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ARE YOU BUYING THIS? By
Robbie Dingeman
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Eating fruits and vegetables sounds like a great idea to most of us, often right up to the cash register at the supermarket. And we realize that one cantaloupe costs almost as much as TWO gallons of gas.
But Hawai'i farmers, agricultural officials and local merchants have been quietly growing a bounty of farmers markets that make buying fresh produce more convenient and often cheaper.
Matthew Loke, administrator of the state Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Development Division, said the trend toward more farmers markets is growing across the state and across the nation.
Farmers want to get their goods to their customers. And Loke said people are worried about tainted food after various recalls nationwide.
"Consumers are more guarded now," Loke said. "The perception is if you buy local, it's safer."
And buying direct can get you more ideas about more exotic choices, he said. "You can talk to the farmer. You can get a lot of information. People like that," he said.
Hawai'i's generally warm weather also gives us some advantages. "We are one of the few states that can get vine-ripened tomatoes all year round," said Loke, who remembers just 10 years ago when most tomatoes sold were shipped from the Mainland.
There are three basic types of markets on O'ahu. (The Web sites listed below also show growing Neighbor Island markets.)
While the food is cheaper, sometimes it's off-grade and sometimes grown on the Mainland. And these markets usually last an hour or less at each park. Still, you can often find ripe apple bananas, fresh flowers and even eggs and fish at some.
The vendors sometimes go to several sites in one day, such as the Sunday schedule, which starts in Kapolei at 7 a.m., then to Royal Kunia at 9:30 a.m. and then on to Waikele from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
"We require all of the farm produce to be grown locally," she said. But that means that today you can buy something that was picked yesterday.
The bureau's Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga said they have been pleased to see sales take off at their markets, from the original Saturday morning market at Kapi'olani Community College (started in 2003) to the Thursday night market in Kailua (started three years ago) and the newest addition, the Sunday morning Mililani market (started two years ago).
She said roughly 2,000 to 3,000 people shop at Kapi'olani, about 1,000 to 1,500 at Kailua and fewer at Mililani, which is a little more residential and off the beaten track for tourists. She said they hope to expand again, next month and add another market in Wai'anae.
They also partner with two other Big Island operations, one in Keauhou and another in Hilo, which are smaller and have been going about a year.
Nakama-Mitsunaga said farmers markets offer more opportunities for smaller growers to sell their produce directly to customers. The system is especially helpful to farmers who are too small to supply wholesalers on their own.
The bureau has seen the trend change from when they struggled to get the initial dozen vendors to today's popular markets where "people are now knocking at our doors so we have to turn some away."
She said residents and visitors alike are helping to fuel sales.
"It's really been community support and word of mouth," she said. "The tourist customer base has really exploded."
The KCC market is within walking distance of Waikiki.
Some vendors have learned to include recipes at their booths, which help to show customers how to cook some of their foods. She points to Dean Okimoto's Nalo Farms operation, which has made "Nalo greens" a menu regular in homes and restaurants.
The Windward farmer-entrepreneur sells various herbs as well. One combination, he calls "the spaghetti mix." Nakama-Mitsunaga said sales took off when Nalo Farms printed suggested recipes on the mix.
"People just didn't know how to use it," she said. "That has helped broaden people's horizons."
Other more recent additions, Loke said, include the North Shore Country Market at Sunset Beach Elementary in Hale'iwa, Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Waialua Farmers Market at the old sugar mill, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Waialua market sometimes has locally grown asparagus and potatoes.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.
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