Or more accurately, buyin’ la vida local as I previously
stated I would attempt in this Year of the Monkey… well, it originally sounded
easy but after my first attempt, it makes me seem more “loco” than “local”. Just
two days into the New Year, I felt the pain in the wallet when I purchased
locally laid eggs. Ka Lei brand large eggs for $5.99 per dozen, Safeway house
brand… $1.99 per dozen on sale… and it didn’t make matters any easier when the
woman in the checkout line ahead of me purchased 3 dozen Safeway cartons and
actually spent 2 cents less than I did for one carton. I had to constantly
remind myself “eggs are just one product”…
The Land of
Perpetual Sunshine
Isn’t the 50th the land of sun and surf? And
with those balmy breezes and perpetual sunshine, we should be able to grow
anything and everything right? Not exactly. I’m not sure if the perfect growing
conditions also foster the growth of critters that also consume the produce or
if our volcanic soil only favors the growth of certain plant species but it’s
nowhere near the cornucopia of produce you might imagine. We do grow our share
of cabbages from the head and napa cabbage along with most ethnic varieties
like mustard, bok choy and choy sum. We also have our fair share of tropical
fruits from mango, lychee, pineapple and papaya to the exotics like rambutan,
longan and dragon fruit. There’s also several varieties of beans from the green
to long to winged beans as well as spinach, kale, corn and green onions. And
there are local farmers growing heirloom tomatoes to die for. But there’s no
fava beans, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts and there’s a serious lack of
grains and legumes.
Still Searchin’
for Proteins
Hawaii does have its share of the bounty of the ocean but
you do have to visit more than your neighborhood supermarket. About the only
local catch you’re likely to find is yellowfin tuna or ahi. And even then, you have keep a wary eye open to make sure it’s
caught locally. Most of the ahi sold
in supermarkets is caught elsewhere in the Pacific and it’s usually either
previously frozen or has been treated with carbon monoxide to maintain that
vivid red hue. Other than Kauai amaebi
or Kahuku raised prawns, most shrimp products weren’t harvested anywhere near
the 50th and the local varieties usually aren’t sold en masse to the
public.
I did find one source of locally raised poultry in the 50th
that’s actually available at the local Farmer’s Markets throughout the State.
J. Ludovico Farms pasture raises chickens in Haleiwa selling whole birds for
about $5.00 per pound… yes, more than double the price of the next closest
local purveyor, 50th State Poultry but 50th State Poultry
simply processes the birds locally which are all mainland raised. And don’t
even compare prices with the Foster Farms of the world.
And as I previously mentioned, there are local pig
farmers who produce very tasty end products but none sell directly to the
public… unless you’re able to butcher a complete animal which most of us aren’t
remotely able to accomplish. Supposedly, Hawaii does produce a significant
amount of locally raised pork and some of it does make its way to the public
markets but it isn’t advertised as locally grown or locally produced which
would facilitate its entry into my personal kitchen. So for now, I simply look
for non-swine protein alternatives.
The one mainstream protein that’s both locally raised and
available to the public is beef. Whether it’s from Kualoa Ranch right in my
backyard, the slopes of the Kohala Mountain or Mauna Kea or the fertile slopes
of Haleakala, locally grown beef is served at many island restaurants and even
available for sale to the public. Because the 50th doesn’t produce
any feed grain and shipping cattle feed is a very significant cost, many
ranchers are finishing their cattle on grass instead of grain. I’ll agree that
grass fed beef isn’t as tender as grain fed but it does possess a beefier
flavor in the end product. The one setback is the Mrs and I don’t really
consume a lot of beef. We mainly consume animal proteins in the form of seafood
and poultry with some porcine thrown in to the mix but only rarely indulge in
beef. And when we do partake in beef, it’s usually as steaks but because grass
finished beef doesn’t attain the same degree of marbling as grain fed, I feel
that either low and slow braising or ground beef applications suit locally
raised beef to a tee.
Buyer Beware
Because there’s a movement to purchase and consume local,
the weekly farmer’s markets obviously get a lot of business these days.
However, you do need to ask the purveyors where their products are grown and
sometimes draw your own conclusions as to their source of origin. For instance
there are several vendors selling peeled garlic cloves in pre-bagged portions
or “baby” carrots that are machine whittled to the size of your pinkie. When
asked, most of these vendors will state that it’s locally grown. However I’m
not aware of any garlic production in the 50th… it almost appears to
be the same product as the Christopher Ranch garlic sold in gallon bottles at
Costco or Sam’s Club. And though our local farmers do grow carrots, I’m pretty
sure they don’t machine whittle those carrots to resemble baby carrots… the
same type found at most supermarkets or Big Box clubs. And I’m definitely sure
local farmers don’t wrap their cauliflower with Dole Foods wrapping…
Just Small
Adjustments
So over the past month, I’m now a lot more aware of food
products grown or raised in the 50th. To purchase and consume local
just takes a little adjustment here and there. Don’t just reach for the
cheapest, first look for a local alternative. If there are no local
alternatives then reach for the product that makes the smallest ecological
footprint. I know there are products that I’ll continue to purchase because
they simply aren’t raised or caught here like salmon. But even with salmon,
I’ll look for US farm raised or wild caught. And though the 50th
does produce that vital nectar of the fermented grape, I’ll continue to
purchase Golden State and European wines.
The following recipe can be used as a side dish or in the
case of our household, our usual brown-bagged lunch. The only product not grown
here is the garlic and olive oil though I could have used macadamia nut oil
which is a Hawaiian specialty oil. I also bended my own rules with the Noh
seasoning. While Noh Foods is a Hawaii based company, their manufacturing plant
is now in Torrance, California. Which means you can use it as a “local”
product.
Local Portuguese
Style Greens
1 medium head cabbage, cored and sliced
1 small purple cabbage, cored and sliced
1 -2 large bunches of kale, stemmed and sliced
1 Maui onion sliced with the grain
3 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
1 Portuguese sausage (linguica) sliced on the diagonal
1 package Noh’s Hawaiian Style Portuguese Sausage
Seasoning Mix
Olive oil
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