Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Yes, I know that title phrase is usually used for Happy New Year, but the makahiki season of abundance and goodwill is upon us here in Hawaii, no matter what the Julian calendar says.  Above, my pretty poinsettias and white orchids decorate the screenroom lanai.  The poinsettias will be transplanted to the garden after the holidays - they grow very well here and can be seen as hedges or even small trees!

Mike and I had a lovely afternoon walk along the shoreline cliffs yesterday, watching big splashy waves and searching in vain for whale spouts.  We decided to go check out our favorite nearby cindercone in the ironwood forest.  There we switched from meandering sight-seer to hunter-gatherer mode upon our discovery of a small abundance of Jamaican liliko'i that had recently fallen from vines that had reached the upper branches of tall trees.  Oh yum!  (Wish I had photos of this beautiful spot, but I was traveling light that day and left the camera at home.)  I used some of the luscious fruits to create an extra juicy tartness to that night's pork roast.

We took three of the meat pigs in last week... sold two and a half, and got one half for ourselves.  It was quite the family project to turn the half-carcass into many wonderful roasts, racks of ribs, and belly slabs for future bacon.  We saved the bones and feet for making nutrient-dense gel-broth, and the offal for future sausage making - without the liver this time.  (I still cannot stand liver even though I know it's so good for you;  someone else can have my share, pleaseandthankyouverymuch.)  Nothing goes to waste and to that end, I will be experimenting with some variation of blood sausage or Filipino dinuguan.  It's not as bad as it sounds to the uninitiated palate; much better than liver as far as I'm concerned!

Kerry was able to apply her knowledge of anatomy to find the best places to cut between joints and muscle groups.

While they took care of the butchering, I weighed the pieces, wrapped and labeled them.  This piggy weighed 175 pounds before slaughter, and we got 86-1/2 useable pounds from our (larger) half of him.  The big mama-sows will more than fill up the rest of our freezers, so we'd better eat up quick!

December's abundance: avocados from our neighbor; 5 dozen eggs from my chickens (in one day!); liliko'i from yesterday's walk in the ironwoods. And the star-shaped thingy is the seed pod from an autograph tree (Clusea rosea).  I used that on my Yule wreath that I made today.

I sew the same way I cook:  making it up as I go.  I can't wait to see how this extra-warm (but with no sleeves) princess dress looks on a certain little grand-daughter.  Shhhh, it's a Christmas surprise... but I was so pleased with how it turned out that I had to share!

My tropical Yule wreath, 2013 version.  The greens (and reds) were collected during yesterday's walk and from my garden this morning.  NOW it's starting to feel like Christmas!  Mele Kalikimaka!

News... and Piglets!

Our beautiful "Protein Field" of leafy trees & shrubs: moringa, cassava, & mulberry. Also, you may note hibiscus at the front of some rows - because flowers are food for the soul.

I am still recovering from that car crash that happened at the beginning of September.  This whole episode has really thrown me for a loop.  But finally, finally, I feel like some progress is being made and I'm able to do a few of the everyday things that I simply couldn't for so long.  Things like making dinner now and then, or putting up a batch of marmalade, or visiting with friends for a couple hours.  Believe me, it makes a huge difference to feel like part of the world again.

On the other hand, I've gotten a lot of reading done during these past two months, which has been nice.  I've read a book about North Korean defectors, a love story told through letters, a cute ghost story-mystery, a marvelously well-done sci-fi told through a 12-year-old's eyes, and a revealing take on young widowhood.  In between each book, I'm taking a pause with a chapter from Isabella Bird's Six Months in the Sandwich Islands.  And I managed to get my own book into a .pdf format for those who prefer reading on their e-gadgets, as well as for the international customers who have requested it that way (easier than shipping an actual book through customs sometimes).  [See the sidebar on the left for a link if you're interested.]

 

What else?  Oh yes, there was a documentary film crew here at our farm a couple weeks ago, conducting interviews, getting information, gathering footage.  It was a fun time!  If/when anything comes of it, I will be sure to let you know.  Kerry also posted about it on her photo-blog: exploretheshiningstars

Everything's growing really well: piggies and plants.  We've been harvesting an abundance of kabocha, papaya, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, guava, and cassava... and have traded with friends and neighbors for avocados, tangerines, and breadfruit (our 'ulu is not yet producing - soon though!).  With the rains comes transplanting season, and it is a real pain to not be able to get some of the potted plants into the ground, but it would be, quite literally, even more of a pain if I tried at this point.

