Company News, R&D, Taro/Poi

Poi

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While we’re on the topic of new things happening at Hamakua Springs, here’s something else coming up that is very interesting: The farm is planning to start growing taro and producing and selling poi.

Why poi? I asked Richard.

“You know when we had that last cookout, the big deal was the smoked meat,” he said. “That’s the sort of stuff we eat and like. We also like to eat poi. I feel like we’ve gotta go do it. There’s a poi shortage, for one.”

He stresses that the poi production, like everything else at the farm, will be taste-driven. “We really need to find out what taro makes a really good poi, and then we’ll grow that,” he said. “It won’t just be who happens to have some huli we can get. We’ll go with what we think is the best tasting. We’ve gotta make ourselves happy first and then go from there.”

Kalo
taro leaf photo by Macario

He plans to grow the kalo in the traditional wetland style, but will depart from tradition by pumping the water back up after it runs down through the lo‘i. “The water won’t just go into the stream,” he said. “We’ll have our own electricity and we can pump it back uphill. Using the traditional along with the modern.”

“Hawaiian style was all about sustainability,” he said. “If you weren’t sustainable, the race would perish. We’re still thinking along those lines today. I don’t see it as much different. We’re doing with what we have.”

I was fascinated when he told me this, and started to say something about how I’m sure the Hawaiians would have used a similar technology had it been available to them.

But then it occurred to me: They are. He is. Richard is Hawaiian (as well as Okinawan and Korean), and he is using the traditional style while adapting it to modern conditions. Bingo.

I asked Richard how far he planned to go with growing taro and producing poi, and he said it would be largely demand-driven. I thought about how many times I’ve stood, staring at an empty supermarket shelf where the poi would be if there demand didn’t far exceed supply. The demand is there. Like with the farmstand, I think this, too, is an exciting avenue for Hamakua Springs.

Stay tuned for more info. – posted by Leslie Lang

Articles

Going Round the Bend

Richard Ha writes:

I read a fascinating article in the New York Times recently. It was about Ray Anderson, CEO of the carpet tile company Interface, based in Georgia.

Back in 1994, he had what he calls his “conversion experience.” He was asked to speak to his sales force on the company’s approach to the environment. He says he thought, “That’s simple. We comply with the law.” But that wasn’t enough to speak about.

From the article:

So he started reading about environmental issues, and thinking about them, until pretty soon it hit him: “I was running a company that was plundering the earth,” he realized. “I thought, ‘Damn, some day people like me will be put in jail!’ ”

…He challenged his colleagues to set a deadline for Interface to become a “restorative enterprise,” a sustainable operation that takes nothing out of the earth that cannot be recycled or quickly regenerated, and that does no harm to the biosphere.

Our experiences are similar to Anderson’s. Sustainability pays; it doesn’t only cost. We had people ask us, “What does it mean when you are first in the world and no one pays you more for what you do?” Well, it’s turned out that now we have higher margins and the added benefit that our people are happy to work for a company that stands for something.

We’re doing the same sort of thing as Ray Anderson, and for the same reasons. I liked the end of his article where he gave a talk and heard whispers, “Has he gone round the bend?”

He says he confessed immediately: “That’s my job. To see around the bend.”

Food and Drink, Health, Losing Weight

Antsy

Richard Ha writes:

The doctor told me to do nothing for one week after the GreenLight laser procedure. He said I could start walking around a little during the second week. But no lifting and no strenuous exercise for a total of six weeks.

It’s been eleven days now and I’m getting very antsy. Yesterday we went to Charlotte and Rodrigo’s for a “Mexican lu‘au.” They had lots of different Mexican dishes that we had not tried before. Everything was delicious and exceptional and I followed the doctor’s order of not walking around too much.

Since the procedure I’ve gained two pounds. I really need to cut down on my food intake, in addition to increasing the percentage of vegetables I eat. I’m afraid I’m going to gain back all the weight I’ve lost if I don’t cut way back. Lying around all day just can’t require many calories to sustain.

