is getting dry -- put in a plastic sack with sugar and shake.
This was not written down-- Mama (Nancy's mom, Kathy Griggs Pearson) just told from memory, thus the ? on cooking time.
Delicious!
Sonia's note: I remember eating this made by my Grandmother Arla Genevieve fisher Harris, but never saw her make it!
ps...if I left this out overnight, uncovered, my kitchen would be crawling with ants and geckos trying to get to them!
This past Saturday & Sunday were very busy days for me...
On Saturday I participated in a cookbook signing event at a bookstore on the other side of the island, so a 3 hour event turned into an all day affair...
and on Sunday, our group of friends, and friends of friends held our 5th Annual Christmas Party at a local county park, with our friend Galyn acting as host.
As usual, too much food...delicious or 'onolicious' as we say in Hawai'i, desserts, a fun gift exchange game (where I was the very last person to pick a gift and got the olive wood board and mortar & pestle I had been tracking all during the game and got to steal it and keep it!)
The most incredible dessert was brought by our young friend Lori!. Her dessert was the talk of the party and I want to share it with you, because I think it would be a wonderful dessert to feature during any Holiday Party!
It is called a Kransekake, a traditional Danish and Norwegian confection, usually eaten on special occasions such as weddings, baptisms, Christmas, or New Year's Eve.
Following is the recipe as she found it, but she made a couple of substitutions and an addition, which I thought made it even better!
Lori followed the recipe, but used almond flour instead of the ground almonds and omitted the pistachios, but added about 2 tablespoons of Japanese matcha tea powder and 1 teaspoon ginger powder.
Christmas Kransekake
600g (4 cups) blanched almonds, finely ground
600g (4 cups) icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
3 large egg whites, beaten
1 tsp almond extract
300g (2 cups) Iranian pistachios, finely ground
For the decoration
3 egg whites / 6 tbsp pasteurized egg whites
600g (4 cups) icing sugar
25g (2 Tablespoons) white sugar florist paste
Cornflour, for dusting (she used powdered sugar)
To make the dough, tip the ground almonds and icing sugar into a bowl, add the beaten egg whites and the almond extract and mix to a dough with your hands. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight or freeze for 30 minutes.
For the star, roll out the florist paste on a surface lightly dusted with cornflour to the thickness of a 2 pence piece. Make a template, then cut out 2, six pointed stars each measuring 5cm across. Cut a 2mm channel from one of the points of each star into the middle of each star and leave to set.
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°F/gas 5 (between 350 and 375). Line 3 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 2cm thick. Place the ground pistachios on a large baking sheet and gently roll the ropes in the pistachios to coat - (since Lori did not use the pistachios, she instead mixed the macha tea powder into the 'dough' and did not do this step)
Gently press the tops of the ropes with the heel of your hand to flatten them slightly–this will make it easier to form them into rings. Run an offset spatula under the ropes to loosen.
Cut the dough into strips (these will become rings): The smallest strip should measure 8cm, the next 11cm, the next 14cm and so on. Continue in 3cm increments until you reach the largest strip, which should measure 41cm long
Shape the strips into rings and push the edges together to seal. Make sure the curved surface is on the outside of the rings. (The smaller rings are the hardest to make, so take your time shaping them.)
Place the rings on the prepared baking sheets. Place a piece of parchment on top of the rings. Place an empty baking sheet on top of the parchment paper and press gently to flatten the tops of the rings. Remove the baking sheet and parchment paper and bake the rings for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool completely.
For the icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar a spoonful at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form when the whisk is removed.
Once the rings have cooled, begin to build the tower. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a number 4 writing nozzle. Pipe a few dots of white icing onto the base of the largest ring and stick it to a large serving plate. Pipe the icing in a zigzag pattern around the ring. Repeat with the remaining rings, stacking them one on top of the other, from largest to smallest, piping a zigzag pattern on every ring.
Once the stars are hard, interlink the 2 stars by sliding one channel into the other creating a 3 dimensional star.
Top the kransekake with the star and dust with icing sugar before serving.
Any mistakes in the conversions between metric and US measurements are mine.
Yesterday we welcomed new friends when a small group of friends got together for a pot-luck picnic at one of our beach parks.
Our host invited us to a late afternoon shish kebab cookout at our favorite little pavilion at Leleiwi Beach Park...he did not assign dishes to the rest of us, but as it seems to always work out, no matter how large or how small the group, the food was plentiful, delicious, and varied!...unfortunately, I did not get to take a picture of every single dish.
