Aloha!

Welcome to Hawaii Homegrown!

    Building local, sustainable food communities on Hawai'i Island

  • Find others for buying, selling, sharing, and learning | Farmers Markets
  • Empower yourself and your community to become food self-reliant | Reports | Newsletter archive
 • Learn about VICTree™ Gardens—HomeGrown Food Forests | Register your interest

    It's all free and abundant, so dig in!


Breadfruit

Breadfruit

SUPERFRUIT OF THE GODS
Talking Story

Talking Story

A PARADISE OF ARTICLES
Resources

Resources

GET YOUR GROW ON
About

About

AMAZING THINGS
Revitalizing Breadfruit

Revitalizing Breadfruit

"The Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu Project.“

Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu is a project to revitalize 'ulu (breadfruit) as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food which addresses Hawai'i's food security issues. It is well known that Hawai'i imports about 90% of its food, making it one of the most food insecure states in the nation. Additionally, since the economic downturn of 2008, many families lack access to affordable and nutritious food. We believe that breadfruit is a key to solving Hawaii's food security problems.

Read more

Breadfruit Publications

Free publication downloads

Breadfruit Agroforestry Guide: Planning and implementation of regenerative organic methods

Breadfruit Agroforestry Guide front cover 300pxBreadfruit Agroforestry Guide presents techniques that can sustain productivity for long periods of time, while regenerating land degraded by erosion, compaction, overgrazing, and loss of organic matter. It covers subjects that include recognizing breadfruit varieties; agroforest planning, planting, and maintenance; selection of suitable accompanying crops; value-added products; and economic evaluation. The guide provides a range of growing scenarios from backyard gardens to large farms in the tropics.

The guide was developed with funding by Patagonia Provisions®, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE), the Kaua‘i County Office of Economic Development and published by the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalāheo, Kauai, and Permanent Agriculture Resources, Hōlualoa, Hawai‘i.

Using detailed design examples, species tables, and design descriptions and 95 photos and illustrations, this book breaks new ground in showing growers how to plan and implement agroforestry that emphasizes breadfruit production. In so doing, growers can design their production to be resilient to changes in weather and market prices—and build a stronger local food system in the process.

Download the free web pdf edition (PDF file, 7MB). Hard copies can also be purchased from online retailers such as Amazon.com.

Breadfruit Production Guide: Recommended practices for growing, harvesting, and handling

Breadfruit-production-guide-front-cover-2nd-Edition-200pxDownload the new production guide for growers, cooks, and consumers. Grow, prepare, and eat breadfruit like a pro! The magnificent breadfruit is once again being acknowledged for its role as a delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food for Hawai‘i. This guide is for those who would like to see more breadfruit in the landscape and on the table. Main topics covered include how to take care of breadfruit trees, how and when to harvest fruit, and how to process and store fruit—all for optimital quality and value in the marketplace. This unique guide is the best information currently available. Download the 36-page guide for free or purchase hard copies (sales support the Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu project).

Continue Reading

Print Email

Intelligence, Culture, Food

galimba-intelliGrazin’ at Kuahiwi Ranch

To be honest, I’m not so interested in food – as a commodity or a resource or even as a way to feed those who are hungry. What I mean is, I’m not so interested in the numbers – numbers of calories, pounds of product consumed, percentage of locally produced products, and so on. All of those are necessary and useful numbers. I have to pay attention to numbers because I have to produce so many pounds of beef each week in order to meet my customer’s needs consistently, or my business fails. So, I’m not saying that numbers are unimportant. Far from it. But the numbers are not what interest me, what keep me going day after day.

Continue Reading

Print Email

Sarah Ili: Hot Chili Pepper Water

SarahIliSarah Ili with Hawaiian chili pepper water, seedlings and peppers.Hawai’i Homegrown Food Network (HHFN) correspondent, Rachel Laderman, met with Sarah Ili and talked with her about the chili pepper water she makes. There are many variations of this popular Hawaiian condiment. Sarah’s version is very straightforward – and very delicious. Sarah lives in Pepe’ekeo and works as a substitute teacher, then shares her all-local Hawaiian chili pepper water with family and friends.

HHFN: What goes into your hot chili pepper water?
Sarah: You use Hawaiian hot chili peppers (has to be that kind), limu kohu, and Hawaiian sea salt with red clay, which is called alaea.

HHFN: Does it have health benefits?
Sarah: Yes, it is good for iron, and the limu kohu has iodine. The alaea is good for strengthening and cleansing. It also replenishes your salt.

Continue Reading

Print Email

Locally Processed Foods by Honolulu Gourmet Foods

CI0A9579Honolulu Gourmet Foods restaurant at Paradise Palms Café on the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa campus serves locally grown prepared food at reasonable prices.Balancing being a mom and business entrepreneur, Jill Lee built Honolulu Gourmet Foods upon the counter-mainstream model of sourcing locally grown ingredients and making her products exclusively in Hawai‘i. “The cost of doing business is high in Hawai‘i. At the end of the day, am I proud of my products and our steady customer base confirms that there is a market for high quality, Hawai‘i-made products,” explains Lee.

Continue Reading

Print Email

Teeny Tiny Laupahoehoe Farmers Market

Laupahoehoe-P1017592Laupahoehoe farmers market.The Laupahoehoe Farmers Market started in September of 2009 with two enterprising women setting up a tent and selling their harvest and that of their neighbors. They persevered for several weeks until another vendor, and then another, started setting up Sunday after Sunday.

Continue Reading

Print Email

Hyperlocal frozen dessert by OnoPops

Ono PopsOnoPops produces a variety of flavors depending on local ingredient availabilty.

In 2010 brothers Josh Lanthier-Welch and Joe Welch established OnoPops, whose flagship product line consists of ice pops made from local and organic ingredients. Profoundly inspired by the patela tradition of ice and milk-based frozen pops in Latin America, the brothers based their product line on a marriage of the Mexican patela and Hawaiian regional cuisine. The result is an endless range of creative flavor combinations that changes continually based on which ingredients are available from local sources.

Continue Reading

Print Email

More Articles ...