I am also a little concerned that my resting heart rate is in the mid-60s. There is no good reason I can think of that it should not still be in the high 50s, where it was before the procedure. I go for a check-up tomorrow and I’ll ask the doctor about that.

I really want to start exercising again.

Community, Company News, Eating Locally, Farm Stand

Farm Stand!

There is something interesting going on behind the scenes at Hamakua Springs and I talked Richard into letting me tell you about it.

They are fixing up a small building that has long sat empty on the road at the edge of the farm, and the plan is to open a farm stand there, probably around late August.

It will most likely be open on Saturday mornings, though everything is still in preliminary stages right now. Richard says the number one goal is to serve the farm’s neighbors in Pepe‘ekeo (though you are welcome, too).

On Fridays, you’ll be able to come here to the blog and see what produce will be available the following morning.

“It will depend on the season,” Richard told me. “I can tell you for sure that we’re going to try to do watermelons and melons during the off-season. Smaller, personal-size specialty melons, like the French Chrentais. That’s an orange-fleshed melon with a real sweet aroma you can smell through the skin.

“And pumpkins at Halloween, and I don’t know what else yet. This is all kind of new to us, so we are doing a lot of experimenting.”

He says they don’t intend the farm stand to compete with the supermarkets. In addition to selling “seconds” of bananas, tomatoes and other produce, they will test-market different, interesting produce there.

You’ll get to see (and buy) some of the fancy vegetables Hamakua Springs grows for and sells to chefs, but which aren’t available in the stores. Like really tiny baby lettuces, different-colored carrots and radishes and small eggplants and squashes that are great for throwing on the grill. Richard says they are tastier than some of what’s available at the market, and I can attest to that.

There will also be gift baskets of various combinations of produce.

“We’ll do what we do,” he says, “and develop it along the way. Who knows where it will go. It’s kind of exciting. I know that we’ll be very responsive to the people and what they want to see.”

Richard is very open to ideas as they think through the scope of the farm stand. “I’d like to hear what people think might be unique or interesting—something they’d like to see in a farm stand that’s not being done now, or a kind of product that’s not being produced now,” he says. “We’re just open to all kinds of suggestions.”

If you have ideas, you can comment here or contact Richard directly at “mkeabanana@aol.com.”

You’ll have to stop by the farm stand if only to have a look at the building, too, because it has an interesting history. It sits near the old airstrip, and Richard says they assumed it had been used to support the airplane operation, which the sugar plantations used to fertilize the sugarcane.

But he has since learned the building predated the airstrip, and thinking back, he remembered there were leather harnesses in the building when they bought the farm. It turns out the building was there to support mules, back when the plantations used to plow with mules.

We’ll update you here as plans develop. And if you have ideas and want to help shape the farm stand, let us know.

We’re almost halfway to our goal of sending Keaukaha Elementary students on field trips they otherwise won’t get to take. Click here.

– posted by Leslie Lang

Lettuce

“As if accidentally eating a slug wasn’t bad enough”

Richard Ha writes:

From the May 27th Hawaii Tribune-Herald: “Ingesting a parmarion martensi, a brown slug that can reach about 2 inches in length, can be harmful because the mollusk is a known carrier of a disease-causing parasite, a nematode called angiostrongylus, or rat lungworm, that can cause meningitis, pulmonary disease or gastrointestinal illness.”

There have been reports of people ingesting this small slug on homegrown lettuce and becoming ill.

We first heard about this when it was reported in the newspaper three years ago. It has been found in lower Puna, and in isolated spots in Waimea and Kona.

We are not aware of it being found in Hamakua. But just to be cautious, we do have a first line of defense—we apply slug bait. Also, we feel confident we’d have an easier time spotting the slug, if it did show up, since we do not grow our lettuces in the ground.

We are starting to think of other control strategies in case it reaches our location. We will make a wide, weed-free barrier around our lettuce operation. We are also planning to put down cinder as a barrier around the perimeter.

We take these kinds of stories seriously and try to plan ahead—sooner, rather than later.

