The Other 'B' Word: Breadfruit!

Breadfruit is pretty amazing. Considered a potential answer to famine in the Pacific, one breadfruit tree can provide as much as 400 pounds of food in a year. Packing lots of carbs, this energy-filled fruit is definitely big enough to feed hungry mouths... plus, the tree also produces latex, which worked out really well for the seafaring Pacific Islanders who needed sticky substances to seal their canoes.

The crazy thing about breadfruit is that it bears no seeds. Nope, once breadfruit became renowned for the amount of food it could produce, people basically propagated it to produce the highest possible fruit to seed ratio - meaning, they continually nurtured the trees that produced fruits with the fewest seeds until finally there were fruits with no seeds at all. So, you have to harvest the tiny sprouts from the roots of the mature trees, which are very fragile, to propagate the plant. The plant is less popular in Hawaii than in the rest of the Pacific, though breadfruit is sometimes used as a taro substitute in making poi.

Here is a pretty good shot of what the cooked insides look like. You can see it's a weird texture, and each of the little holes is kind of like an ex-seed pod so it splits up really easily after you've cooked it. The texture is a bit like a baked potato, except crumblier.

The coolest thing about breadfruit is how versatile it is. Most people say it tastes like a potato or bread (hence the name) and thus they eat it in savory dishes. You can make it into fries, you can bake it, you can put it in curries or sauces. BUT, you can also make it sweet. Our hosts Libby and James have described eating it like French toast. And, feeling experimental, we processed it with macadamia nuts and added a bit of oil and egg to make it into a great pie crust for pumpkin pie.

Delicious!

Bananas

This delicious starchy treat is synonymous with most tropical locales, and is praised here in Hawaii for both its flavor and nutritional value. Going along with the initial claim, the banana fruits are commonly utilized as the main starch in many tropical diets. Even though we haven't directly experienced it, cooking the banana flower (pictured here in all its purple glory) is not unusual.

Many types of bananas thrive here in Hawaii, cooking varieties and sweet varieties. On the mainland we are mostly familiar with a sweet variety called Cavendish bananas. These have been artificially preserved and ripened due to their inability to last a long voyage to the supermarket shelf; as an initial skeptic of the greatness of bananas, I guarantee: they taste different right off the tree. Also we have been exposed to red bananas and apple bananas, the two types we have had the most exposure to. Both have a sweeter taste than the Cavendish.

I must clarify; the banana does not grow on a tree. When harvesting bananas one actually chops down the entire stalk of the plant. Called a pseudostem, the stalk of a banana plant is actually the leaves of the plant tightly rolled together and grows successively as an older stalk is harvested.

The banana is an amazing and diverse plant. For example, you vegans out there can substitute bananas for eggs while baking. The two have the same coagulating properties. Crazy... Yes, but it can be done.

Banyan Trees in Hawaii

Banyan trees get really big in Hawaii. Here's one really big-ass Banyan.

Mauna Kea

Climbing Mauna Kea is a bit more complicated than you would think. First off, you have to take the Saddle Road, which weaves through the lowlands between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and which is forbidden by rental car companies (unless you rent the premium SUVs which come in around $150 per day). So once you've decided to break that kapu (the Hawaiian term for 'action punishable by death'), you find the small turnoff that leads up the mountain to about 9,000 feet above sea level, where the Visitor Center sits. The view is spectacular! You're above the first level of clouds and, where the sky is clear, you can see for miles.

They suggest you stick around that elevation for about an hour to acclimate to the decreased oxygen levels, not to mention the drop in temperature. It was in the 80s when we set out from Waimea on the Saddle Road, and at the Visitor Center our car's thermostat read in the 50s. Of course, the Visitor Center sells all sorts of appropriate items, like fancy hoodies or $1.00 hot chocolate sachets. Brilliant.

The hike begins just a short distance up the road from the Visitor Center. It starts out as part of a dirt road and then veers away and uphill. The rest of the trail is a narrow pathway of scree that heads straight uphill at a 45 degree angle.

Evidently Hawaiians don't believe in switch backs, so the 6 mile trail up the mountain is straight up. It doesn't take long before you ascend into the next layer of clouds...though it feels like an eternity of cheek-clenching uphill hiking. At some points, it became difficult to see very far ahead of you.

After about five hours of hiking, we finally made it to the lake - Lake Waiau. This was probably the coldest part of the hike because it was situated in a spot open to the strong winds that frequently buffet the top.

Ancient Hawaiians believed that the lake was the navel of the world, and it still holds a great amount of significance. Even now, some Hawaiians trek up the mountain to bury their children's umbilical cords or deceased family members because of the extreme spiritual power of the water.