There was a cheese board with rosemary flavored almonds, apples, cheddar slices, a crock with blue cheese spread, grapes, and pimento stuffed olives.
Delicious pasta salad!
An assortment of shish-kabobs, not all pictured - shrimp, chicken, kielbasa, beef, and tofu for the vegetarians - our host pre-boiled the mini-potatoes first, then coated them with avocado oil and seasonings before adding them to the sticks... I tasted a piece of the beef and the kielbasa and they were both delicious, but the shrimp was perfect...YUM!
My plate with the shrimp kabob...at top right corner a rice dish, cooked in beef broth and then stir-fried with onions and veggies, plus cubed fresh mangoes and on far right, the pasta salad
We also had a choice of three desserts! Pictured is the pumpkin cheesecake (delish!) - story behind the pumpkin cheesecake...once upon a time, one of these made by the person who brought it, was auctioned off at a school benefit in Colorado for $300!!!! - not pictured a chocolate cheesecake and a traditional pumpkin pie.
The day was blustery and breezy, but not as cold there at the point as it can get...but a very good time was had by all, as we welcomed new friends to the island!
E komo mai to the Gonzalez Family!
Just a quick note to let everyone who contacted me via e-mails that we're fine. Lane packed lots of water and apparently dumped it all on our side of the island...even though s/he (never heard if Lane was a boy or girl name!) was a few hundred miles away from our shores and on the opposite side of the island!
The village just a bit less than 3 miles north of us recorded 33.37 inches of rain in a 48 hour period...and that was data collected Friday at 10 am...it continued to pour huge amounts of rain for several hours after that...so I guess several rain records were broken all around the island...
We were well prepared; plenty of food, water, batteries, a battery operated radio, first aid kit, all our important papers and documents together, and everything needed on hand. I've lived through several of these disasters and have learned to always be as prepared as I can be.
During this whole time, we were high and dry. Our cottage is set on high ground and we didn't even spring a leak. We lost power a few times, but the power company was on it and electricity resumed almost immediately each time.
Meantime, I read a lot, cooked stuff from the freezer (just in case!) and baked....and took time to write a haiku:
Thundering rain falls
Announcing visit from Lane
Cookies called my name...
(c) SRM 8/23/18
My Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter - smooth or crunchy
1 cup brown sugar - well packed
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Mix all ingredients and drop on parchment covered cookie sheet. Using fork tines, criss-cross to flatten
Bake at 350 for 8-19 minutes - depends on your oven. Sprinkle with brown sugar - if you wish - as soon as you take out of oven.
They will be very fragile, so very gently transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool. They will harden a bit more as they cool.
Fat Tuesday, which is today, marks the end of all the carnival revelry and celebrations. In several cities around the world, this is the last day of Carnival or Mardi Gras.
During the early days of Christianity, the six-week period between Carnival and Easter meant that no meat, milk, butter, cheese and eggs were to be eaten, so the last day to indulge was Shrove Tuesday, the day before lent starts on Ash Wednesday . This is the day when the mothers, grandmothers, and aunts would clean out the larder and use up all of the ingredients forbidden during Lent...and turn them into delicious pastries, cakes, doughnuts, waffles and pancakes...the last day to indulge in all of the deliciousness... and that is how Shrove Tuesday became known as Fat Tuesday
Photo: Malasadas to go, and a quote from a blogger who tried them for the first time: "Just in case you’re in the dark about malasadas like I was, they’re large, fried balls of dough tossed in sugar and happiness."
A malasada (Portuguese: malassada, from "mal-assada" = "under-cooked") (similar to filhós) is a Portuguese confection, made of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. They were first made by inhabitants of the Madeira islands. Traditional malasadas contain neither holes nor fillings, but some varieties of malasadas are filled with flavored cream or other fillings. Malasadas are eaten especially on Mardi Gras - the day before Ash Wednesday.
According to an old article in what was the Honolulu Advertizer newspaper, Fat Tuesday has been known as 'Malasada Day' in Hawaii for many years. Back in the mid 1800's when the wave of Chinese and Japanese immigrants sort of waned, and they had left the cane fields to start their own little enterprises, the sugar mills started bringing in Portuguese laborers from the Azore Isands. These were Catholic, so they brought in their own customs and traditions.
One of the traditions was to make malasadas using up all the meat by-products (eggs, butter, milk, shortening, etc) they had left in preparation for the Lenten Season.
