Haku are head lei that can also be worn around the brim of a hat or on the wrist or ankle. Daniel Lane photo

Biochar Workshop

Kauai Nursery & Landscaping, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., free
Learn how to build and use a small biochar maker, as well as how biochar improves gardening and potting soil.

Papalani Gelato Pink Bubble Gum flavor for the keiki. Daniel Lane photo

Papalani Gelato

Grand Opening, Anchor Cove at Kalapaki Beach, noon to 5 p.m.
Join Papalani Gelato in celebrating their grand opening with a gelato eating contest (win up to $250 cash), giveaways, free gelato for keiki 12 and under from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., samples of coffee, gelato, baked goods and chocolate, a contest to suggest their newest flavor – $100.00 gift card goes to the winner – and music. Papalani is donating 5-percent of their Anchor Cove sales for the rest of 2013 to help to build a new Kauai YWCA woman’s center in Lihue.
Sunday, April 21

Earth Day Concert

Lydgate Park, 3 p.m., $10
This Earth day “Ground Zero” concert will help raise funds for GMO-Free Kauai, Kauai Rising, and Ohana O Kauai. There will also be a GMO-Free community potluck at 5 p.m. Music will be performed by “The Sacred Earth Choir”, “Love Tribe”, and “Maz & the Mystic Bee”. Donovan Cabebe, Songs of Sovereignity DJ on KKCR, will be the MC. There will be speakers from all three groups.
Jeri Di Pietro, one of the founding members of GMO-FREE KAUAI, will be speaking alongside Michael Shooltz of Kauai Rising.
“This concert is the next gathering, since the ‘March in March’, of everyone who shares the collective awareness that we live in the epicenter of the global GMO crisis,” says event organizer Isa Maria. “Our power is in numbers. This event creates the essential opportunity to connect with one another and with the leaders of the local groups who are working for sustainability. The speakers will be giving the latest updates, how people can contribute and what is the next course of action for legalizing sustainability.”
Sunday, April 21

Hukilau Lanai’s croquette with chunks of Kaua’i Shrimp,and house-smoked Kaneshiro pork belly in a creamy tomato sauce spiced with jalapeno peppers. Daniel Lane photo

4th Annual Earth Dinner

Hukilau Lanai, $55 per person (includes tax and gratuity)
Every year, the Hukilau Lanai partners with the Chef’s Collaborative for an Earth Day dinner. The Chef’s Collaborative is a national non-profit network of chefs that work to change the sustainable food landscape using the power of connections, education and responsible buying. For reservations, call 808-822-0600. If you’d like to more about the Earth Dinner, here is an article I wrote last year.
The Earth Dinner menu includes:

•  Hawaiian Taro Dip with homemade focaccia bread.
• Charcuterie Plate with house pickled vegetables and salsa verde
• Tomato Confit with Kunana Dairy Chevre and farmhouse sourdough
• Saimin with homemade noodles, Kauai Shrimp, Kaneshiro pork belly and local quail egg
•  Island Fresh Fish with braised kabocha pumpkin, garbanzo beans and cucumber raita
• Mountain Apple Crisp with house-made coconut sorbet

A Vegetarian/Gluten Free menu will also be available.

Oahu resident Tara McKellar samples three preparations of taro. Daniel Lane photo

A Taste of Old Kauai

Waipa, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., $155
Tasting Kauai’s north shore tour is part agritourism and part ecotourism. We visit Waipa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians, which remains undeveloped. This one-of-a-kind experience was designed by Tasting Kauai and the Waipa Foundation especially for those who wish to learn about traditional agriculture systems, endangered wildlife, and enjoy real Hawaiian food saturated in Kauai’s rugged beauty.
Tucked in a valley and surrounded by towering mountain ranges, our guests learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. Waipa is nestled in the Hanalei Valley which is an is a Wildlife Refuge and endangered birds flourish here. We explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams.
At the “Poi Garage” we learn about Hawaii’s staff of life: taro, or kalo as it’s called here, and guests sample cooked taro corms, poi and kulolo, a traditional dessert made with coconut.
We tour the farm and learn how Waipa teaches kids about the circle of life through farm animals and gardens. Continuing through the property, we’ll learn the difference between native, canoe and introduced plants, while we walk to the Halulu Fishpond.

Guests learn the difference between native, canoe and introduced and plants at the Halulu Fishpond. Daniel Lane photo

Next generation farmer, Sky Roversi-Deal. Daniel Lane photo

North Country Farms

Garden Workshop, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., $40 per person
“Want to get serious about growing food and eating off the land?” Asks Sky Roversi-Deal, of North Country Farms. “Of course you do, and so do we! But in order for our island’s nascent locally-based food movement to survive and thrive, we need to do more than just eat local vegetables, greens, and fruit, while importing beans, rice, and flour from out of state. Every culture has its “staple crops,” those dense plant foods like rice, bread, poi, and beans, rich in the carbohydrates that give us the energy to work and play and the proteins to build strong bodies and recover from injury. In conjunction with lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, meats, dairy, and seafoods, these foods are core components of a real and balanced diet, and need to be a significant part of our local food system as well.
“Whether you have acres of property or just a tiny backyard, years of garden experience or none at all, anyone can grow some of their own staples for food security, resilience, community building, profit, and pleasure. So come on over to North Country Farms and let Farmer Sky show you how. Sky has spent the past several years enthusiastically acquiring seed and plant stocks and learning to grow a number of staple crops through hands-on experience. Attendees will also receive some free, organically grown planting material and seeds to get started!”
 