On another topic: We’re at 44 percent of goal in our grass roots “adopt-a-class” campaign and have almost covered the whole school for the first semester. But the first graders still need a sponsor, and we still need contributions toward a couple other classes.

Health

Procedure

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Several weeks ago I went to a cardiologist for a treadmill test and echocardiogram, which were both just fine. These tests were done to evaluate whether or not my heart was strong enough for me to have a GreenLight laser procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.

I debated whether or not it was appropriate to write about this on the blog. But 50 percent of men my age have this problem, and it increases in frequency the older one gets. Enlarged prostate, and its treatment, is relevant to lots of men—just like exercising, wrestling with weight loss and eating healthier.

This past Wednesday I had the procedure. They administered a general anesthesia and when I woke up it was all done. There was very little pain. This is a relatively new procedure and I would have done it a year earlier had I known about it. The old procedure was described as the “roto-rooter procedure.” I wasn’t going to do that voluntarily.

Looking back, the most difficulty I had was dealing with the medication. They gave me a strong painkiller, which left me woozy. I didn’t need it and if I’d known it was going to make me dizzy I would have taken a couple of Tylenol instead. We returned home from Honolulu, where I had the procedure done, on Thursday, and on Friday I threw the pain pills in the trash. After that I could think clearly again.

I’ve been advised to take it easy for the next few weeks and resume daily activity a little at a time. This means I’ll need to eat more vegetables and less meat than normal.

Adopt-a-Class, Community

Adopt-a-Class

Richard Ha writes:

Lately I have learned a lot about Keaukaha Elementary School.

Such as that the school cannot afford to take its students on field trips. The field trips its students usually take are walking excursions around the neighborhood.

Keaukahaschool

My friend Duane Kanuha and I have this big idea, and we’re asking for your help: We want to send Keaukaha students on excursions that broaden their horizons and help them develop excitement for learning and positive attitudes about their place in the world. It’s my opinion that if Hawaiian kids are comfortable with their place in the world, they will not hesitate to participate in that world.

I’m specifically thinking about excursions to Hilo’s new astronomy center ‘Imiloa. ‘Imiloa is particularly powerful because it situates the Hawaiian culture and scientific knowledge in parity with the highest level of astronomy. It is a “discovery center” that celebrates both science (the world-class astronomy atop nearby Mauna Kea) and Hawaiian culture (including the marvels of traditional Hawaiian voyaging, navigation and much more).

It’s a place where Hawaiian kids see that there are careers and avocations directly related to their culture, and that these cultural traditions are important enough that they are celebrated in a world-class museum. And that the people pursuing these careers and passions are people who look just like them and their families.

Through my involvement with the advisory board of the UHH’s Keaholoa STEM program (a group that supports college-age Native Hawaiian students in Math and Sciences) I have learned that the most important years for a child are the formative years from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Children need to be engaged between K and 8th grade in order to be successful at the college level in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

I’ve also learned that between Kindergarten and 8th grade is when children develop their beliefs about their place in the world.

I compare the situation at Keaukaha Elementary to that of my grandson Kapono, a Kamehameha Schools student who thinks that all his school’s incredible facilities and programs are “normal.” It’s all he knows. Consequently, nothing is beyond his horizon.

I also think of St. Joseph’s School. Hamakua Farms donated some produce as part of a recent St. Joseph’s fundraiser, which the school held at Restaurant Kaikodo. The fundraiser raised $10,000.

These schools have the funds and the ability to nurture their students through those important “formative” years. But what about students at schools like Keaukaha Elementary School, which doesn’t have adequate funding and where students do not have access to the same sorts of resources?

I asked Lehua Veincent, Keaukaha Elementary School’s principal, how much it would cost to send each class at Keaukaha Elementary School on an excursion to ‘Imiloa twice a year. With a 50-passenger bus costing about $300, and entry fees at $5.50 per student, it would cost about $600 for each class to take one trip to ‘Imiloa, where students can see what Hawaiians have done, and can do.