Finally, after 6 grueling hours, we reached the end of the trail which comes out onto the road that leads to 14 observatories spread around the peak. Mauna Kea is considered the best place in the world for astronomical research because of the remoteness of the islands and the minimal light pollution (cities on the island either have downward-facing street lights or a noticeable absence of them). So, this is where the top astronomers do all their work.

BUT, because of the sacredness of the mountain to the Hawaiians, the summit bears only a small altar made from lava rocks and sticks. And to get there, you have to hike one more mile uphill from where the trail ends.

Our efforts were certainly rewarded at the top. Though there were a lot of clouds, it was a stunning view from 13,800 feet. Plus, we discovered that Mauna Kea is actually the tallest mountain in the world measured from where it begins in the ocean to its peak.

What in the Hell ?!!

PLEASE feel free to comment on this picture!

Coffee!!

 Coffee is a labor-intensive endeavor. Every part of the coffee bush is caffeinated, from the stems to the leaves. But the best way to harvest the caffeine is to collect cherries, which are the ripened coffee berries that contain coffee beans. 

At Garden Green, there are about 25 coffee plants which we pick about every other day.  Since we are only about 150 ft. above sea level these beans will be considered 'robusta' beans.  It is generally understood that robusta beans do not have the great flavor 'arabica' beans have, but do contain more caffeine.   Arabica beans are grown above 3000 ft.  High altitude and tropical climate are two factors needed in ideal coffee growing conditions, which is why the Kona region on the other side of the island grows what some consider the best coffee in the world! 

Here is one day's bounty plus some chili peppers we collected from an ever-fertile bush in the garden.  Nothing like a cup of hot coffee!!   Get it?.....

To remove the beans from the cherries, you have to 'activate' the cherries by soaking them in water. The water loosens the skins and then you pop the beans out.  Industrial processors use two methods:  a wet and a dry method.  Neither involves manually popping the cherries, but we are speeding up the process.  There are usually two coffee beans in each cherry, but sometimes, you get one big round one, a peaberry.  No one is sure the cause of peaberries, but most likely it is a mutation.  Peaberry coffee is usually more expensive because of their rarity, and the fact that they are manually separated from the rest of the beans.  Talk about tedious!!  Glad we aren't worrying about that. 

Processing coffee, for us at least, is a communal affair, kind of like shellin' peas. 

The best thing about coffee is that it tends to grow in really beautiful places, like Kona, Hawaii. Here's the sunset from our hotel room when we traveled to the coffee region on our trip around the island. 

Harvestin' Cane Juice

So our newest project on Garden Green has been harvesting sugar cane and pressing it into cane juice, which is what sugar is made of.

Now, cutting down sugar cane is a big project. You usually try to break it off at the roots and twist it out, but that only works on the bigger ones that are too heavy to resist. The smaller ones are much less yielding, so we have to use these big ole' lobster claw choppers to get them out. But you can't let the leaves touch you because they have these little 'hairs' on them that stick in your skin and make you itchy. Very annoying!

So after you've chopped them, you cut the roots and the green stalks at the top and then cleave them in half - literally with a meat cleaver.

Finally, you use a cane press to squeeze the stalks and harvest the juice. We are lucky enough to have a mechanical one, which means we don't have to crank it by hand.

The resulting liquid is like simple syrup, except grayish-brown. We've been 'harvesting' it in recycled milk jugs and taking it straight to the fridge. On ice, it's refreshing and delicious (despite the color)! And the only thing you don't use is the squeezed stalk, which makes great fertilizer.

We usually stop here and drink the stuff, but if you wanted to make the white stuff you buy in stores, you'd boil down the cane juice to make brown sugar, and then bleach and process the brown sugar to get the normal white stuff.

Best uses for cane juice? In your coffee, on the rocks, or in mojitos. Mmmmm.

The Miraculous Noni

Okay, let's get one thing straight right off the bat.  Noni smells like shit!  The locals call it butt fruit, with a sense of endearment of course.   It is also known as cheese fruit due to the obvious fact that it smells like blue cheese.  Of course, fine cheeses we often expect to emit odd, and sometimes altogether abrasive, scents.  But to me (and I'm assuming you too) fruits are associated with being refreshing, sweet, tart and/or juicy.  This is NOT what you expect from noni.

