A tuberose by any other name . . .

In China, tuberose is called WanXiangYu "night fragrant jade," "flower as precious as jade and becoming fragrant at night," YeLaiXiang "fragrance that comes at night" or YueXiaXian "fragrance under the moon".

Fourth Fridays in Paia

You are invited every Fourth Friday when Paia throws a party from 6-9pm! This month on Friday, January 27th at Mana Foods from 6-8:30, Maui Preserved will be sampling their locally grown and produced products inside the store at the bamboo tiki bar.

Paia is throwing a party! 10/28

Paia Fourth Friday October 28, 2011
6-9pm

Mana Foods – Collapsible Bike up for raffle on Fourth Friday. We'll be displaying the bike inside and selling $1.00 tickets starting a week in advance. The money will go to the Pacific Cancer Foundation. No need to be present to win.
From 5:30 - 8:30, The Breadfruit Institute will be raising awareness and fundraising with delicious foods all made out of breadfruit: chips, hummus, salad and frozen pops.
49 Baldwin Ave (579-8078)


Paia Inn Hotel - Wine, Sushi, and Live Music 7-9pm. 93 Hana Hwy (579-6000)

Maui Crafts Guild – Guild Artist Jennifer Throne will have her opening night party from 6:30 to 9:00 with live music, free food and drink. Come by for a chance to meet the artist and view her latest whimsical creations of cats, dogs, mermaids and witches that start out in life as hard shell gourds. 69 Hana Hwy (579-9697)
Maui Hands – Live Artist Demonstration, savory pupus, and wine. 84 Hana Hwy (579-9245)
Turnbull Fine Art - Anna Good will demonstrating her impressionist work. Poni Brendan and the Troublemakers playing in the courtyard. 137 Hana Hwy (579-9385)

Grace Beauty – Irene Ryding is playing electric harp. Free acupuncture demonstrations and refreshments. 62 Baldwin Ave (579-9779)
Thee Salon -We at Thee Salon are so excited about this month's Fourth Friday!! On October 28th, we are hosting our Freaky Friday costume party from 6pm to 10pm. There will be DJs, performers and a fashion show. 109 Baldwin Ave (579-6333)

Agua De Flora – A performance by “The Mill” –great folk/bluegrass. 161 B Hana Hwy (579-3339)
Biasa Rose - Store Sale and Trunk Show Friday October 28th, 4-9pm.Sip wine and enjoy homemade desserts while shopping. You'll love our featured jewelry artist Nina Kuna. 104 Hana Hwy (579-8602)
Nuage Bleu - In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we will be donating proceeds from selected sale items to benefit a special community non-profit, Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation, which provides free mammograms to uninsured women. Pink champagne and sweets will be served from 5 to 8pm. - 76 Hana Hwy (579-9792)
Paia Trading Company – Refreshments. 106 Hana Hwy (579-9472)
Tamara Catz Boutique - live music and a jewelry trunk show with Adelina A Mare 83 Hana Hwy (579-9184)

Indigo – Monster Mash! DJ and refreshments.149 Hana Hwy (579-9199)

Charley’s – At 9pm, check out The Kryptones featuring Danni Girl. 142 Hana Hwy (579-9453)


Paia Tattoo Parlor - Day of the Dead themed art show/party, costumes encouraged. Party starts at 7 pm. 120 Hana Hwy (upstairs) (579-8515)

Equity One - Godzilla movies and popcorn 40 Baldwin Ave (579-1111)

Sailboards Maui - buy 1 housebrand T-shirt get second one half price."
22 Baldwin Ave (579-8431)

Ulumania: How do you cook breadfruit?

When properly prepared, breadfruit is a delicious food. Think of a firm, mature breadfruit as a potato. It can be baked, steamed, boiled, microwaved, grilled, or barbecued and more.

Complete instructions on how to cook a breadfruit, courtesy of the Breadfruit Institute.

Ulumania: Feed the world!

Breadfruit is one of the highest-yielding food plants. An average-sized tree with a canopy cover of 25m2 will conservatively produce 100 fruit (100 kg) while larger trees can yield 400-600 fruit. Check out the Breadfruit Institute's Hunger Initiative.

Ulumania: traditions

Traditionally, a breadfruit tree is planted to provide a life-time of food at the birth of a keiki `o ka `aina (a child of the land).

Ulu mania: Breadfruit Porridge

Breadfruit Porridge
½ medium size Breadfruit
¼ tsp. Salt
4 Cups Water
2 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 oz. Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Bring the water to boil. Remove the skin and core from the breadfruit. Cut the vegetable into small pieces. Puree with a little water.

Add puree to boiling water and then add the salt. Allow the vegetable to boil, occasionally stirring the pot. Cook until thickens to desired consistency and add remaining ingredients.

Did you know?

The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world and is the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world.

Plate lunch benefit for the Paia Youth & Cultural Center

Friday, August 26th from 5pm - 8pm
at Mana Foods, 49 Baldwin Avenue, Paia

Stop by for dinner and support the Paia Youth and Cultural Center. This plate lunch benefit features our award winning Thai Beef salad made from grass fed Molokai Beef, generously donated by Molokai Livestock Cooperative. We will also be serving Tofu Pad Thai, venison chili, rice and a beverage.