Imiloa3_2
‘Imiloa photo by Macario

Keaukaha School has seven grade levels (K – 6th), and just one class per grade. We are soliciting people to adopt one grade, for one semester, for $600 – which will send them on a field trip during that semester of the 2007-2008 school year.

For instance, one person (or group) would donate $600 in order to sponsor, say, the 3rd graders on a field trip to ‘Imiloa during the second semester.

We’ll let the teachers, of course, have final say where they go for a field trip. We just want to make sure that should they choose a visit to ‘Imiloa, money will not be a barrier.

After the excursion, the students will write letters thanking the sponsors and saying what they got from the trip, which we will post.

When you realize that because of lack of funding, Keaukaha Elementary students are confined to a walk around their neighborhood for field trips, you can see that this is a very specific place where we can make a real difference in kids’ lives.

My interest in Keaukaha Elementary School came about as a result of my work on a subcommittee of the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board that was working with the TMT people – the ones considering putting the Thirty Millimeter Telescope atop Mauna Kea.

I joined that group because I was determined that should this extensive, multi-million dollar telescope project come to Mauna Kea, it would actually benefit the people of Hawai‘i. We all know this isn’t the norm re: the telescopes atop Mauna Kea.

I started to ask some basic questions, such as: Where is the center of the universe for all things Hawaiian on this island? I determined it was Keaukaha Elementary School, because it has been in existence for 75 years and its primarily Hawaiian alumni are spread far and wide.

Then I asked myself, “What is the tangible benefit of astronomy in Hawai‘i to the Keaukaha community?” I could not find anything the community would agree was a direct benefit. But that’s a whole other story.

I learned a lot about Keaukaha Elementary School as a result of all this. And I found something very specific we can do to help its kids.

Here’s how it works. You can adopt-a-class for the whole $600, or be a partial sponsor by donating $300, $200 or $100. Click here to see who’s already sponsoring what class, and which classes are still available.

Download and fill out the commitment form, fax it back to me at 981-0756 (if you’re off-island, it’s area code 808), and we’ll update the website chart to include your name. Please mail me your check, made payable to the non-profit Keaukaha School Foundation, within 30 days (or by the start of the semester; those details are here).

And then sit back and know that you are making a real difference in the lives of children in our community.

Hydroponics, Lettuce

No Weak Links Here

On CNN’s Special Investigation Unit this past weekend, they ran a story by Sanjay Gupta called Danger: Poisoned Food.

It talked about the many incidences over the last few years of bagged greens being contaminated with E. coli 0157-H7, some of which resulted in fatalities. The main issues it discussed were:

1. Since 1995, there have been 20 E. coli outbreaks associated with California lettuce.

2. E. coli 0157-H7, the dangerous form, is usually associated with cattle.

3. Once contaminated, the greens cannot be decontaminated.

4. The process which mixes and tumbles greens actually spreads any bacteria that might be present. And chlorine and washing cannot eradicate all bacteria.

5. Control measures on farms are voluntary, not mandatory.

6. The FDA does not inspect farms.

This is nothing new. We knew all this three years ago when we were starting to grow lettuce. I predicted then that there would be more cases of E. coli 0157-H7 contamination of bagged lettuce and greens.

And nothing significant has changed. There will be still more cases of E. coli 0157-H7 contamination. People will probably start to shy away from industrial, assembly-line production of leafy green bagged products.

This is why we chose to grow our vegetables hydroponically. We are able to address the E. coli 1057-H7 issue confidently through hydroponic farming.

The following is our approach to the problem. It is not very complicated. Cattle manure is the main problem, so we have made sure to minimize the ways that cattle manure can affect our operation.

We do not use compost. Incomplete composting is a risk factor.

We treat the water our leafy greens grow in with chlorine at 650 ORP. This means that bacteria are killed on contact before we plant. And because of the way we operate, it is very unlikely that our water can be contaminated by E. coli 0157- H7 after that. Also, only county water is used should we need to top off the raceways.

We only use county water when we spray the leafy greens. Contaminated spray water is a risk factor.