Meanwhile, Mike is harvesting, cleaning, and pressing sugarcane into juice on a twice-weekly basis.  We have several customers, including an all-organic restaurant, who are buying the cane juice, and of course, we enjoy this super healthful drink too, fresh from our own fields.  The cane in the bucket below is for planting - too small for juice - and the kabocha shown is only a small portion of what we've harvested so far this autumn. 

Egg production has slowed only a little with the shorter daylight hours.  The oldest hens have given up entirely, hence sealing their fate: the stewpot.  But the youngest flock is just starting to lay - we got the first egg yesterday! - so we will soon be able to resume regular deliveries to the local "localvore" store in Pahoa.  These lovely eggs are just about flying off the shelves as word gets around that there are local non-gmo-verified eggs to be had at a reasonable cost.  Supply and demand would dictate that we should raise our prices, but we're going to hold off on that for the time being and ride out this slow time and see how it goes when the young'uns come into full production.

Instead of rewriting the post I just did on the farm blog, I'm going to cheat and link it here.  So go on over to Hubbell's Hog Heaven and read all about the newest litter of piglets.
Oh, okay, here's a sneak preview:

Cute, aren't they?  Only one day old in this photo. Spot's litter is due next week, and with the six being raised for meat, we have quite a barn-full!

Whatever Happened to September?

"I'm fishing for crawdads."

I had a wonderful fun time in Gold Hill, OR and Bellingham, WA this past August, which I apparently never blogged about here. To make up for that oversight, I have interspersed this narrative--for which I have no photos to share--with a few of my favorites from that trip.

I was treated to many a spontaneous song and dance performance.

September is gone... thank goodness! It was a heck of a month for us.

Campfire at Yurok fish camp.

First, there was the car crash. I got side-swiped by a semi whose driver apparently thought it was a good idea to pass me on the left while emergency vehicles were zooming through on the right. Needless to say, our little Kia didn't fare too well.

Learning how to bait the hook.

But eventually, once we heard back from the insurance that they weren't going to help us at all, Mike found a replacement fender, patched up the bumper, and replaced the headlight assembly, so the little Kia can be driven again. Kerry will use it to commute to work and massage clients.

Prepping the miniature steam engine. So cool!

We also bought a new (to us) car that feels like a tank - a very comfortable one! It's a nice older Camry that is in terrific shape. I'm still working through a sore shoulder & neck, but at least I can drive again... in and around Pahoa anyway (still can't get up the nerve to try Hilo yet).

Sno-cones at the Train Park.

Meanwhile, we had a bit of an egg overload. The restaurant we've been selling to called up one evening saying "no more eggs". This, only two days after hearing from the other partner in the restaurant business (the one we usually deal with) that they wanted as many eggs as we could provide to them. Uh, nothing like a little warning, guys.

Spent many a hot afternoon by the Rogue River.

Hoping this is all cleared up now, but it made us realize how precarious our position is, relying on only one business for most of our sales. So we decided to branch out a little, and last weekend we tried selling at one of the many local farmer's markets, the one right in Pahoa on Sunday mornings.

Grammy's always good for science experiments, and so we made Krakon slime.

Now, we helped run a farmer's market in the past (Mike's mom, Sue, started the one that's still going strong in Bonners Ferry) and, let me tell you, there were many improvements we could see right off the bat. For instance, they put newbie sellers in the back, which does not bode well for exposure or sales. And they line the booths up in such a way that there are many short dead-ends, which generally means that folks wander along the main path and just peek down the sidelines.

First fishing trip.

Anyway, we did sell several dozen and handed out quite a few business cards, but the main interest was in the organic animal feed we're bringing in. We've garnered several more customers for the feed. I'm thinking that we might cut back on the animal production and concentrate on expanding this aspect of our farm. We'll see how things pan out, but one thing for sure: it would free up a LOT of time for other projects that keep getting shoved to the back burner.

Contemplating the path less traveled.

Somewhere along the way, we passed our six year "island anniversary" of living full-time on Hawaii. And laid to rest a couple good friends. I earned my first royalty check from the sale of my farm book. And Kerry had to have all four wisdom teeth surgically removed - with complications afterwards that she's still dealing with... and only two weeks after starting a new job. Talk about timing.

Enjoying the river on a hot afternoon.

It's been that kind of month - one positive thing, and a few negative ones to tip the scales the other way.

Last day with the grandkiddos, by the river.

Now it's October, one of my favorite months of the entire year. Let's hope it has better things in store for us.

My firstborn and his sweetheart.

Rare photo of me with both parents. Mahalo Shirley, for this one!

My First Official Book Review!

