For the past several years, I’ve always tried to purchase
from local purveyors since more of my hard earned dollars remains in the 50th.
I do realize that some of that money always remains in the 50th
regardless if the produce was grown in the continental US supporting the bottom
line of some mainland supermarket. That purchase still supports the local
employee who works that produce section or the local cashier who processed my
purchase. But if you support local businesses and purchase local products, the
employees working for that company benefit, the grower or farmer who produced
that product benefits and even the company managers, executives and owners
return some of dollars by spending locally for their own personal needs.
I actually thought about all of this recently after a
totally unrelated experience. As you’re aware, I do enjoy a nice glass of vino.
In fact after the Hawaii Legislature approved direct wine shipments into the 50th,
I created my fair share of accounts at various wineries in California and
Washington. If you’re lucky, you immediately are offered wine directly from the
winery, if not the winery places you on a wait list. And though I’m always
happy to receive a wine shipment, for the past year or so, I’ve noticed the
shipping costs have risen to the point where I have to reassess whether I’ll
continue purchasing my annual allocation of wine. And while the 50th
does have its own local winery – Maui Wine Co on the slopes of Haleakala, I do
want to sample wine from more than a single winery.
Which got me thinking about other food products (yes, I
do view wine as a food product, not an over-the-counter sedative). What if we
have to depend on shipping all of our food into the 50th? What happens
when those shipping costs become prohibitive?
Hawaii Grown and
Raised
For starters, two of my favorite protein purveyors are
still holding their own in the 50th. Julius Ludovico still sells his
naturally raised chickens at the Blaisdell Farmer’s Market every Wednesday from
4pm to 7pm and delivers to limited locations by contacting him directly. He
also still sells those “other” parts that I favor, namely the hearts, livers
and gizzards.
J. Ludovico Farms
Julius Ludovico
(808) 536-8386
I also eagerly anticipate Chef Bob McGee’s venture into
retails sales of his Pono Pork products. He should be gearing up for home cook
portions (not whole sides of swine) of David Wong’s Mountain View Farms
naturally raised pork just as this column goes to print or shortly thereafter.
If you can’t wait, you can contact him directly as he also delivers to limited
locations on Oahu.
Pono Pork, LLC
Robert McGee
(808) 457-0997
Raised, processed and sold locally directly from the
Kualoa Ranch Visitor Center twice a month, the beef is hormone, steroid, and
antibiotic free and can be ordered directly from their website. Of course, it
does require a drive to the beautiful Windward coast but I would consider that
a bonus.
Kualoa Grass Fed Beef
(808) 748-3209
Local Produce
The 50th is expanding what’s locally grown
compared to the days when we simply grew sugarcane, pineapples and papayas.
Just look at your weekly supermarket ads as they all highlight whether the
produce is locally grown.
|
Long beans
|
Green bell peppers
|
Chinese cabbage
|
|
Broccoli
|
Watercress
|
Head cabbage
|
|
Bok choy
|
Kai choy
|
Ong choy
|
|
Okinawan sweet potato
|
Butternut squash
|
Daikon
|
|
Corn
|
Tomatoes
|
Long eggplant
|
|
Bittermelon
|
Cucumber
|
Zucchini
|
|
Green onion
|
Sweet round onions
|
Bean sprouts
|
|
Fresh herbs
|
|
|
Therefore, no matter what type of cuisine you favor, you
should be able to regularly purchase these items to support our local economy.
Personally, the only other fruits and veggies I need are apples, pears, carrots
and celery then I would be able to only purchase locally grown products.
The Carbs
Since there’s no wheat production locally, we do have to
settle for locally processed or produced products though the 50th
does have baker extraordinaire, Chris Sy who creates several different breads at
his Kaimuki bakery, Breadshop.
Breadshop
3408 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
Wed – Sun 10am – 5pm
And low and behold, while there’s no rice cultivation in
the 50th, we do have a store that freshly mills heirloom rice
varieties that supplies several local restaurants but also sells directly to
the public. The Rice Factory in Kakaako usually carries 4 or 5 heirloom
varieties of rice brought in from small growers in Japan and will mill your
rice to 100% (pure white rice), 70%, 50% or 0% (pure brown rice) right while
you’re waiting in the store.
The Rice Factory
955 Kawaiahao St, Bay 1
Honolulu HI 96814
(808) 800-1520
Mon, Wed-Sat 10am – 6pm
Sun 10am – 4pm
Of course, you could also try to shift some of your carb
consumption to locally grown sweet potatoes or breadfruit – and I actually plan
on planting a breadfruit tree in my yard as Chef Kenney’s ulu (breadfruit) side
dishes at Mud Hen Water has me hooked!
To get you started on your quest to purchase local, I’ve
included a simple dish I first sampled about 10 years ago in the Bay Area at Cucina
Restaurant and Wine Bar. The Zucchini Carpaccio was simply thin ribbons of
fresh zucchini, flat leaf parsley, toasted slices of almonds and flaked
pecorino cheese but the salty, herbal and crisp textures had me wanting for
more. But with local zucchini and fresh parsley available all year round,
there’s no need to be wanting anymore.
2 large zucchini, grated on a box grater – I place them
between cool paper towels to absorb excess moisture
About ½ cup of roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
About ½ cup of lightly toasted sliced almonds (Trader
Joe’s sells 1 lb packages)
About ¼ to ½ cup sahved Parmigiano Reggiano (I prefer
parmesan to pecorino but any hard shaved cheese will do)
Toss all 4 ingredients and serve as a salad or side
course.
I first published the grilled version of this salad in my
sister column, The Gochiso Gourmet. But sometimes fresh corn is best left as is
in the natural raw state. A nice way to utilize three locally grown vegetables
to serve as either a salad or side course.
Raw Corn Salad
¾ cup fat free sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon smoked salt (available at gourmet markets)
3 cup fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears – I use Chef
Chiarello’s tip placing one end of the corn cob in the hole on a Bundt pan then
slice the kernels directly into the pan)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped green onions
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring
with a whisk. Add corn and remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Cover
and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Comments