It is the time of year to give thanks for the small wonders in our lives and to celebrate the spiritual significance of the winter holidays. Many of us are also thinking about finding the right gift for our friends
It is the time of year to give thanks for the small wonders in our lives and to celebrate the spiritual significance of the winter holidays. Many of us are also thinking about finding the right gift for our friends and loved ones as well as planning a feast or two. Several events that feature local food and products are scheduled for the next week, offering opportunities to purchase unique gifts and start feasting.
If you are planning a Thanksgiving feast that includes turkey, you might want to consider the truly local experience of cooking your bird in a Hawaiian imu. Every year, Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook builds one of these large underground ovens and opens it to the public. The opportunity to “Kalua Your Turkey” starts around 7 a.m. Wednesday with instructions and supplies provided to prepare your turkey for the imu. Once all the turkeys are ready and the imu is filled, cookers will cover the hot rocks with vegetation and covers to seal the heat and steam inside to cook the contents. Around 4 p.m. Wednesday the cooking should be complete and folks can pick up their cooked birds ready to eat or re-heat for Thursday’s meal. The experience is $25 to members of the garden or Bishop Museum and $30 for nonmembers. Registration for this event is required. Info: 323-3318, agg@bishopmuseum.org. Cooking in an imu lends a unique flavor to turkey and steams in tenderness. Try it, you’ll like it.
The South Kona Green Market holds two annual holiday traditions this week. Their “Feast in the Field” potluck starts at 3 p.m. today. All you need to do to join the feast is show up with a place setting for yourself and a dish or beverage to share with fellow feasters. If you come before 2, you will have a chance to peruse the wares offered by the vendors at this market. The market is open every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook.
The eighth annual “Green Sunday” celebration at SKGM starts at 9 a.m. Nov. 29. The event offers a chance for some of our holiday buying revenue to go to local vendors. Unlike Black Friday, Green Sunday provides a shopping experience where customers can meet the local artisans and farmers behind the products.
When you buy products online or through national retailers, the money you spend leaves the island with little economic benefit to the local community. Buying through a local Hawaii retailer is often a very different experience and keeps more of the money here at home.
The market features lots of farmers market fare including locally grown fruit and vegetables plus local honey and jellies. You can find 100 percent Kona Ccoffee and macadamia nuts from farmers in the heart of coffee and macadamia nut country. Info: www.SKGM.org.
Tropical gardening helpline
Karen asks: I am concerned about dengue fever. I am currently not gardening outside so I don’t get bitten by a disease carrying mosquito. I know there is some spraying going on against mosquitoes in my neighborhood. What are they spraying? Is it organic? If not, are there organic alternatives I could use? What else can I do to avoid the disease while maintaining good gardening practices?
Answer: People’s fear about dengue has been escalated by lots of press. Some of it may actually not be accurate. Check out Hawaii Department of Health information online for the latest and most reliable information at health.hawaii.gov/docd/dengue-outbreak-2015.
The Health Department is conducting spraying in areas where dengue has been confirmed. According to information gathered at a recent meeting, they are spraying with the restricted use pesticide, Aqua-Reslin. They spray in a 200-yard radius which is the mosquito’s flight radius. Residents must consent to spraying before it is done. Spraying in public places (beaches, transfer stations, etc.) is authorized by state agencies. More about this product is available at ecdpw.org/pdf/pesticide%20info.label.msds/Aqua-Reslin%20MSDS.pdf.
Dengue fever is a relatively rare disease. You will only get it if someone who has it is bitten by one of the two types of mosquitoes that can carry dengue then the mosquito bites you. You may develop no symptoms or a mild case. Not everyone infected gets full-blown symptoms. The mosquitoes that carry dengue feed during the day, mostly in the early morning or early evening. The Health Department’s “Fight the Bite” campaign is the best way to avoid contracting the disease. You can also find information on this at their website. You don’t need to stay inside, but do cover up and use repellent to avoid getting bitten outside. Stay away from areas where cases of dengue have been confirmed.
To attend to your garden, get rid of standing water where mosquitoes can breed. Spray vegetation that is moist with organic insecticides like pyganic or safer soap with neem oil. Change water in pot saucers, every few days so that larvae cannot develop. A homemade solution of 6 ounces of dish soap in a gallon of water can be used effectively to stop mosquitoes from breeding by spraying it weekly in bromeliad cups or other places that mosquitoes might lay eggs like plant crotches or large leaves that hold even a small amount of water. Don’t introduce new plants that hold water until this round of dengue dies out. Hopefully that will be soon.
Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by certified master gardeners. Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living on an organic farm in Captain Cook.
Gardening events
Monday: “Planning a Commercial Kitchen” begins at 5:30 p.m. at Kona Pacific Public Charter School, 79-7595 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua. Come help design this community commercial kitchen with Friends of the school. Info: 895-0962, www.kppcs.org.
Farmers markets
Wednesday: Hooulu Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheraton Kona Resort &Spa at Keauhou Bay
Wednesday: Sunset Farmers Market, 2 p.m. to sunset at the north makai corner of the Kmart parking lot
Saturday: Keauhou Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center
Sunday: South Kona Green Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook
Monday to Saturday: U-Pick greens and produce, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tropical Edibles Nursery in Captain Cook
Plant advice lines
Anytime: konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu
Thursday: 9 a.m. to noon at UH Cooperative Extension Service in Kainaliu, 322-4892.
Monday, Tuesday and Friday: 9 a.m. to noon at UH CES at Komohana in Hilo, 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu.