Word is starting to spread about the farm book. Yay! We took a boxful to the local Natural Farm meeting last month, and online orders have been trickling in. And of course, folks who come to our farm for the tour have been snapping them up!

My friend Sonia Martinez, Big Island food writer and blogger, wrote a great review of my book for Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network. It was published in this month's issue.

Go ahead and take a moment to read the book review HERE. (No worries; link will open a new window.) And then, order your own copy if you haven't already! ;-)

Natural Farm Meeting Tonight!

Sure, they spelled Hubbell wrong (most everybody does) but isn't this awesome?!

We look forward to the Natural Farm meeting each month.  There's always an interesting topic or two and we come away energized to do more on our little farm.  Plus, the ono kine potluck is the best!  Everybody brings something from their farm if they can, or at least fresh and local.

Short post this time because I'm crazy busy today with new guests arriving at the hale, new friends coming for lunch and a farm tour, packing for my upcoming trip to Oregon and Washington, and preparing "ono kine grinds" for this meeting tonight.  Never a dull moment!  So looking forward to a little vacation - I need the rest!

Will Flossie Fizzle?

So... y'all know there's a hurricane headed our way, right?  Actually, it's expected to be more of a tropical storm which means heavy torrential downpours (more than our usual Hilo-side drenchings) and big winds (but not as big as with a hurricane). 

You can be sure we're keeping an eye on the weather charts, NOAA, the NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the rest.  One of my favorites to watch is this animation from the GOES-West satellite.

Many believe that the Big Island doesn't get hurricanes because of the effect of our huge mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.  It's not true though, because hurricanes do hit, just not as often.  And it's the area of colder ocean waters between the mainland and here that acts to dissipate the intensity of the storms as they approach.  Usually.

Apparently, Hurricane Iniki in 1992 fizzled out as it approached the islands, but then it regained strength and changed direction, thus hitting Kauai straight on. That could happen to us with Flossie... or not.  We're preparing like it'll be the full-blown thing though, because it's good practice and because you never know. 

My only real worry, hurricane-wise, is the baby chicks.  They just got moved to their new yard a few days ago and they're still pretty tiny.  I don't know how they'd fare in a real hurricane, and since there are 44 of them, I can't just round 'em up and bring 'em indoors.  Fortunately, the enclosed part of their brooder pen is in there with them so they'd likely huddle inside and ride it out.  Much like we would do in our house.

The piggies should be fine in their barn, but if it looks like it could be terribly windy we'll add more protection for the two pens of piglets.  They've all been weaned now, and the mama sows are in their own pens getting a brief respite.  The piggery is quite full these days!

Meanwhile, we've been having some fantastic weather... a few small showers now and then and vast amounts of sunshine.  Plus, this jaw-dropping sunset the other night!

Not tonight though.  Tonight we have rain... and casserole.  Dinner's ready and I'm hungry.  Aloha!

My farm book is here!

What a process it's been... a steep learning curve!  I never realized just how much extra work is involved in getting a book published, far more than the writing and editing bits.  But never mind: it is printed and bound and is now being distributed!  See links at the right for ordering.  Or, if you're on-island, come see me and save on shipping, and maybe even get a farm tour while you're at it.

Here's the back cover blurb:

The Table of Contents will give you an idea of what's inside:

You can read the first bits on the Amazon page using their "click to look inside" feature.  It doesn't get you to the juicy bits though. (And no, I didn't have any say in that set up, but it is pretty cool.)

It felt like Christmas when this big carton of books arrived, never mind that we already knew what was inside!

In other news:
I have 50 more little chicks (because I wasn't busy enough already, I guess) to add to the flocks.  They will begin laying sometime in December which will help keep our egg supply steady through winter, or maybe even increase it a little.  We are now supplying a local all-organic restaurant as well as my regular customers who come to the farm to pick up their eggs, and any surplus still goes to the big Hilo Farmer's Market (though less now with the restaurant buying up as many as I can supply).

Piggies are all doing well.  Spot had 15 (!!) piglets but that was soon reduced to 10.  (These things happen.)  Those ten are all thriving, almost ready to be weaned in fact.  They are the cutest litter so far with all the multi-colored speckles and spots!

Most of Big Mama's piglets have been sold off already; only two are still with us now.  Getting some loves from Kerry:

The new feed arrived in fine shape and the second shipment is already on its way.  I was a little worried that our egg customers might balk at the higher cost of eggs (since organic non-gmo feed costs more), but only one said it wasn't worth it to him.  All the others thought it was great and many even upped their orders!  And the chickens love this stuff!

