Ka'u Farm School - In Session Again

The Ka'u Farm School was back in session thus week. "Yours truly" was in attendance because I'm always interested in learning some new tidbit about growing food. And yup, I learned a few. 

Stacy & Rachel were there to promote their new endeavor, the Hoveatery. Their next event is this August 11. It's pretty neat to see people making meals using our local foods from small growers. I fully support their efforts! 

Greg, a small local farmer, was there to talk about home food gardens. With the help of other local knowledgable food folks, they gave great demos and info about various gingers..... shampoo ginger and how to harvest the "shampoo"; turmeric; false cardamom (the seeds are used for flavoring and the leaves as wrappers for foods especially fish); galingale (mild edible root and flower). They also encouraged people to grow yacon, pipinola, plukenetia, and moringa. Plus gave us a chance to smell and taste some. 

Also demo'd was some nursery cutting propagation using clean sand rather than a potting mix. Plus seeding greens (lettuce, tatsoi, mizuna, mustard) in potting soil for a cut n come again salad harvest. Greg showed how small farmers make veggie transplants, called plugs, in specially designed trays. Attendees had the opportunity to take some home for their own gardens, 

Raina gave an overview of upcoming programs. The Ka'u Farm School has proven itself more than just a flash in the pan and other organizations are starting to notice. With funding finally being offered, the school can now bring in outside speakers and host further workshops. Wow, it's in its way! 

And finally, before we all stepped up to the potluck buffet, Kyle talked about the local Farmers Union. 

All in all, another very nice presentation for our fledgling school. 

Ka'u Farm School -- Day 2

The new Ka'u Farm School held its second session this past weekend. As before, there was local interest. I hope it's enough to keep this project continuing. 

Greg gave a walk through of his farm, highlighting some of the organic style practices he's using to produce veggies. Lots of good hints. 

Our local State Rep (and chair of State Ag Dept) attended as a speaker, updating the group on what's happening ag-wise on our island. Topics of interest to the group included the tiny house bill, overnight campgrounds on ag land, the legality of a farm restaurant, water issues. 

"Soils" was the educational subject for the day. Soil science is such a huge topic, even if restricted to just Big Island, that the talk was basically an overview. But it hopefully was enough to get growers thinking about soil pH, soil composition, organic materials, plant nutrients. It's a start. 

So far the school has been more lecture than workshop. But it's not fair to judge this early in the program. It's a project in development. Judging from the talk among the crowd, they are hoping for more practical knowledge and workshop oriented sessions. 

I'm a big supporter of education...spreading the knowledge. So any kind of ag schooling is fine with me. I picked up a few good gems at this second session and I'm looking forward to the next! 

Ka'u Farm School

Finally it looks like my region is going to get access to agricultural support for "dinner table" food farming. To date, coffee farmers have been the ones to benefit from numerous educational opportunities being presented on Ka'u soil, but us Ka'u dirt farmers have been the ag department's orphaned children. I'm pretty stoked that this past weekend was the first day of the new Ka'u Farm School project. 

This new program is open to everyone. No growing experience necessary. Both gardeners and learning farmers would benefit from these workshop style classes. Information is to be presented via on hands experiences, demonstrations, video presentations, and lectures with Q&As. Focus will be on growing foods in Ka'u. Topics will cover just about everything involved, including soils, seed saving, propagation, planting, fertilizer & nutrients, irrigation, varieties, etc. 

The first session was free and well attended. Held at Earth Matters Farm in Ka'u, people had a chance to see a small farm "in the flesh". Gabriel Howearth was the guest speaker, a man who is a walking wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything that has to do with seeds. He gave an overview on seed saving. With the prices of seed skyrocketing, seed saving is a smart move for the small farmer. From my own experience, I wholeheartedly agree. 

Currently the plan calls for once a month sessions. For more information, here's some contact info.....

...visit Facebook.com/KauFarmSchool

...call 808-721-6977

...email: kaufarmschool@gmail.com