October 25, 2011 Meeting Notes
Maui Farmer’s Union United
General Assembly Meeting- October 25, 2011 6 pm
Announcements-
Haiku Garden Needs Volunteers- 1-2 hours per week, can speak with Jenna Tallman
Body and Soil Conference dates may change, Vince will know soon
Future meetings, no more bottled water, please bring cups
Special Presentation- Kingdom of Hawaii- Sir Edward Cooper
Chef’s Corner- Justin Pardo- Market Fresh Bistro- Thanksgiving cooking
Some of his turkey tips include:
Thaw turkey in the fridge, not overnight outside.
Take out the giblets before cooking!
Cook it at about 425 for 40 minutes, as soon as skin is golden brown on top, then turn the oven down to a lower temperature. (This part is in the video clip.)
Check with a thermometer to see if it’s ready, don’t test the breast – that’s the part that cooks first, put it in the thigh b/w the bone and breast – in the thickest part of the thigh.
Braise legs separately – he likes to cut them off the turkey and cook them in a little stock for about 3 hours, that also makes a nice gravy.
Wait at least a half hour after cooking the turkey before cutting it. It has to rest, or else all the juices will stream out.
Use Kula persimmons in cranberry sauce
Stuff the turkey with luau leaves, taro and coconut milk
Substitute taro for potatoes
Make chestnut kale stuffing for vegetarians, roast the chestnut.
Make green beans with local beans, onions, not using French fried onions in a can.
Produce Scoop- Ryan Earheardt, Mana Foods- Mana at 50 percent local! Need lemons, peppers, celery, brocolli…local apples are on there way from Olinda!
Astronomy in Agriculture- Harriett Witt- Astronomer
This month, she talked about the astronomical significance of birthdays, since there were at least two special attendees with birthdays. Note, this is astronomical, not astrological... Meaning what birthdays represent in space/time. She also talked about "giving thanks" from her scientific perspective.
Ask a Grower- Lychees, Figs, Avocados, Artichokes, Tomatoes... and all manner of other topics
Q. I have white mold on my collard greens. What do I do?
Vincent Mina said it could be soil issues. Need to feed the soil, not just the plants.
Q. How do I make a garden that can produce enough to live off for 1 year?
One answer is to go to the Mother Earth News website. There is a link to help plan a garden – also available as an iphone application.
Another answer: There’s a method one farmer observed in Peru: farmers moved their planting from one bed to the next over the course of a year.
Another answer: Find the wet borders or wet sections of your yard, to grow taro and yacon and plants that require less care and take a long time to grow. If your garden is tilted, plant these at the bottom area of the garden, where it’s wetter.
Q. Why is my avocado tree not producing?
Jayanti’s answer: there are A type and B type flowers. One pollinates at night, one during the day. Need both types ideally to get fruit.
It could be from a root stock that is used for grafting, but does not produce a productive tree. One can re-graft it with any variety. It could also be a lack of pollinators or lack of nutrition. Also if a tree is grown from a seed, seedlings don’t grow true to the fruit.
Q Why is my lychee not producing?
Jayanti’s answer: Get the right variety that fruits each year. Some varieties don’t produce. A seedling lychee that’s 30 years old may not fruit. You can keep it and graft it.
Glenn Martinez’s answer: In Hilo, a UH group planted 50 acres with lychee, then waited 12 years for them to fruit. There was no fruit. Eventually, the researchers asked around, and learned that the Chinese living in Hilo always have a good luck lychee in the front yard. They dig about a shovel’s worth of soil from the dirt around their good luck lychee, a tree that is fruiting. Then they put that dirt into the new hole before planting the baby tree. They are inoculating the soil with the microorganisms from the good tree.
Q. What if it’s an adult lychee tree?
A: Go to a fruiting lychee tree, and get some soil from it, as in the directions above, and give it to the barren tree. Also make worm compost tea when the tree is blossoming, and spray it on the tree. Once the tree successfully fruits, you’re in!
Use worm compost tea and EM on the bottom of the leaf, the soft underbelly. The top of the leaf is hardened by sun and wind, so you want to spray the underneath of the leaf. Glenn bent his backpack sprayer tube so he doesn’t have to bend his back.
Glenn likes to alternate EMs and worm tea in his sprayer. It’s about $5/wk. He doesn’t know which one is more effective, but says for $5/week, he doesn’t want to wait 6 months to find out.
Glenn urges that if you have any garden problem, find out who has solved that problem or who doesn’t have that problem. Copy what they are doing. They usually have a routine that works. They may not know even what part of what they are doing works, but you don’t have to know. Glenn says he tried adding a little molasses to the worm compost tea to spray and the plants loved it. He thought it was the worm tea, but later tried a little molasses in plain water, and it still worked. So he says, even though this tip goes counter to what his logical brain thinks: adding sugar to a plant would attract bugs, but it works.
