Hawaii Living

It's hard to believe I've been living here for close to two weeks, time seems to go by a bit slower here. I'm not sure if that is just Hawaii time or just slowing down a bit but it's been nice. Drean, who is the owner of the farm that I volunteer at, is a great conversationalist and whom I feel I have learned so much from already. Drean has had many different jobs throughout his life and it's been fun getting to know him more and talk about everything from politics to reincarnation to meditation to the universe to the history of Hawaii to organic gardening. This past Tuesday we went to Food Share, which is kinda like a small CSA/farmer's market in a small town nearby. I got to sample some local deliciousness and had the most amazing mango of my life. It was nice to meet other fellow farmers/gardeners in the community and to support what Drean started. None of these people contribute to Food Share for a profit, Drean certainly doesn't, but it's more the act of doing something as a community that betters ourselves as a whole and this beautiful spot many people get to call home which is quite inspiring.

I'm quite the foodie and have been thoroughly enjoying trying some Hawaiin foods and fruits. While I was in Kona,  I tried Poke which is completely raw yellow fin tuna that is often marinated with sea salt to make it safe to eat. It's then mixed with different sauces, being the spice lover I tried some with habanero pepper and it was incredible. I've also had shaved ice which is what it sounds like, shaved ice with fruit sugary flavoring poured over the ice. I tried passion fruit and guava which was quite refreshing but I think I would have rather just eaten the fruit. I've been eating my weight in apple bananas which are these super small bananas that are a lot sweeter than regular bananas. If you're able to find them at your local grocery, I highly recommend them! I've really enjoyed acai bowls which are pretty popular here, it starts out with acai (berries that are sherbet consistency) and they add granola and all types of fresh fruit, cacao nibs, honey and mint. It is as delicious as it sounds and my favorite food I've tried yet! A dessert that is quite different but super yummy is a Japanese favorite here, mochi which are fruit or different sweets (brownies, cookies, etc) that are covered in this gummy rice flour consistency. I'm not explaining it well at all but it is really good and probably one of the more different desserts I've ever had. I'm loving all these new Hawaiin foods and I'm trying to eat as much as I can while I'm here. Hope you enjoy some photos!

Nicole Food Share 

Our microgreens for sale! 

Acai Bowl

Shaved Ice 

Working on the farm

Downtown Hilo

These cute lizards are everywhere!

My cabin! 

Mochi

Brownie Mochi

Apple banana

Beautiful rainforest trees in Hilo!

                                                   

Poke with seaweed salad and mixed rice

Kailua Kona

Sorry I've been a little MIA this past week, it's hard work on the farm! This past weekend I went to Kailua Kona with my fellow wwoofer, which is about 1hr 45 minutes away from Ninole. Kona in Hawaiian means leeward, or the dry side of the island. While I was there it was fairly hot and humid, not much different then the weather here near Hilo.  Hualalali and Muana Loa are both active volcanoes which sit between Kailua Kona which we only got to see a taste of due to some cloudy conditions. One interesting note about this part of the island are the white sand beaches with large lava rock everywhere. The sand beaches on the Hilo side, where I am, are black sand.  I mean, how does that happen? The Big Island is the youngest of all the Hawaiian Islands, making the beaches quite unique because they are still developing. We hiked through gorgeous trees and over a very hot lava field for 15 minutes, which is harder than it sounds, and was absolutely blown away when we reached Makalawena Beach. The water was turquoise blue and the clearest I have ever seen, so clear you can see the light rays from the sun shining down to the sandy bottom. The colors are so staggering with the turquoise water, white sand, bright greenery and charcoal black lava rock. And the water was so warm it felt like cooled bathwater.

Hawaii & Farming

It's hard to believe that I've only been on the Big Island since Wednesday evening, it seems like it has been much longer from all the beauty I've seen and what I have learned. I'm staying in Ninole, which is a little town 30 minutes outside Hilo one of the bigger towns on the island. Here in Ninole we are surrounded by rainforest and the bluest ocean I've ever layed eyes on, which I can see every day from the farm, which is pretty incredible. There is also a waterfall in my new backyard which I can hear all day but is especially nice at night to lull me to sleep. I've been to some beautiful black lava sand beaches already and have taken a swim in the ocean which is quite warm and refreshing from the 80+ degree heat and high humidity. I'm living in what I would call paradise and I feel incredibly lucky to call the Big Island home for the next five weeks. I'm volunteering on a farm called Everyone Grows and the head farmer Drean is very kind, warm, and happy to show me my fellow 18 year old wwoofer (world wide opportunity for organic farming) his home. Drean created this food share in Hilo where people from all over can come and exchange for food or just take what they need for no cost. How incredible is that? I think its pretty special and something I'm oh so happy to be a part of. I've done a lot of gardening in the past two days and helped transplant different types of lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers. There is something really meditative about having your hands in the dirt and helping something to grow. I've also had some delicious mango and lychee, did you know that there are over 50 different types of mango and avocado grown on the Big Island? Pretty awesome! Being here is just what I need to recharge and to have some time for myself and I can't wait to see what these next weeks are like and what I've learned from them. For now, hope you enjoy these photos and you can feel like you are here with me!

Lychee! 

Me and my headlamp! 

My gardening work of art

My home 

The farm!

My view from the farm!

Akaka Falls