Banana Hunting

Yes, we have some bananas! Lots and lots of them, in fact!

Part of our new land was once a banana plantation. There are still remnants of that era: the old building where they used to do the cleaning and packing, for one. And, large banana patches dot the middle section of the land. These are quite overgrown yet still produce an abundance of fruit. We're slowly getting these areas cleaned up a bit. Meanwhile, we enjoy banana hunting now and then.

Bananas must be picked while they are still green but just starting to show some yellow. If you wait until they are all the way ripe, you will likely notice that the fruit rats have had a field day and the bananas will have been eaten away. Green bunches hide among the large green leaves so it's kind of like an Easter egg hunt with the "eggs" hiding overhead.

Banana plants take up loads of water and are super juicy. Although the sap runs clear--and profusely!--one must be careful to not get any on one's clothing lest it become permanently stained with a dark brown blotch wherever the sap has touched. Ask me how I know. We now have certain items that have been designated as banana-picking clothes.

It's a jungle out there! Mosquitoes abound in the dampness under the canopy. I don't even want to think about what other critters live in the rich understory, but I'll either spray liberally with bug juice or cover up with long sleeves and pants. Ready? Machete in hand, we enter the banana jungle in search of yummy deliciousness to bring home.

Score! We found some ready to harvest. To reach the bananas, we have to chop down the stalk. People are often surprised to learn that this is how bananas are harvested, but that stalk will die and need to be removed anyway. Bananas grow in clumps called mats. They are like a humongous corm that sends up multiple shoots forming the mat. The plant is more like a grass than a tree. Chop, chop, and stand back! These logs are saturated with that watery sap I mentioned earlier and therefor are super heavy. The bunches can get pretty heavy, too, especially the larger ones with many "hands" of bananas on them.

Since we have chopped down the stalk, it's now easy to reach the banana bunch. Then we can either chop the stalk into smaller logs to bring home for the pigs (they love chewing on them!) or just leave them there to decompose and feed the rest of the mat.

Now we can bring them home. We hang them by heavy wire (to avoid bruising and ants) and wait for them to fully ripen so we can enjoy the fruits of our labors! The trick is to get them at staggered stages of ripeness for a more steady supply. Looks like there will be plenty for us to indulge...

... and to share with the neighbors... and the pigs... and the chickens...

 

Banana in Hawaiian is mai'a. It was one of the canoe plants brought to the islands by the ancient Polynesians. All parts of the plant can be used, either as food or for various other things, and even that watery sap that stains has its uses. There are many varieties growing on this land. The fruits make it easy to tell them apart--taste, texture, even color, are clues--but when they're growing plants, your guess is as good as mine. I'm still learning!

Early Morning Jam Session

A good friend shared tomatoes with us, and though they are seconds--not quite good enough to sell at the market--they are perfect! Absolutely ripe like you can only get with homegrown. Delectably scented. Tender to the touch.

After eating our fill of fresh tomato slices for lunch, as a salad for dinner, and with eggs and vegies for breakfast... there was still quite a pile of these luscious fruits left over. Time to do up a double batch of Mom's Tomato Preserves! (You can tell it's a great recipe by how stained the page is above; that doesn't happen with one that is used only once!)

First, I have to let the chopped tomatoes sit overnight covered with sugar. I used Maui raw sugar which ended up giving a nice golden glow to the finished product.

The next morning, the juices get cooked down, the pulp added back in along with sliced lemons (from another friend) and cinnamon sticks.

Doing this little canning project brought back deeply-ingrained memories of long steam-filled days in the hot Idaho summertime, putting up the bounty of garden, orchard, and forest. It made me re-appreciate the homesteading skills I acquired over the decades, and feel happy that I can still utilize these skills.

Homemade jam - there's not much better than that! Thanks, Mom, for sharing your recipe with me all those many years ago!

New Land!

Okay, some of you have heard the rumors... others, not a peep. It's been fun keeping it as our little secret but I guess we're ready to make it official:
We bought some new land here on the Big Island! Thirty-two acres in fact, way out in the boonies - just the way we like it and are most comfortable. It's only a twenty minute drive to get there but it feels like a whole different world!

I'm not going to tell where our little slice of heaven is located. Suffice it to say we have a distant ocean view! It's a mix of big old ohia, kukui, and mango forest, and overgrown fields. There are acres of neglected banana patches and pasture, one enormous old grandmother mango tree, about 100 avocado trees, and lots of trash to clear out. Perfect project! Because we're not too busy at all, right? Ha! 

This place is old homestead land from way back at the turn of the previous century. It is completely surrounded by State land. Somewhere along the way, it was used as a banana plantation (hence all the old patches). When we bought it at auction in January, it came with squatters (hence all the trash), nine dogs, and a horse. We told them the horse could stay, but the people and dogs are, thankfully, long gone now. Oh, and there's a sweet little kitty who Mike dubbed Blackie.

Doesn't he look a lot like Wynn? Just a little smaller and much more shy.

There are also a few beautiful meadows.

In the long run, this will make farming easier for us. Think pastured animals (pigs, cows, chickens) as opposed to barns and pens. We plan to do do mob-grazing to improve the fields, then pasture rotation to maintain them. We'll still continue with Korean Natural Farming, of course, but will be pioneering new applications for this method with pasture land. This will actually make KNF more translatable for the western mainland where there are plenty of wide open spaces still, unlike in Korea or Japan.

We are not planning on moving out there any time soon. It is way off-grid, which is not an obstacle for us. But we have a comfy home here already, along with a nice barn for the piggies and all the trees and plants we're growing. Plus, Lori, Dave, and Acacia just moved here from Alaska! No, what we're going to do is build a little shelter and a big firepit.  Camping, anyone? Yes, please!

Good times with good friends.

There are loads of these magnificent wild orchids in the woods.

 

100th Hubbell Bubble Chicken Coop!

Last Saturday we drove down to the shoreline... not to swim or sunbathe at the beach, or even to walk along the coast... but to help build a chicken coop for Kua O Ka La, the Hawaiian immersion school next to the Ahalanui warm pond. It was part of a series of Natural Farming talks that have been taking place there since October.

We have really enjoyed this series which has included such topics as the Hawaiian moon calendar, cultivating 'uala (sweet potato) and kalo (taro), and will conclude with the big 'Ulu Festival next month. This time it was a more hands-on project: building a chicken coop for the school.

 

There was a good turnout and everyone joined in, one way or another. 

Even the younger keiki got to try their hands at coop-building.

Many hands make light work... and the coop was just finished in only two hours!

Once the coop was completed, there was a little blessing. Hawaiian chanting always gives me "chicken skin" and this time was no exception, though the day was hot and sunny. There was also a special presentation: Mike was chosen for the first annual Natural Farmer's Award! He was so surprised! It was announced that this is the 100th Hubbell Bubble chicken coop built on the islands - and that's just counting the ones that the UH-CTAHR Extension Office is aware of!

There were representatives from both Kua O Ka La and the Kamehameha Schools in attendance, as well as a member of the Maui County Council. The word about Natural Farming is spreading!

At then end of the morning, it's all about the friendship and camaraderie of doing good work together. Mahalo to all who helped.

Rainy Day Walkabout

Okay, now that I have thoroughly revamped my blog page, it's high time I added a new post... or maybe even two.  Let's get down to it, then!

Last week saw more of our usual winter weather pattern, with rain, rain, and more rain. Maybe a little drizzle to alleviate the monotony. Since it is still warm, this doesn't really slow us down much, but sometimes we forget that it is still a pleasant temperature outdoors when we have the windows closed against the high humidity and blowing precipitation. After all, it can be dark and dreary looking... until you venture outside and feel all that life-force of the gardens and jungle growing like mad around you.

The chickens don't mind the rain one little bit. Whoever coined the phrase "mad as a wet hen" sure didn't know squat about birds!

And then there are a few who prefer the view from the top perch. Maybe they're scoping out the best scratching ground!

The piggies appreciate the cooler temps... and the fresh juicy sugarcane Mike cuts for them each day.

 
Spot is so efficient at slurping the juice from the stalks and you can tell she loves it! The leftover stringy bits, called bagass, become part of the bedding.

This little piggy just got bought by a 4-H youngster, but we're keeping him here until she has her barn ready for him.

And let me just add, I love my new chore boots!  Perfect for tromping in and out of the coops during feeding and egg-collecting, across wet grass and jungle, and of course stomping in the occasional puddle!