Q. Where can I get dwarf fruit trees to grow in big buckets or pots?
Jayanti has some dwarf mango trees and will later have some dwarf avocado trees. There’s also a farmer in Olinda who has dwarf varieties and is usually at the Kula Longs Farmer’s market. His farm is “Aloha Honua.”
Q. Figs are not fruiting much.
Vince's answer: After it fruits, cut the tree to the ground. Put compost on it, and new shoots will come up. It will do 1 fruiting cycle that year not two. When it starts fruiting, you can take a ti leaf, remove the spine from it and wrap it around the figs to fool the birds. Also fig trees need good food in the soil.
Q. Has anyone used seawater to mineralize their soil?
Yes, as a 1 to 100 ratio. Evan Ryan uses fresh unwashed seaweed in Haiku, since there’s good rainfall. But if in Kula or elsewhere, then wash it first. Vince uses Seacrop since he is concerned about adding sodium to the soil, and this product has the sodium taken out. Evan offers some popular gardening classes.
Q. My artichokes are not producing in Haiku, but they did last year.
A. Artichokes need a long time to grow and they need some cool weather. Sounds like a case of growing plants in a location not suited to them. (They do better higher and dryer.)
Backyard Composting- Greg Hopkins-
Oxygen, Water, Nitrogen, Carbon- 4 compost basics. Cubic yard of space, pallets as walls, C:N, 30:1.
Thermal, Heated, needs Nitrogen- can use meat. 140 degrees-150 degrees heat to sterilize.
Humanure Handbook- download online for free.
Add rock dust from Ameron- $27/ton
He also explains why he uses food items that are often considered "no-no's" for composting, like dairy, meat, and animal products.
Website Update- Lehua Vandervelde- www.mauifarmersunionunited.weebly.com -Events page, to post you can send an email to [email protected]. Support in editing video clips from meetings to post on website needed. Also in need of photos.
Legislative Update- Lokahi Sylva announced that local venison should be available for retail purchase by next spring.
Bill Greenleaf spoke about the food security bill the Maui Farmer's Union has been drafting. The language of the bill can support local agriculture and assist farmers or it can impose the burden of responsibility for food security/safety on local farmers. The proposed language is available at www.mauifarmersunionunited.weebly.com. Bill also mentions KanuHawaii, FACE Maui and foreclosure legislation.
Glenn Martinez, president of the Hawaii Farmer's Union, the statewide organization, also shared a legislative report. He said that 300 members appears to be the magic number for legislators to notice. He questioned the state's plan to boost the economy by increasing the population by 300,000 people/year. Glenn also thanked FACE Maui for their support in numbers.
Meeting Adjourned 8.30pm.
General Assembly Meeting- October 25, 2011 6 pm
Announcements-
Haiku Garden Needs Volunteers- 1-2 hours per week, can speak with Jenna Tallman
Body and Soil Conference dates may change, Vince will know soon
Future meetings, no more bottled water, please bring cups
Special Presentation- Kingdom of Hawaii- Sir Edward Cooper
Chef’s Corner- Justin Pardo- Market Fresh Bistro- Thanksgiving cooking
Some of his turkey tips include:
Thaw turkey in the fridge, not overnight outside.
Take out the giblets before cooking!
Cook it at about 425 for 40 minutes, as soon as skin is golden brown on top, then turn the oven down to a lower temperature. (This part is in the video clip.)
Check with a thermometer to see if it’s ready, don’t test the breast – that’s the part that cooks first, put it in the thigh b/w the bone and breast – in the thickest part of the thigh.
Braise legs separately – he likes to cut them off the turkey and cook them in a little stock for about 3 hours, that also makes a nice gravy.
Wait at least a half hour after cooking the turkey before cutting it. It has to rest, or else all the juices will stream out.
Use Kula persimmons in cranberry sauce
Stuff the turkey with luau leaves, taro and coconut milk
Substitute taro for potatoes
Make chestnut kale stuffing for vegetarians, roast the chestnut.
Make green beans with local beans, onions, not using French fried onions in a can.
Produce Scoop- Ryan Earheardt, Mana Foods- Mana at 50 percent local! Need lemons, peppers, celery, brocolli…local apples are on there way from Olinda!
Astronomy in Agriculture- Harriett Witt- Astronomer
This month, she talked about the astronomical significance of birthdays, since there were at least two special attendees with birthdays. Note, this is astronomical, not astrological... Meaning what birthdays represent in space/time. She also talked about "giving thanks" from her scientific perspective.
Ask a Grower- Lychees, Figs, Avocados, Artichokes, Tomatoes... and all manner of other topics
Q. I have white mold on my collard greens. What do I do?
Vincent Mina said it could be soil issues. Need to feed the soil, not just the plants.
Q. How do I make a garden that can produce enough to live off for 1 year?
One answer is to go to the Mother Earth News website. There is a link to help plan a garden – also available as an iphone application.
Another answer: There’s a method one farmer observed in Peru: farmers moved their planting from one bed to the next over the course of a year.
Another answer: Find the wet borders or wet sections of your yard, to grow taro and yacon and plants that require less care and take a long time to grow. If your garden is tilted, plant these at the bottom area of the garden, where it’s wetter.