In Hawai'i you can now find malasadas year 'round; they're traditionally made in the shape of little puffed pillows and sometimes filled with delicious fillings, such as Bavarian cream, guava, pineapple, mango, or liliko'i (passion fruit) custards, mousses, and curds.
Photo: Tex Drive In previous owner, Ada Pulin cutting malasada dough during a demonstration at a food festival, several years ago
Here is one of the most popular malasadas recipes, from Tex' Drive-In in Honoka'a, a few miles up the road from us, and the place where most everyone stops on the way around the island to go to Kohala or the Kona side when taking the north route.
Tex Drive-In Malasadas
1-1/2 lbs flour
3 eggs
2.6 oz butter
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz sugar (plus extra sugar to dust them with later)
2 (0.4 oz) Fleischman's Rapid Rise Yeast
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup hot water
Mix 1 egg, butter, salt and sugar in mixer, at low speed until creamy
Add flour and yeast together, hot water and 2 eggs, until dough clings to dough hook like a ball. If dough is too thin, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Let dough rise for approximately 30 minutes. Take dough from mixer and flatten out (about 1/2 inch high) on a clean, dry surface dusted with flour.
Cover with clean cloth and let it rise again for about 15 minutes. Cut in squares. Fry in shortening at 300 F until golden brown on each side. Roll the malasadas through sugar and serve hot.
Makes 16-18 plump pillow-like, Tex Drive-In size malasadas. They can also be filled with custard and fruit jams.
Photo: Frying malasadas during a demonstration at a festival, several years ago
The way some of us like to usher our Christmas holidays in Hawai'i...is foraging for natural material and making our lovely Hawaiian style wreaths...
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 forest. This is a must. Brenda in photo above asking permission and making an offering of a ti lei. Then you proceed to pick, but 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.
A group of friends likes to get together and forage for our natural material and have wreath making parties. We meet at the home of a friend, then drive to the best foraging areas and spend a couple of hours picking and gathering...we later get together at the home of a friend and start making our wreaths, with a fun stop for a potluck lunch and then continue on until we finish... Gail and Nancy picking in one of our favorite areas.
My wreath during one of our wreath making parties in the photo above.
In many of the photos below illustrating the how-to, you will notice the use of the buds, blooms and green tips of the ʻōhiʻa lehua which, since ancient time, has been considered a symbol of strength by the Hawaiians. The flower is the favorite of Madame Pele and represents the Big Island of Hawaii...but in the last few years, conscientious wreath makers are not using any parts of this plant to avoid spreading the ōhiʻa virus which sadly has affected a large portion of trees on the island. These wreaths were made in years past, before we were made aware of the fungus.
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. When we were able to pick from the trees, we always waited to pick them until we are almost ready to leave.
Liz making one of her wreaths at another wreath making party.
We might not have the 'traditional' greens, berries and pine cones 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
Uluhe and palapalai, laua'e and whisk ferns are often used in the making of the wreaths, as well as 'club moss' and Wawae'iole fern 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. I also like to use the lance-like leaves of the koa tree
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 $50 - $75 for one made on a 10" to $125 for a 12" frame and up to $150 or more for a large one made using a 14" to 16" frame.
Wrap a straw wreath frame with ti leaves. - after removing the center stem. Secure the ends with fern pins (see the metal pins in the little plastic tub at the one o'clock position)
I like to cover the inside of the wreath with uluhe (Dicranopteris linearis) ferns, because it grows abundantly in certain locations and it dries beautifully. I also use some of the uluhe tips when making my "little bouquets' with the other fresh material.
Gather a few tips of different type materials and make small 'bouquets' with them...start placing and pinning them on the wreath form, all going the same direction
Continue making little 'bouquets' of fresh greenery, mosses, berry cluster and seed pods or spent flower heads - anything that looks good and will last while the wreath dries. Continue pinning them all going the same direction...as close to the previous little bouquet cluster as you can so as not to leave any gaps as the greenery dries.
Finished wreath, ready to hang or to use as a candle base... Mist with a water spray every day to keep it fresh as long as possible. I like my wreaths full and sort of 'free form" instead of following a pattern using the same type material to form designs. There are some lovely wreaths made following a pattern design, but I love the spontaneity of my 'free for all'
For more on Hawaiian Wreaths and wreath-making click on the following links:
Hawaiian Style Christmas Wreath Demo at Kino'ole Farmers Market
A Hawaiian Christmas Wreath Making Party
More Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths
