How does your garden grow? Do you know where your food comes from? In North America, the fall season is harvest time. My hubby Pete and his family harvested peaches, apples, tomatoes, and cucumbers; they ”put up” or preserved the surplus to eat later.
Here in the Islands, in our own small garden, we are thankful for these fruits and vegetables:
Ma’afala breadfruitStarfruit (carambola)CalamansiSweet potatoAvocadoNoni (Morinda citrifolia)Red hibiscus for teaHaden mangoLilikoʻi passion fruitFigKukui (candlenut) treeKukui nuts for ʻinamona
There you go! If you don’t have room for a garden, consider growing in pots, perhaps even a tray of herbs in your kitchen. Or you could go to the local farmers market and support a local grower. 👩🌾
Taking the scenic route home north from Kaneʻohe along Kamehameha Highway on Oʻahu, I checked out Heʻeia Pier. Seemed like it was the same as always except for the operators of the open-air restaurant at the end. It’s been some years since our pal Mark Noguchi fed us there.
Kaneʻohe Bay view
On a quiet Monday morning there were a few customers ordering poke bowls, a couple of water craft going out to sea, a tour boat, a fishing boat, pole fishers, the mail carrier, and uncle already on his way home. So peaceful.
The Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian dictionary defines ʻinamona as “n.,Relish made of the cooked kernel of candlenut (kukui) mashed with salt (perhaps a contraction of ʻīnaʻi momona, sweet garnish).“
I read several recipes and how-to’s before coming up with my method. The process is tedious and no wonder that it is expensive to buy, if you can find it, and why Islanders revere it at luaus and pāʻina.
Fast forward from gathering the fruit that has fallen from the tree to the ground, tossing out bad ones in a float test, peeling off two layers of tough skin, and drying the nuts with their hard shells still on. This step takes days in a dehydrator; I used my closed conventional oven with only the oven light on.
When after many days the kukui nuts looked brittle, I cracked them open one at a time using small tongs to hold the nut and a hammer. Practice makes perfect. Ha!
Next is digging out the nut meat with a paring knife carefully so as not to injure. Tedious, but I wanted every last bit. The yield went into a large mixing bowl, and I chopped it all up with an ulu knife.
Chopping up raw nut meat. You could also pulse in a food processor.
I roasted the ’inamona-to-be in a wide frying pan on top of the range on medium-low until golden. Stir constantly to avoid burning, while picking out any remaining pieces of hard shell.
Use a wide frying panStir constantly to avoid burningLook for this golden color
Six non-human creatures share our home, but family would argue there are seven. I am sure I have mentioned them from time to time, but today I’m rounding them up in a single post. By home I mean the property including house and garden.
The animals are Willy the neighborhood peacock, Snowball the cat from next door, the feral chickens, Big Fat Dove, the pigs who visit on the other side of the fence, and last but not least, JJ the family dog. Questionable is the Madagascar gecko.
WillySnowballChickensBig Fat DovePigOur dog JJ
Ah, life in the country. Take care of the animals, and be well.
I took a road trip with the family along the windward side of Oʻahu yesterday to get out of the house during this sad time of the Coronavirus pandemic. (We got a call that a loved one was stuck in Iceland after testing positive. She is not allowed to leave for home in the U.S. and thinks she got the germ prior to departing on the vacation.) The road trip was a welcome respite, and besides, the dog likes to go for rides. I posted my photos of the lovely views on Facebook. You may tap on the link to view them. The link may not work for you if you don’t do Facebook. If that is the case, here’s a sample of what you’re missing.
Katrina and her mom want to make lei for a couple of yachts arriving at Waikīkī in the TransPac yacht race later this month, and they sought me for coaching. Coincidentally, I planned to fashion table decorations for the 97th Anniversary party of the Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club tonight, so I suggested they watch me demonstrate the technique. We met under the gazebo at Kaneohe Yacht Club. The two took step-by-step photos and quizzed me about plant material.
The colors of the Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club are green and yellow. (Katrina Molenda photo))Light green ti leaves, Song of Singapore, and lime puff blossoms comprise this table decoration. I used 24-gauge paddle wire from a floral/craft supply store to fasten the material together.
So far there are not many mangoes, avocados, passion fruits, breadfruits, nor calamansi in the garden this summer. Is the reason insects, weather, and/or lack of fertilizer? How many can you find in these photos?
This Rebekah’s Studio is the blog created by the Rebekah who lives in the small village of Kaaawa on the island of Oahu. A journalist, artist, and healer by training, I invite you on any part of my journey shared here. I use a full palette, so come along, let’s see what unfolds together!
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Key to Characters
DH = Darling Husband
Miss Marvelous = #1 granddaughter
Popo = Chinese grandmother, me
Alice Brown = adorable puppy dog (2003-2014)
Ula = big brown bossy cat (R.I.P.)
JJ = current family dog
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