Ted leases about 3.5 acres from Kamehameha Schools close to Laniakea beach on the north shore. He's been farming for 20 years in Hawaii, the past 10 years he has been Certified Organic. Ted grows purple and green eggplant, long beans, okra, asparagus, wing beans and has a handful of 'volunteer' papaya and mango trees.
Sells his produce in Down to Earth, Kokua Market, Whole Foods, a store in Waipahu, and when it works out I am at the Saturdays Hawaii Kai and Sunday Haleiwa Farmer's Market with his veggies
Ted is interested in finding individuals who are interested in becoming organic farmers. I'm not cut out for that so I just go out to help make seedlings, plant, harvest, take in his wisdom on Hawaiian food politics and surfing, wreak havoc on the tractor, and debate about The Man, Corporate interests, & whether at 24 and 60 we should keep our hearts open to finding True Love
Ted's Big Dreams: More organic farmers, collectives of farmers and small businesses sharing land under long term leases and creating organic products
MOMONA FARMS, Robert Dunn
Robert leases these 4 acres in Waimanalo. Juanita Mathews initiated the Momona Farms Project out here that invited members of the community to come out to make seedlings and plant, help design the farm, install irrigation systems, and become an active part of their food network!
Juanita and I spent a couple weeks selling seedlings at the Saturday Hawaii Kai Farmer's Market, hoping to encourage more people to grow their own food. We offered basil, papaya, eggplant, okra, kale, collards, fennel, dill, beets, daikon, chard, and big promises that not even the blackest thumb can fail at cuban oregano.
Dan Amato has initiated other projects at Momona Farms including pesto productions and a cacao farm
SMALL KINE FARM, Fung Yang
First local mushrooms grown on Oahu!! Crimini and Portabello. Grown organically but not yet certified. Trying to get them into restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets, and CSAs.
KAHALUU FARM and WAIAHOLE, Jason Kynes
Jason is pretty much who I want to be. He works me harder than anyone else but I keep coming back because I want to earn enough credibility to be welcomed into his self-sustaining commune when anarchy hits Oahu. For him I have caught/dodged avocados falling from the sky, nearly passed out under the weight of a Texas chainsaw weed wacker to clear the way for guava trees, gladly faced demotion from the position of shoveling out mud for a fish pond to the role of 'sculptor' (i.e. walk on the mud) of the mound between pond and taro patch, foraged through forests of banana, lychee, and cacao trees and shampoo flowers, and perfected the art of heliconia and ginger arrangements.
Jason has a ton of his own Big Dreams relating to agriculture in Hawaii as well as for the skills and capabilities he envisions our future generations will need. In the past couple months since he's established his place as a WWOOFer farm I've been excited to see his big heart and influence extend with his newly acquired Activities Director/Head Cheerleader/Motivational Speaker skills!
6 acre non-profit organic farm in Waialua on the North Shore
Host WWOOFers and volunteers
I'm inspired by their simple yet unique business practices, like their value-added salads they sell at the market, the kallord (kale + collard) plants they masterminded, and their on-farm self-serve market /used-book stand
Best advice: Farming takes "more guts than knowledge" -Kathy
KVIBE, Marcos Bendana
Marcos is the coordinator for the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange program acting as a mentor and adviser for the youth in Kalihi. Outside their warehouse Marcos has set up some raised beds and shares with the youth and visitors the principles and pride that comes along with growing your own nutritious food.
Marcos has an acre + of his own land in Kunia and also helps out on Kokua Kalihi Valley's nature park/farm
Marcos is prepping for law school in the near future and I crazy admire his balance of working within the system, working to understand the system, and creating the system he wants for future generations all simultaneously.
PUNALUU, Anonymous
Fractal antennas... WAY
Biodynamic training courses coming soon
"I am curious... Did anyone suggest not messing with the natural balance in the first place?"