Q. Why is my avocado tree not producing?
Jayanti’s answer: there are A type and B type flowers. One pollinates at night, one during the day. Need both types ideally to get fruit.
It could be from a root stock that is used for grafting, but does not produce a productive tree. One can re-graft it with any variety. It could also be a lack of pollinators or lack of nutrition. Also if a tree is grown from a seed, seedlings don’t grow true to the fruit.
Q Why is my lychee not producing?
Jayanti’s answer: Get the right variety that fruits each year. Some varieties don’t produce. A seedling lychee that’s 30 years old may not fruit. You can keep it and graft it.
Glenn Martinez’s answer: In Hilo, a UH group planted 50 acres with lychee, then waited 12 years for them to fruit. There was no fruit. Eventually, the researchers asked around, and learned that the Chinese living in Hilo always have a good luck lychee in the front yard. They dig about a shovel’s worth of soil from the dirt around their good luck lychee, a tree that is fruiting. Then they put that dirt into the new hole before planting the baby tree. They are inoculating the soil with the microorganisms from the good tree.
Q. What if it’s an adult lychee tree?
A: Go to a fruiting lychee tree, and get some soil from it, as in the directions above, and give it to the barren tree. Also make worm compost tea when the tree is blossoming, and spray it on the tree. Once the tree successfully fruits, you’re in!
Use worm compost tea and EM on the bottom of the leaf, the soft underbelly. The top of the leaf is hardened by sun and wind, so you want to spray the underneath of the leaf. Glenn bent his backpack sprayer tube so he doesn’t have to bend his back.
Glenn likes to alternate EMs and worm tea in his sprayer. It’s about $5/wk. He doesn’t know which one is more effective, but says for $5/week, he doesn’t want to wait 6 months to find out.
Glenn urges that if you have any garden problem, find out who has solved that problem or who doesn’t have that problem. Copy what they are doing. They usually have a routine that works. They may not know even what part of what they are doing works, but you don’t have to know. Glenn says he tried adding a little molasses to the worm compost tea to spray and the plants loved it. He thought it was the worm tea, but later tried a little molasses in plain water, and it still worked. So he says, even though this tip goes counter to what his logical brain thinks: adding sugar to a plant would attract bugs, but it works.
Q. Where can I get dwarf fruit trees to grow in big buckets or pots?
Jayanti has some dwarf mango trees and will later have some dwarf avocado trees. There’s also a farmer in Olinda who has dwarf varieties and is usually at the Kula Longs Farmer’s market. His farm is “Aloha Honua.”
Q. Figs are not fruiting much.
Vince's answer: After it fruits, cut the tree to the ground. Put compost on it, and new shoots will come up. It will do 1 fruiting cycle that year not two. When it starts fruiting, you can take a ti leaf, remove the spine from it and wrap it around the figs to fool the birds. Also fig trees need good food in the soil.
Q. Has anyone used seawater to mineralize their soil?
Yes, as a 1 to 100 ratio. Evan Ryan uses fresh unwashed seaweed in Haiku, since there’s good rainfall. But if in Kula or elsewhere, then wash it first. Vince uses Seacrop since he is concerned about adding sodium to the soil, and this product has the sodium taken out. Evan offers some popular gardening classes.
Q. My artichokes are not producing in Haiku, but they did last year.
A. Artichokes need a long time to grow and they need some cool weather. Sounds like a case of growing plants in a location not suited to them. (They do better higher and dryer.)
Backyard Composting- Greg Hopkins-
Oxygen, Water, Nitrogen, Carbon- 4 compost basics. Cubic yard of space, pallets as walls, C:N, 30:1.
Thermal, Heated, needs Nitrogen- can use meat. 140 degrees-150 degrees heat to sterilize.
Humanure Handbook- download online for free.
Add rock dust from Ameron- $27/ton
He also explains why he uses food items that are often considered "no-no's" for composting, like dairy, meat, and animal products.
Website Update- Lehua Vandervelde- www.mauifarmersunionunited.weebly.com -Events page, to post you can send an email to [email protected]. Support in editing video clips from meetings to post on website needed. Also in need of photos.
Legislative Update- Lokahi Sylva announced that local venison should be available for retail purchase by next spring.
Bill Greenleaf spoke about the food security bill the Maui Farmer's Union has been drafting. The language of the bill can support local agriculture and assist farmers or it can impose the burden of responsibility for food security/safety on local farmers. The proposed language is available at www.mauifarmersunionunited.weebly.com. Bill also mentions KanuHawaii, FACE Maui and foreclosure legislation.
Glenn Martinez, president of the Hawaii Farmer's Union, the statewide organization, also shared a legislative report. He said that 300 members appears to be the magic number for legislators to notice. He questioned the state's plan to boost the economy by increasing the population by 300,000 people/year. Glenn also thanked FACE Maui for their support in numbers.
Meeting Adjourned 8.30pm.