 

 

So, it's still busy-busy around here, as usual.  I haven't even mentioned the new coop being built, or the kabocha that's taking over one whole side of the growing field, or the hale being booked almost continuously, or the crops all growing like mad, or the pineapples all getting ripe at once, or...

Newest Venture

Life on a farm is never dull. Well, our life and our farm, anyway. Look how well everything is growing!

We have new piglets, with another litter due next week. Started out with ten babies, now down to seven. Things happen. I still need to update the pig blog about all that.

Kerry passed her massage licensing exam last week. She is now awaiting her license number to come through from the state and then she's officially official. She's already started to gather a base of regular clients by holding Massage Days at the hale between guests. This has branched out to several people hosting similar events at their homes, some on a monthly basis, where she comes in and gets everybody all nice and relaxed and refreshed.

I am done, done, DONE with writing and rewriting the farm book. On to formatting...

And my knee has finally healed enough that I no longer need crutches, brace, or band on it and have finally been able to start walking and even hiking again. We even managed a camping trip to our favorite beach-camping spot, Ho'okena. All is right with my world when I can get outside and move about.

But none of that prompted this post...

What I really wanted to tell you about is our latest venture here on the farm: importing truly organic, certified non-gmo animal feeds.

This endeavor was spurred by a local restaurant owner who discovered our eggs at the Hilo Farmer's Market, where a friend of ours sells our excess alongside her wonderful strawberries and honey. (I generally send 25-30 dozen a week to the market.) This restauranteur phoned up, wanting to buy eggs directly from the farm. His focus is on locally-raised, high quality organic foods. We have been wanting to provide a better feed for the birds for quite some time... and so the search began again in earnest.

We found there is not much choice in organic feeds available on the island. The stuff at the local feed stores is USDA-certified organic, but it all has corn &/or soy in it, and most is distributed by Cargill. Not good enough on all three counts.

So we started looking online. We found this wonderful mill in Bellngham, WA, Scratch and Peck Feeds. It is the first--and, so far, only--mill in the US to offer Non-GMO Project certified animal feeds. Their products come from farms in the Northwest, and since that's where we come from too, it's kind of nice to have that connection. There is a distributor on Maui, but they didn't seem much interested in forming any sort of working relationship with us on the Big Island. No problem... we'll bring it in ourselves.

Since we have to order it by the pallet-load (one ton), and we want to maintain the freshness of the feed, there will be extra to sell. A mention of the possibility on my Facebook page and a couple phone calls to other chicken farmers showed us that there is enough interest out there that this could work.

We'll be bringing in their Naturally Free line of chicken layer feed, pig feed, and scratch grains-- all organic, non-gmo, no corn or soy, high protein, and well-balanced feeds. You can go to their website in the link above to read the ingredients. A side bonus is that, even with freight charges, it will cost less than the "organic" feed from the feed stores.

The first shipment is already on its way. I can hardly wait to start giving this quality feed to our animals! And I'm looking forward to touring the mill while I'm in B'ham this August.

In the meantime, Mike is designing and building a moisture-resistant, rat-proof storeroom for the incoming feed sacks. Because, you know, we really needed another project around here.

Alaska Kids, Part two

The kids have been gone a while now, but while the memories are still fresh, I want to post some more pics of our time together.  It was absolutely wonderful to share our home with our daughter and her family, and to be able to spend so much time with grandbaby Acacia.  Here are a few of the highlights.

We were delighted to host Acacia's first ever Easter egg hunt!  It didn't take her long to figure out what is was all about.  She loved wandering around the yard, searching for hidden colorful eggs.  Like our kids before her, she quickly figured out that if we hid them again, she could keep the game going longer! (The 3rd & 6th pics below are from Lori - thank you, Lori!)

We spent a lovely drizzly day up at Volcano Village.  Of course, we ended up at the National Park.  Took a nice little hike along the Devastation Trail where Acacia gave us a demonstration of how aptly named that trail is.  She's a trooper though; after a few hugs and cuddles she was back on her feet and roaming with Grampy.  (The 5th & 10th pics below are from Kerry; The 9th is from Lori - thank you girls!)

Here we are, watching the Merrie Monarch Parade in Hilo.  It was beautiful... and loud, and hot, and crowded... and we hear it went on for 3 hours!  We only stayed for about an hour, then got a bit of lunch at a little bistro in town before heading over the Saddle to Kona.

Last day, in Kona: white sandy beach, building sandcastles and playing in the water.  Beach baby hardly wanted to leave, and who could blame her?  (The 1st pic below is from Lori - thank you, Lori!)

And then suddenly, their three weeks was over, just like that.  I am already looking forward to the next time!