Lissa in her garden before the transformation.

Lissa is busy. Full time mom, wife, worker and avid community volunteer as well as a Qi Gong teacher. In the midst of all this bustle she’d like to have a garden to come home to filled with arugula, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce and a few herbs. She already has the boxes in place for the garden and a tall fence to keep out the chickens.

First Nations’ Futures Program is a world-class fellowship program that focuses on community building.

The Fellows of the 2011 First Nations’ Futures Program produced this short documentary as part of their place-based case study project focused on “growing the next generation of farmers.” Through their travels across the State of Hawaiʻi and interactions with farmers, distributors, educators, and policy makers, the Fellows were compelled to produce this video to educate as a means to motivate the general public. The Fellows understand that change is not going to happen overnight but in producing this video they hope to stimulate thought and move the public conversation in the direction of a more sustainable Hawaiʻi.

Display of breadfruit varieties at chef demonstration tent.

Results of the Breadfruit Festival 2011 cooking contest

By all accounts, the Breadfruit Festival held this past Saturday, September 24 at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in South Kona, was a resounding success. The Cooking Contest was one of the first events of the day, and ended up being quite exciting. We had 29 different entries in the Appetizer, Soups/Salads/Side Dishes, Main Dish/Entrée and Desserts categories.The rules of the contest called for original recipes featuring breadfruit as the main ingredient. 

A breadfruit (on left) at the perfect stage of maturity to harvest.

General information

Breadfruit is traditionally grown in home gardens or integrated mixed agroforestry systems. It is often grown on steep hillsides, especially on the high islands of the Pacific. The trees provide shade, mulch, and a beneficial microclimate and can be planted with a wide array of useful plants.

The spreading surface roots are easily hit and damaged by mowers or other equipment so it is best to keep trees mulched. Provide a complete fertilizer at the beginning and end of the fruiting season to maintain the health and vigor of trees, especially trees that are 10 or more years old.

Breadfruit cooking contest for original recipes

A Cooking Contest at the Breadfruit Festival—Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu on Saturday, September 24, 2011 seeks dishes based on original recipes that feature breadfruit as the main ingredient. Celebrity Chefs Mark Tsuchiyama of Hualalai Resort, Olelo pa'a Ogawa of Glow Hawaii and Jacqueline Lau of Roy's Restaurants, will be joined by food writer and cookbook author Sonia R. Martinez and KITV weekend anchor Pamela Young to judge the Cooking Contest. The contest is open to all Hawai‘i Island residents and prizes will be awarded in the categories of Appetizer, Soup/Salad/Side Dish, Main Dish (Entrée), Dessert, Best of Show and Healthiest Choice.