Photo by SQL_Samson Via Flickr

I was at the Big Island Internet Society meet up at Big Island Pizza this past Saturday and had a chance run in with the new/old owners of the former Jay’s Island Bistro (previous location of Nichol’s Pub location) on Kilauea Avenue in Hilo.

Seems they are opening a new affordable eatery place called Hilo Burger Joint. Look for the bright red building across the street from the new Judiciary buildinging in downtown Hilo.

Talking with Rhonda Nichols, she says they are going to be opening this week, possibly Tuesday, September 14th. Opening with a number of different burgers and 14 different beers (along with fountain drinks), they will also be featuring a “kids menu” that anyone can order off of, which will include childhood favorites such as Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches, or Grilled Cheese. These are great if you want something light and quick for lunch. Ronda says her aim is to create an inexpensive burger place that you can come to once a week or even every day.

I was asked to make a guest appearance at the Kino’ole Street Farmers Market in Hilo yesterday.  Yesterday was a special day also for the Kino’ole Market because it was celebrating being open for 2 years and has grown from a handfull of vendors to anywhere from 20 to 25 on any given Saturday

This market is known for vendors that sell their own farm grown produce or locally made products…no imports…so when I’m requested to make a guest appearance doing a food demo, I always try to demonstrate dishes made with as many ingredients grown or produced locally.

For this past Saturday, I chose to make a dish that can be served as a main entree for a brunch or luncheon or it can be made into a smaller version and served as a salad with a meal.

Tomato, Sashimi, Avocado Salad with Pesto & Chevre

Ripe tomatoes slices

Ripe avocadoes wedges or slices

‘Ahi Sashimi (*)

Pesto

Chevre (goat cheese)

Chopped and toasted macadamia nuts

Sprigs of watercress for garnish

(*) Crab meat, tuna, chicken or smoked salmon can be used instead if you wish.

I made the pesto at home using 3 different varieties of basil; Thai, Italian Sweet and a basil I found that was called Cuban Basil, but I was not familiar with it before I bought the plant.

To make the pesto:

Take 4-5 bunches of basil, leaves and stems

Olive oil that I previously enfused with garlic (**)

Chopped and toasted macadamia nuts

Freshly grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (optiona)

Place all ingredients in the blender or food processor and process until smooth.

(**) To infuse the oil with garlic, I empty a whole bottle of Extra Virgin Italian Olive Oil in the bowl of my crock pot turned down to low.  Add the peeled and sliced cloves of a whole head of garlic.  Let cook until garlic starts turning slightly beige.  Skim the garlic out and save for other uses (we love mashing it and spreading on bruschetta) – when cool, pour the oil back into bottle.

The goat cheese I used is locally made (Lava Rock Puna Goat Cheese in Kurtistown) but the farmer does not sell at the Kino’ole Market.

“Eat local” should be more than just a catch phrase.  Not only are you guaranteed a fresher product, but you are also helping your neighbors.

Farmers, fishermen, the local markets…they all benefit when we buy locally grown or produced products.

Why buy a green pepper with a sticker that tells me it came from Holland or a pineapple from Chile when we grow them right here within our own shores?

Our islands are some of the most fertile in the world and the Big Island in particular has some of the most varied climates, elevations and growing conditions of any other land in the whole Pacific Ocean.

We are fortunate that we can grow almost anything that grows anywhere else in the world somewhere on this one island.

More and more restaurants are beginning to see the light and are working in partnership with local farmers and producers.  They realize that by encouraging the farmers to grow for them, they are also encouraging the local economy to grow and everyone benefits.

Of course we are all familiar with the many banana and papaya farms, the wonderful local white pineapples, and the different varieties of avocados. There are several exotic fruit orchards growing rambutan, lychee and other less well-known fruit such as mamey and abiu.

Mangos, guavas, a variety of citrus, mountain apples, liliko’i, jaboticabas and carambolas can be found in most everyone’s backyards.

Chayote is easy to grow almost anywhere.  Taro grows in all our islands either in wetlands or dry slopes.  Most everyone that has a little garden can grow eggplants, Okinawan, Dawn Dewa (Moluccan) or Malabar spinach vines or plant a small herb garden.

Our island farms are now growing beautiful tomatoes, wonderful baby lettuces, asparagus, bamboo shoots, ginger root, heart of palm, artichokes, and pumpkins.

You already know we also grow macadamia nuts, cacao, coffee, vanilla beans, even tea.  Our oceans are teeming with fish and seafood.

We have cattle and sheep ranches and goat cheese farms.  Chickens and eggs are available locally.  We even have our own mushroom farms!

Farmer’s markets are sprouting up all around the Big Island!

Next time you go grocery shopping, keep in mind to “Eat Local”.  Visit all the new farmer’s markets, look for the Grown or Produced in Hawaii labels …and don’t forget to urge your local store to “Buy Local”.

(c) Sonia R. Martinez

It is widely used in every single Far East country and in many Caribbean islands. The word ginger is derived from the Sanskrit sringavera, which translates as “antlers” in reference to its intricately twisted shapes.

One of my botanical sources says that ginger was introduced and naturalized in the Americas by Spaniards, after the ‘discovery of the “New World”‘….

It had been transplanted from the East Indies into Spain and then exported to the West Indies wherever Spaniards settled…but another source mentions that the Chinese immigration to work the railroads was the actual beginning of the popularity of ginger in the Americas.

According to an article in an old Better Homes and Gardens issue, ginger “contains formidable cancer-fighting antioxidants, reduces factors that cause blood clots and arterial plaque to form, and shows promise as a reducer of cholesterol.  It appears to enhance insulin, which could lead to its eventual use in diets for persons with non-insulin dependent diabetes”.

Fresh ginger in today’s world markets comes from Brazil, Costa Rica, Fiji and of course, Hawai’i, Indonesia and the Philippines.  There are many small ginger farms located in the area of our island where I live.  It is fun to see small farm trucks loaded with plastic laundry baskets or boxes filled to the gills with ginger freshly harvested from the fields being taken to Hilo in preparation for exporting.

We all know ginger ale is great at controlling nausea and settling your stomach when queasy, and hot ginger tea relieves coughs and colds, weak appetites and poor circulation.

For more information on the beneficial uses of ginger and other Eastern medicinal herbs and foods read “A Spoonful of Ginger” by Nina Simmons (Knopf). You will be amazed at how your own garden or nearest farmer’s market can be your source of healing remedies!

Another wonderful source for ginger information is the book Ginger East to West: The Classic Collection of Recipes, Techniques, and Lore by Bruce Cost and Amy Pertschuk

HINTS FOR STORING GINGER
There are several ways to store ginger when you have an over abundance…these two are my favorite:

If I have lots of ginger on hand and don’t plan to use all of it soon, I like to slice it in several large pieces and store in a jar filled with dry Sherry, the wine, not the so-called Cooking Sherry.  It can last a long time in the refrigerator this way.   This will prevent the ginger from spoiling faster and the Sherry will absorb the ginger taste and can be used to flavor stir-fry vegetables and other dishes.

Many recipes call for equal portions of minced ginger and garlic.  I like to mince and/or grate larger quantities than needed for a recipe, mix the two and store in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator and just use as needed.  This saves a lot of time when you are preparing a recipe that calls for just a little bit of both.

GINGER TRIVIA - SOURCES: Here and there!

-Ginger root= is the common name for the knobby rhizomes of the Alpinia galanga plant. This is the most widely used ginger.
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger=1/4 teaspoon ground
1/4 cup sliced =1 ounce

-Ground ginger is not a good substitute for fresh; but dried whole ginger will work in a pinch, as well as the minced or pureed ginger sold in jars.

-Chinese ginger= is the common name for the Kaempferia galanga, or fingerroot. This type is more popular in Thailand. Resembles fingers jutting out from a hand.

-Pickled Sushi ginger = the ginger used to garnish sushi plates is harvested no older than 3 months after planting, where normally ginger would be harvested at 8 or 9 months.  The skin is pink and almost translucent when it is young.

-When preparing a Thai dish if the recipe calls for GALANGA, you can substitute with common ginger.

-Green ginger= or baby ginger, is just the pink-tipped, shiny pieces of very young ginger. Very mild and usually doesn’t need to be peeled. Easy to find in Asian markets.

-Turmeric= or Indian ginger, has a very pungent flavor, but it’s more widely known for it’s brilliant yellow color. You can find the fresh roots in Asian and Indian markets, but dried turmeric is far more commonly used. It can stain your hands and clothing, so use carefully!
1 piece fresh turmeric=1 teaspoon powdered.

Interesting side note:
In Hawaii the turmeric plant is called Olena.  The plants bloom around April.  Some varieties have white, icy pink or icy blue blooms.  The bloom spike comes up before the foliage.  It is a beautiful plant!

The following recipe for making ginger syrup was shared with me by a friend who lives nearby.  It can be used to add just that extra touch to iced or hot tea, on ice cream, over pancakes, waffles and French Toast.  Let’s see how many more ideas you can come up for using delicious ginger syrup!

Ginger Syrup

7 quarts water
2 pounds ginger, washed, not peeled, cut into 2″ chunks
6 cups sugar

Boil ginger in water for 1 1/2 hours.  Strain out ginger which can be used for making ginger tea.  Add sugar to the liquid.  Boil 20-30 minutes until it’s the thickness you want, thick and runny is my choice.

Bottle and refrigerate.

Drink a sake cup full when you have a tickly throat or a stuffed up nose. The syrup is an excellent addition to vanilla ice cream.

SOURCE: Carol Peters – Akalina Farms – Hamakua Coast, Big Island of Hawaii

(c) Sonia R. Martinez