Food Favorite

No matter how many times you have been to Oahu, it's quite likely you have never been very far West of Honolulu, to Wai‘anae. It's not the easiest part of the island to farm because it's hot and dry, but it is where you will find some very inspiring people working hard to achieve sustainability for the land, for the food system, and for the benefit of everyone.

Eighty five percent of food in Hawaii is imported and Monsanto is now using some of the old plantations to produce genetically modified seeds. If anyone can turn the tide and bring back a more sustainable way of life, a way of life the people of Hawaii once enjoyed, it's the farmers and ranchers of Ma'o Farms, Kahumana Farms and Naked Cow Dairy. Seeing their work will give you hope for the future. They are all cultivating a deep love and respect for the land that nourishes, called 'aina in the Hawaiian language.


Ma'o Farms is a certified organic farm and education center. Ma'o produces salad greens, row crops, cooking greens, fruits and herbs. It also produces farmers! In a region plagued by homelessness, crime, obesity, drug use and unemployment they are training local young men and women to work on a farm. They are also helping to pay for their college tuition. They are farmers but see themselves as co-producers.

I walked through the fields and nibbled on the greens plucked from the ground, citrus and herbs. Everything tasted tender, sweet and vibrant. Their produce is available at farmers markets and virtually all of the best restaurants in Honolulu.


Like Ma'o Farms, Kahumana Farms also serves multiple purposes. In addition to a biodynamic farm there is a cafe, a retreat and transitional housing for families in need. They are growing all kinds of things including taro and are experimenting with herbs and plants with healing powers.

The food at the cafe is fresh from the farm, reasonably priced and delicious, served with aloha. I had some pasta with wonderful macadamia nut and basil pesto served with a piece of simply prepared fish and a green salad.


Naked Cow Dairy is run by two sisters, Sabrina and Monique, who never intended to be "cow girls" let alone cheese makers. There used to thirty dairies on the West side of the island, but when the last dairy on the island closed, they saw a need and chose to fill it. Traditionally 95% of all feed was imported, but they are working with local farmers to create silage for the cows. They have twenty Jersey, Holstein and half breeds and have been producing butter for two years, three batches per day. Whole Foods sells their butter, their cheese and yogurt goes to chefs and farmers markets.

The butter is 45-52% butterfat and very similar to European butter. It is some of the sweetest butter I ever tasted, amazingly fresh and clean tasting. Sabrina has a culinary background and has made some uniquely flavored butters including an outstanding toasted coconut version. The sisters are hoping to make feta, cream cheese, havarti maybe cheddar. But mainly, like their farmer neighbors, they are hoping to make a difference.

My thanks to the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau for hosting me on this visit

Have I mentioned how much I truly enjoy grocery shopping? I might not even buy anything but no matter where I go, home or away, I am fascinated to see what is on offer. As my friend Joe Kowalke says, "Grocery shopping is my baseball." And I am an equal opportunity shopper. I like everything from fancy shops like Dean & Deluca that carry artisanal products, to Asian, Middle Eastern and Russian grocery stores and even supermarkets. I like discovering spices, produce, cheeses, sausages, prepared foods, baked goods, even packaged food I've never seen before and noticing what people are buying.

My latest shopping discovery comes courtesy of my dad, who shares my love of grocery shopping. It's Mi Pueblo, a supermarket that serves the local community in the Canal District of San Rafael. It's the first Latino supermarket I've ever visited and I loved it! There were so many interesting things to see like yards of chorizo, aisles of packaged flan, exotic spiky vegetables and piles of piioncillo sugar. There's even a taqueria and a panaderia right inside the store.

The prices for fresh produce were very reasonable and they carry many unusual things like fresh garbanzo beans and all types of crema that I can't easily find elsewhere, so I know I will be back again. The chickens roasting over mesquite smelled amazing and the guy out front selling oysters in shell was doing a bustling business. I probably won't be buying margaritas in a can or Peruvian soy sauce, but I now know where to find both under one roof!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

See the slide show of my visit to Mi Pueblo.

More posts and stories on Mi Pueblo:

Julie's Update
Silicon Valley Moms
Marin Retail Buzz
Marin Independent Journal

You probably think you know what this is. Right now are you saying to yourself, "those are a couple of slices of bread" or if you're really in the know, "that's bread made in a bread machine because of the little indentation in the slices." And you're right, but there's more to the story. Those are slices of bread from the very first loaf of bread I made with my new Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker.


I actually have another bread machine that I've never used. It's too big to sit on my sliver of a counter and it makes a big loaf of bread, too big for a household of two. But the Zojirushi takes only a smidgen of room and makes such a nice little loaf that it gets used before it turns stale. For my first loaf I used the King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour I wrote about a while back. Next time I will try using the stoneground whole wheat bread flour I bought at the Bale Grist Mill in Napa. Only a couple of slices have those funny indentations, by the way, most come out looking very normal.

The Zojirushi has options for different styles and firmness of bread and crust. It comes with a booklet with tons of recipes and it has a timer so you can set it to bake the bread when you wish. Next time around I'm going to set it before I go to bed and wake up to fresh, warm bread in the morning. Now I can't compare it to other bread machines, but it was super easy to use and it gets nothing but great reviews on Amazon.

There are lots of reasons to make your own bread. The price of bread has really gone up recently. You can control what does and doesn't go into your bread and make it to your taste. But best of all? You get fresh, tasty bread and the deep satisfaction of having made it yourself. It might not seem like much, but you've got to try it. Quick breads like muffins and biscuits are fun to make now and again, but real bread? It tastes great and it is so easy to do using a bread machine. Just measure all the ingredients, push a button or two and voila! Fresh bread you made yourself.