Ka'u Beef and the Volcano Market

Morning coffee+ Strolling around a farmers market= this is what great Sundays are made of.

We headed out of Hilo Sunday morning to the Volcano Farmers Market. At first we didn't know what to make of it, our breath visible in the cold Volcano morning air. We walked over to the large arena area and chatted with Olivia from Mountain View Growers. Her strawberries looked fantastic! Then we went over to Forrest and Maria where they had overflowing tables of corn, potatoes, carrots and rainbow chard. Regulars at the Hilo Wednesday market, Forrest and Maria had even more eye catching produce than I usually get to see. We purchased some of their pink and yellow skinned potatoes before moving on to the next building.

The very first thing I saw in this building was the meat lady! I had seen online that the Ka'u based  Kuahiwi Ranch sold meat at Volcano Market but I didn't get my hopes up. I stood next to a man who was in the midst of deciding what cut he wanted and the meat lady was happy to display some very nice sized New York Strips and a few hefty rib-eyes. I had my sights set on a boneless rib-eye that was marbled to perfection and glad to see he passed it up for 3 New York Strips.  The Kuahiwi Ranch Natural Beef is family raised on 10,000 acres (yes the number is correct) between Wood Valley and Waiohinu in Ka'u. Three generations of the Galimba family work the farm and are active with local 4-H activities. They raise their cattle free-range on that massive acreage with no antibiotics or artificial hormones. Is your mouth watering yet? It should be. We purchased two Spencer cut ( aka rib-eye steak, market steak, beauty steak, noted here as the best cut of beef you could possibly have!) steaks, each about 1.5 inches thick and 1.6 lbs of free-range, pastured, marbled goodness. It was a splurge for sure!

Next, we saw Papa'a Palaoa Bakery making breakfast sandwiches- and it was all made with local ingredients! I wish they could make them at the Hilo market, because I'd have one every market day! A grill toasted english muffin shmeared with Puna goat cheese, loaded with fresh basil, slice of homegrown tomato (usually a Mountain View Grower tomato) and an egg! Oh and the eggs- eye catching array of different colors! We had to buy a dozen when we saw that there are several different varieties of egg hens that they use. Some eggs are dark brown, olive green, light taupe, freckled and more! I've never been excited over eggs this much before. It isn't a bad drive from Hilo to Volcano and now that we know what to expect, we may go more often.


Ka'u Steak- it's what's for dinner!

For dinner I quartered the potatoes and then sliced the quarters into 1/2 inch pieces. I placed them in a glass baking dish with a tablespoon of chicken fat skimmed from the top of the chicken broth I just made. I tossed the potatoes in the chicken fat and sprinkled rosemary and thyme (from my garden) and placed it in the oven at 420 degrees F for 1 hour. These are perfect for putting in the oven and forgetting about them, because the outside gets nice and crispy while the inside is soft and fluffy.(Also, when friends unexpectedly show up while you are prepping dinner-like, I dunno, Julie and Marco- you don't have to worry about babysitting the stove.)

Meanwhile, I ground a hand full of Ka'u coffee and a few roasted cocoa nibs until it was a powder. I sprinkled the steaks generously with the coffee cocoa rub and a pinch of sea salt then let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. (Or until those friends that suddenly showed up leave, like, I dunno, Julie and Marco.)

I trimmed some large Alii Oyster mushrooms from Hamakua mushrooms and started to heat my pans. I thinly sliced a halved (lengthwise) zucchini and broadly sliced fresh basil (from Julie's garden!). Once the pans were hot I put a teaspoon of chicken fat in the mushroom pan and tossed the mushrooms in. I did the same for the zucchini but turned the burner low after putting the zucchini in the pan and placed a lid on it. We like the zucchini almost steamed but not mush.

I continued to toss the mushrooms gently so they cooked evenly. Then, I threw the steaks on the griddle. I love the hiss of steaks searing. Stir the zucchini, toss the mushrooms, flip the steaks, turn the oven off and let the potatoes cool a bit- all done at the same time! Remember to always take the steaks off first so they can rest.

