Convincing (not hard) two friends to join me on a trip to Hawaii we decided to camp for a few days and check out the farm my sister had been volunteering on for some time. Granted the only reason I knew about the farm was beause my sister worked there, but I was also interested in seeing an organic farm and learning more about it. My friend Stephanie is really into Organic produce and living in San Francisco I try to pick up my food esstentials from local produce market and grocery stores as well; to help local farmers and get the best produce around.
The drive to the farm gives you a glimpse of what "real" Hawaii looks like to me. Driving onto the farm I was surpirsed by how big it seemed since my sister said it was "small". My two friends and I were down to help out in any way and eagerly greeted Ted as my sister introduced us.
Ted looks 20 years younger than he is which is unbelivable considering all the work he does on his farm. I was shocked that he pretty much does everything by himself! He showed us around briefly and told us he was greatful for people like my sister who continue to come help. He was in the process of pulling weeds so we got down and dirty and helped him out.
Stephanie enjoyed eating some of the produce as we weeded around it and we slowly started to bombard Ted with questions. Working in coffee I know that the process of being certified Organic is almost not worth the effort for some small companies, so I asked him about that. He said it is a lot of paper work and hassle but it's what people want out of local farms. For Ted he was having issues with getting a few things certified becuase his farm is located on the side of a hill that has another non organic farm on the other side of it. This farm uses chemicals and/or pesticides and the concern is that the wind blows those things over onto Ted's farm.
Another hardship to Ted's farm; wild pigs! Ted showed us a small piglet he had caught a day or night before on his farm. While working at night he had heard pigs running around the farm. He said he didn't want to hurt them and did his best to chase them away but the next morning he saw the damage they had done. They eat stuff, they kick stuff up, they are big pests! Ted found a piglet roaming around and tried to grab a shovel to kill it but he couldn't do it. He thought it was too cute and reminded him of a small dog. So he set up a cage for it and set a trap for it and kept him there till a friend could pick it up (and raise it to EAT!)
My friends and I also went to one of the Markets my sister sells Ted's produce at. It was great to see how she has a relationship with the other vendors and customers.
In summary what I enjoyed about the whole experience was seeing the product of someone's dreams. Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit but for many it is also a beautiful place to call home. While much of Oahu's north shore is untouched by big buisness, hotels and homes, it appears people are trying to change that. Small farms like Ted's support the local community and keep good agriculture land in food production. It was also so fun to see how much joy you get from eating something you've grown.