Here is a list of adjectives I would use to describe a ripe noni:

1) putrid

2) squishy

3) foul

4) fetid

5) translucent

6) ocular  

7) offensive

8) noxious

Many of you reading this blog probably have never heard of noni before unless you have spent significant time in the tropics.  The tree is most commonly grown in the Pacific (Tahiti specifically) but is produced in most places within the tropics including: Central America, the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent.  I find this hard to accept but the noni tree is in same family (Rubiaceae) as my beloved coffee tree.  Unfortunately it is also extraordinarily prolific, reaching maturity within 18 months and yielding 10 - 20 lbs. of fruit per month all year around.

Now that I've clearly expressed my feelings regarding noni, I'll elaborate on the positives.  Noni fruit is lauded by many on the island (and worldwide) to have countless medicinal qualities.  

I'm not saying, "Oh, the noni fruit is so high in nutrients."  I'm saying, "People believe noni can cure cancer!!"  Literally, scientist have explored (unsuccessfully) using noni as a possible cure for cancer.

Beside that point noni is quite phenomenal.  I have experience using mashed noni as a topical ointment.  On my flight to the islands I was drinking water from a nalgene bottle that hadn't been washed since my last camping trip, big mistake.  As Casteel will remember I got poison ivy on my face after our trip to Bienville National Forest.  Well, it happened again.  I've now discovered that the oils were on the nalgene.  Unfortunate?? Yes.  I am extremely allergic to poison ivy.  But thanks to the noni ointment my poison ivy only lasted a few days.  And let me tell you, putting something so smelly on your face is not pleasant!  

I am convinced that it's not so far fetched to claim noni is a possible cure all for infections, rashes,  UTI's, nausea, cramps, and other general health problems.  Native Hawaiians have been using the fruit as traditional medicine for centuries.  Even ancient peoples thought that something so awful smelling could surely kill any evil spirits causing you harm!!  The same goes for contemporary society, with all the miracles of modern medicine nothing can take care of bacteria better than the repugnant, miraculous NONI!! 

Cockatoos!!

This morning, Michael and I awoke to two Sulfur-crested Cockatoos having a conversation on a tree outside our window. Evidently, cockatoos are monogamous, so I think it was a happy couple. Of course, we weren't as happy since it was an early-morning discussion (around 6:45 or so) and we were still in bed. But we did get a great view out the window with our binoculars. Here's a picture of one, courtesy of Wikipedia: 

The Pololu Valley

The Pololu Valley is in the northernmost region of the Big Island and begins a series of dramatic cliffy-mountains that lead to beachy valleys. The view from the trailhead was spectacular.


After hiking down into the valley, we decided we would continue on the trail, over the next ridge, and to the valley on the other side. This one was pretty touristic, and we figured we needed a good butt-walk. The trail along the beach was shaded by Hawaiian pines.

After making it up the steep, muddy pathway, we rounded a bend and saw the next beach and even more dramatic mountains. Triumph was ours.

















The next task was getting down to the coast. The last trail had been hard, but this trail was barely more than dust and scree and probably a 75 degree angle. The picture doesn't do it justice, but perhaps the fact that we had to hold onto ropes to get down the slope says something.

But I wasn't as good with the ropes as Michael...

The descent was treacherous, and once we reached 'sea level' again we passed through a dense, wild bamboo grove.


The coast was great. Michael was attacked by a wave, but was still happy - at least for the photo.


Once we got to the main beach again (after pulling ourselves up the ropes on the slope, much to our hands' discontent), Michael was elated.

We also found this cool hammock up in the pines. Talk about a hammock to nowhere.

It was a great hike. Exhausting, but great. And it took us straight to the Mexican joint, Tres Hombres, for greasy nachos and a pitcher of margaritas.

The Southernmost Tip of the US

Yeah, you guessed it: it was windy. In the words of our guidebook, don't forget your extra-strength hairspray. I say, don't forget your lead shoes. Michael got lucky, he was wearing his.



Here, you can see the coastline. People were jumping off the cliffs when we visited, though I imagine the trade winds make the waves too great when they're blowing.  Unfortunately, we cannot claim to have jumped off the southernmost edge of the US.  But of course there is still time.  



Right where South Point is, there were two wind farms too. The first one we passed was decrepit...it looked like either the winds were too strong or the turbines were facing the wrong direction. There must have been four rows of twenty turbines or so, rusting and shifting ever so slightly.   We can see here the realized results of slack foresight and planning.  A few hundred yards away was what seemed to be a fully operational wind farm with larger, and most likely, more durable windmills.



Just before you hit the southern tip, we encountered black sand. You can see it's coarse, and there's a good reason: evidently true black sand is created when hot lava hits the ocean and explodes on contact, shattering into the minuscule pieces in my hand. The other cool thing about black sand is sea turtles...they nest and feed here. And they don't seem to mind humans too much...though it's not encouraged to get too close.