Our steaks came out with a nice crust all around it while still being rare - Gordon Ramsey would have been proud. The rub gave an earthy depth to the steak that matched the meat taste without being overpowering. The potatoes were crispy, mushrooms cooked to perfection (is it just me or do they actually kind of taste like an oyster) and the zucchini with Julie's basil rounded off the meal. Oh, can't forget the Mehana Hawaiian Crow Porter I washed it all down with!

I couldn't finish my steak so I've got that lined up for lunch today. YUM! Speaking of which, it is about that time already.

Forever Seeking Aloha,
Britt

Too many lemons and too much lemonade

I love when friends come over. I love it even more when they come bearing gifts of vegetables from their garden- it makes me feel like the Barefoot Contessa. My good friends James and Joe brought me an overstuffed bag of their eggplants because quite frankly they are overrun with it. They have a lovely garden that produces eggplant like crazy and they simply can't cook as much as they grow.
Lucky for them I am happy to take whatever it is they can't use, but what about the rest of you? Have you recently become burdened with too many avocados and you are looking to pawn them off on anyone who crosses your path? Well, I have a great resource for you- as long as you live in Hawaii, that is.

Share the Harvest is a new group that has been organized for swapping your excess for something you can't grow or make yourself. Click this link to register and become a member- it is a free service where you can see what other people have that you might want, and you can post what overstock you have. I should be listing my bananas soon because we have 4 bunches starting all at the same time, and my freezer only holds so much.

The concept is based on a barter system. Once my bananas are ready to be harvested I will post them on Share the Harvest and see what other people are willing to trade for them. Trades on this site should only be products grown on the island, homemade items such as jellies or jams, or food providing plants like coconut or coffee starts. I think it is a great idea to help share your bounty! Check it out and please feel free to share your success stories with me- I'd love to hear about it!

Hope to see you trading!
Forever Seeking Aloha,
Britt

Navigating the Market

I love market days!!! For me, working at the Hilo Farmers Market has been a great way to meet people, learn about local places and most of all find all the freshest fruits and veggies in the area. But do not be fooled! Not all fruits and vegetable vendors are created equal! Some vendors ship produce in, repackage it and try to pass it off as their own. Even worse, some people will tell you their produce is organic when in reality it is not.
If you want to make sure that you are purchasing farm fresh produce from the grower all you have to do is follow my 4 easy steps!
Step 1 Ask Around- Ask a vendor who doesn't sell what you are looking for. We know who actually grows their produce, who is actually organic, and if they have good prices. Because we depend on your business we won't steer you in the wrong direction. If you ask someone selling tomatoes, " who has the best tomatoes" you aren't going to get an honest answer. But, if you ask the strawberry lady (if she's out of tomatoes that is) she'll tell you where to go.
Step 2 Ask the Vendor- If you ask pointed questions like, "Where is your farm?" or "How are you related to the farmer?" you'll be able to weed out the growers from the non growers. Other questions like, "When was this picked?" and "What else do you grow" are also great questions in determining if your produce is actually farm fresh and from your area. Specific answers like, " In Mountain View; my dad is the farmer; I picked this yesterday;  we also grow carrots I just don't have any today," are great indications that you are purchasing straight from the grower.
Step 3 Look at the Produce- I know this sounds bad but if the produce looks too good to be true it is probably imported. Organic fruits and vegetables especially hold true to this statement. Organic produce at a farmers market should have a blemish or two and if they don't you should ask what they do with their seconds. I listened in on a conversation happening at the booth next to me and it went something like this; Customer: "Last week I had 6 berries out of the bunch that had worms in them!" Farmer: "Well, at least you know we aren't lying when we say we're organic." We are so accustomed to having bug free imported produce that we forget that if we purchase organic fruits or veggies there is a chance that something got there before we did! Expect a bruise or a blemish and don't let that turn you away from the produce, unless of course it is beyond eating around it or cutting it out.
Step 4 Form a Relationship- that's right, make the person behind the table your best friend. We will save the best for you if we know what you like and the frequency in which you shop. We like having regulars and actually enjoy talking with you! I have my favorite customers and if I know they are coming in I will save an item I am about to sell out of. Let's face it, you always have to eat so why not establish a great relationship with a person that can and will make sure you eat well.

I hope these simple steps help guide you along your own farmers market journey as well as help you form some great relationships with farmers in your area.

Forever Seeking Aloha,
Britt