Topics include:

• 

  North Country Farms. Daniel Lane photo

  
  Introduction to a select few tropical starchy root crops and pulses from around the world–all crops that North Country Farms has grown for years with great success and can highly recommend as easy-to-grow, nutritious, and tasty
• How to propagate and grow these versatile, nutritious staples, with an emphasis on simple, low-input, labor-saving methods
• Harvesting, preparing, and eating, with guidelines and recipe ideas

Advance registration with prepayment is required. To register, email Sky at [email protected], and send a money order or check payable to Sky Roversi-Deal to P.O. Box 723, Kilauea, HI 96754. You will receive a confirmation and directions to the farm. “Please bring a sunhat and a water bottle and leave the pets at home,” advises Sky. “We look forward to having you join us!”
 
Monday, April 29

The Power of the Indigenous: Native Success in Education and in Life

This event takes place in Honolulu, but I thought I’d post it because there is a lot of interest in this subject. Indigenous Educators, Ku-A-Kanaka and the Native American Alliance for Charter Schools (NAACS) presents The Power of the Indigenous: Native Success in Education and in Life, at the Hawaii Convention Center, in conjunction with Pacific Rim 2013 International Conference on Disabilities and Diversity.
This one-day Indigenous Education Institute brings together Hawaiian-focused and Native American Charter School leaders, as well as other global Indigenous educators to share Best Practices in Indigenous Education.
Topics include:

• Native Values Inform Modern Instruction
• Pedagogy of Place Drives 21st Century Curriculum
• Traditional Practices Shape Modern Assessments
• Local Communities Impart Global Skills and Responsibility

Each of the four 90-minute exchanges will be moderated by a facilitator and involve four, 15-minute speaker presentations, followed by a 15-minute small group discussion on the same topic, with the final 15 minutes to be used for discussion summaries and comments from the audience.
For more information about the Institute, or other information re: PacRim 2013 visit http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/pacriminfo/pacrim2013/specialevents/indigenous/, or call me at (808) 775-0867.
KU-A-KANAKA – Indigenous Institute for Culture and Language
P.O. Box 1764 Honokaa, Hawaii 96727
808-775-0867
UPCOMING:
Sunday, May 5

The History of Kauai and Hanalei

Luau, Hanalei Lawn, 5 ro 8:15 p.m., $120
Hula Halau Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani and their Kumu Hula Kapu Kinimaka– Alquiza have put together a very special program honoring the history of Hanalei and the island of Kauai. Cocktails and live music begin at 5 p.m. with a dinner buffet and show to follow. Complementary valet parking at the Westin Princeville. For reservations call 808-827-8808.
Monday, May 6

Morgan Vineyard Wine Dinner

5:30 p.m., $85
The Wine Shop in Koloa, and RumFire at the Sheraton Kauai Resort, is hosting a wine event featuring a 4-course dinner paired with wines from winemaker, Morgan Vineyards.

• 1st Course ~ Butter Poached Kauai Shrimp, Morgan Sauvignon Blanc, California 2011
• 2nd Course ~ Prosciutto Wrapped Diver Scallop, Morgan Chardonnay “Highlands”, Monterey, California 2010
• 3rd Course ~ Sonoma Valley Duck Breast, Morgan Pinot Noir “12 Clones”, Monterey, California 2011
• 4th Course ~ Roasted Kauai Rack of Lamb, Morgan “Cote du Crow’s” Grenache/Syrah, Monterey, California 2010

For reservations contact RumFire at 808-742-4RUM.
 

Chef Guy Higa at the cooking demonstration for a Tasting Kauai tour. Daniel Lane photo

A Culinary Romp Through Paradise

Various locations in Kapaa, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., $130
Tasting Kauai’s Culinary Tour offers an intimate glimpse into the Garden Island’s culinary scene. We start with a farm tour and learn about exotic fruit grown on Kauai. At the Kauai Marriott Resort, we join executive chef Guy Higa for an outdoor cooking demonstration and gourmet, four-course lunch made with Kauai grown ingredients. Our last stop is at Nani Moon Mead, where we’ll get an exclusive tour of Hawaii’s only meadery, and sample all five honey wines in the Nani Moon Mead collection. Ticket price includes a bottle of mead. You can read what LandingStanding said about this tour, or visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page. We have a Facebook photo album that shows how much fun the tour is, and our 5-Star TripAdvisor reviews. Chef Higa donates proceeds from his portion of the tour to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. For a complete list of 2013 dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.
ONGOING:

Daniel Lane photo

Entrepreneurial Apiary Workshop

Kauai Community College

• April 26,27
• May 3

Jimmy Trujillo offers four comprehensive classes beginning with an Introduction to Honey Harvest. Each class is $25. Register for all four classes at once and get the whole package for $75. Call 808-245-8318 for details.