Think Local: Carrots

Support your local farmer, buy locally grown carrots. We have several varieties, rainbow in bunches, loose nelsons and sugar snacks. These carrots have been hand planted, weeded, harvested and cleaned, unlike the mechanized mainland carrots.

Think Local: Dragon Fruit

Big, beautiful and Maui grown dragon fruits are here! I just learned that legend says that the fruit was created by fire-breathing dragons and that by eating the dragon fruit, one became empowered with the same strength and ferocity of a dragon.

Think Local: Madre Chocolate

Locally made in Honolulu, Hawaii, Madre Chocolate, is made with cacao purchased directly from an organic farm cooperatives in Mexico and Hawaii and crafted in small batches. The processing preserves a high level of healthy antioxidants and provides a rich delightful flavor. Try unique flavors like Chipotle Allspice and Hibiscus.

Fresh & Local: Lucious Lychee

Large flesh to seed ratio. Biggest fruit. Very sweet. Smoother skin. Kaimana lychee.

Someone once told me that Lychees were "precious, like gold." My neice calls them eyeballs and my favorite way to use them involves a martini glass. It's lychee season and I will post a few recipes to inspire you to put these unique fruits to good use.

Produce News: Summer fruits are here

Last week, we saw the first apricots of the season arrive at Mana Foods and this week brings us more firsts.

Check out the local watermelons from Ululani Farms, a 50 acre Mango, Papaya and Watermelon Farm on the island of Moloka'i. We have 2 varieties, the sugar babies are smaller, rounder with a very dark green skin. The Crimson Sweets are oblong and have a lighter variegated skin.

Also, cherries! Brooks Cherries are an early variety with a large fruit, similar to Bing. They have a dark color and its flavor is sweet, rich and well-balanced. It's flesh is firm and crisp with luscious shades of red and pink. It used to be that early variety cherries were always a bit tart and tangy, but not anymore!

This week, we are getting red and green grapes too. Whooot! Summer is coming!

Think Local: Evonuk Farm tour

At Evonuk Farms a local fresh fruit, veggie, and herb producer they have been supplying their island fresh produce for over twenty years, Walter Evonuk and his wife are taking over the reigns from his father Ed Evonuk. They are producing the largest local selection of herbs and spices on the island.

Their farm has a huge Photovoltaic Array which helps to power all the buildings and refrigeration on the farm. They also raise bananas, pomegranates, avocados, citrus, Sapotes, and other fruits to compliment their veggies like lettuce, eggplant, beans and radishes.

Think Local: Wahkimba's Farm tour

A little higher in Haiku we stopped in to visit Wahkimbas Farms where most everything is done by hand, He saves all his own seeds (a very tedious and time consuming process). His main tools are a pitch fork and a machete. His Rasta Salad mix has a big following and each leaf is hand cut with scisors and selected to go into the very special mix which is different every time and not dominated by lettuce like most mix. Wahkimba has a knack for producing high quality delicious produce. His two acres are extremely diverse growing sugar cane, bananas, taro, sweet potatoes, yacon, cassava, radish, daikon, herbs, greens, corn, peanuts, poha berries, carrots, and many others all hand done with very low inputs he makes his own compost fertilizer a more traditional sustainable approach to farming than the over mechanized standard that relies heavily on imported fertilizer and seeds.

Think Local: Haiku Organic Farm tour

Out in Haiku we stopped in and checked out the large fields of Organic Salad Mix from Haiku Organic Farm were they are working hard to bring affordable organic bulk salad mix to our bins. A small Family Farm they are a very consistent supplier for us and their mix is priced right and well received by our customers. Dealing with the birds and working to find the perfect organic fertilizer hasn't been easy but they have stuck with it and are really pumping out the produce now.

Think Local: Charlie's Farm tour

Right up the road in Paia we stopped by and checked out Charlie's Farm were he is producing sugar cane, taro, and a whole lot of great Bananas, Charlie is a natural, as he has been growing food since he was a kid and it shows. His bananas are abundant plump and beautiful, and produced less than a mile from Mana Foods.

Pictured: Austin, Charlie, Mason and Victor

Think Local: Hana Fresh Farm tour

Our trip to Hana to visit Hana Fresh was very inspiring. Rocky soil and lots of bugs in Hana haven't made it easy, but they have stepped up to the challenge and are one of the premier organic farms on Maui. Producing some of the finest fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and veggies that you have ever seen, Hana Fresh has made a great name for themselves. They have fruit trees, bananas, papayas, along with many fields of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes, spread around with several very nice greenhouses to help with the bigger tomatoes and delicious cucumbers, their commitment to diversity is amazing. They are always trying out new rare varieties.

Our customers Love Hana Fresh Produce and are always clamoring to get their hands on something new and different. A local non profit - Supporting Hana Fresh is a no brainer ( High Quality, Super Fresh, Local, Organic, and supports the Hana Health Community Center.

Cheryl, Gary, and Sam at Hana fresh

Think Local: Gildersleeve Farm tour

In Lower Kula We visited the Gildersleeve Farm, were we saw this summers pineapple crop shaping up nicely and a whole new orchard of mangoes taking shape, They have been growing local potatoes, beets, citrus, bananas and late season special lilikoi varieties.