Our plants are protected from rain. This avoids rain splash, which is another risk factor for the spread of E. coli 0157-H7.

We only sell whole heads of lettuce. E. coli 0157-H7 cannot be washed off. And it can spread far and wide when mixed and tumbled in a industrial leafy green bagging system. Selling only whole heads avoids this serious problem.

We only sell what we grow ourselves. The food safety chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We don’t have any weak links.

Losing Weight

Encouraged

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Richard Ha writes:

This morning I weighed 201, so I haven’t gained any weight. I haven’t done anything special about trying to lose weight except that I’ve increased the proportion I’m eating of vegetables to meat. My appetite is big because I’m lifting weights at the gym. Hopefully everything will settle down in the next few weeks.

My resting heart rate is 57, which is the lowest it’s been in the last two months. Although I’d like to lower it into the high-40s, I’m okay with 50s. Out of shape, my resting heart rate would be in the mid-70s.

I noticed that my heart rate at the gym is up over 160 on the last of the 4 x 10 sets. This is what’s driving my resting heart rate down. Very good. It was getting hard to raise my heart rate high enough just by training on the elliptical.

It’s my second week back at the gym and I am very encouraged. At first I wondered whether or not age had caught up with me. Now, though, I don’t see any reason I cannot get back to where I was six and a half years ago.

Why do I say this? Because I can do as much work in a few exercises as I was ever able to do. These are the exercises I had been doing at home. I can now do four sets of 25 knee ups. This is an exercise where you hold yourself suspended above the floor by forearms and elbows and raise your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground. I can also do four sets of 10 reps of 25-pound dumbbell raises to shoulder height, front and side.

When I was at my best form, I was doing about the same. So, a muscle being a muscle, I feel that with smart training I can bring all my muscles up to the same—or a higher—level. Which means I should be able to recover my previous fitness level. This might take the better part of a year, which is okay with me, because it’s the journey, not the end, that is most satisfying.

Several points to remember. One only has to train a muscle once per week. You can do it more frequently, but that’s not the most efficient way. This is especially important for senior weightlifters. I notice that I need to be more careful about injuries. But other than that, I see no limitations.

My exercise program involves going to the gym four times a week and training a different muscle group each time. My goal for the first few months is to get up to four set of 10 reps for each exercise. I want to build a base from which I can build upon when I start to train seriously.

When I first went back to the gym, I wanted to be able to represent the 60-year-old group respectably. But now I’m looking beyond the “old guy” category.

Sustainability, Water

Water, Water, Everywhere

Richard Ha writes:

When we made the decision nearly 12 years ago to diversify geographically from our main farm in Kea‘au, the most important factor for us was sustainability. We could have chosen to locate on O‘ahu, which was close to the market. Most of Hawai‘i’s customers live there, and many people advised us to move there.

We chose Pepe‘ekeo, instead, for reasons of sustainability. One of the most important factors was the abundance of available water. Annual rainfall here is in the neighborhood of 140 inches. There are four streams and three springs that run through our property, which are all potential sources of irrigation water.

Waiaama1_3

Today we are working on transforming this enormous quantity of water into electricity. At the highest-elevation corner of our property there is a flume intake, which used to channel water down to the Hilo Coast Processing Plant (the sugar mill that serviced the Pepe‘ekeo area). The flume runs from our property’s highest elevation to its lowest point. We want to generate electricity and then route the water back into the flume channel when we are done with it.

Waiaama2

An inspector from the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) came to inspect the flume site last week. We want to make sure that we develop this project in the right way, so we did not start any work before finding out exactly what is allowed. As it turns out, this flume intake is an approved use that is recorded with the CWRM. We were told that as long as we do nothing to the stream itself we can use its water to generate electricity. We are elated.

A preliminary estimate is that we can run all our reefers and all our other electrical motors and still have a lot of leftover electricity to sell back to HELCO.

Because we based the decision to locate our new farm around sustainability issues, we are now in a position to generate our own, free, electricity. Sustainability is one of our core values and it has guided our actions for a number of years.