Seeing Maui from a New Angle

Having lived on Maui since a kid in Haiku School, I saw Maui go from an underdeveloped, Hippie Days on up to the present.
It certainly is not the same Maui I explored on foot, bike and jeep. Back when most places only had a latch to keep the gate closed to prevent animals from getting out, where now No Trespassing signs cover the landscape,

Shirota's Pineapple trucks were an active part of the neighborhood when I was a kid.

there used to be just the occasional Kapu signs, which most ignored, because most people knew the land owner and respected the property.

Shirota`s garage that housed most of his vehicles at the fork of Haiku-Pauwela road. Building is long gone.

Now properties are gated, patrolled and even have home owners watching their million dollar homes from somewhere in the world complaining if they saw on camera someone walking along the ocean front, as if it belonged to them.

Part of the MA'A Kipahulu Tour

I have seen a recent re-awakening of family (ohana) values, community centered groups and a lifestyle conducive to small farmers begin to take root again.
I am proud that I was honored enough to be a part of many of the community groups, if you read this blog, you will know who some of the most predominant ones are in my opinion and the people that made them possible.

 

 So many people devote such an enormous amount of their time to getting these groups and organizations off the ground, sometimes with, but often without the government help needed, but they do it because they have the passion and belief deep within them that they can make a difference.

 

Knowing the the keiki and the food are the future they continue pushing on to make a change.

The small farms provide not only the healthy and sustainable foods, but also the seeds of plants that will help grow a better tomorrow. One free of engineering and true as can be to the nature of the plants they come from.
 

 Many foods could be the answer to a world reaching out for answers on how to be fed and these answers could be right in front of us with no genetic engineering needed.
 

The people of Maui push on to educate and bring to the rest of the world the lessons learned and yet they are just on one small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It can seem overwhelming to many and yet so simple to those willing to see the answers that are right in front of them.

So after a lifetime on Maui, seeing and being a part of all the changes, health, economics and family spreading out, I have chosen to move from Maui and while the world holds many amazing places, just the good old USA has enough to keep me busy for awhile.
While I may live in other parts of the U.S. in the coming years, Maui will always be a part of me. So with that said, my blogging about Maui issues will be through the eyes of those that remain to live there. I expect to see many new sites and life from a different angle.

Aloha to my friends, next stop for me is the bluegrass festival for Fathers Day on my way northward to a new home in Oregon.
Guess I will have to come up with some new blog names to reflect what I end up doing. Or maybe just take it all in for awhile and just rearrange my online presence. I suspect I will post more on Google+ and build out from their system. We'll see.

Jim Hall

Be there for Bee Health

An email from Danielle Downey on a meeting at the college about Bee Health and The Hawaii Apiary Program.
Being based in Halo, it's a great chance for Maui people to talk story and hear her Manao.

"Aloha Honey Bee friends!
The Hawaii Apiary Program is hosting expert collaborators to improve honey bee health in Hawaii. Please join us to hear about this work, there will be a public presentation this Tuesday at Maui Community College, 5pm in Ka Lama 103.

Hawaii Apiary Specialist Danielle Downey will describe Hawaii Department of Agriculture's project with resistant stock, and introduce collaborating researcher Dr. Bob Danka, whose work has produced Varroa resistant stock, including the stock being evaluated in Hawaii. Dr. Danka is a Research Entomologist at the USDA-ARS Research Lab in Baton Rouge, he has studied Africanized Bees, honey bee pollination factors, and breeding bees with better pest and disease resistance, working with the industry to transfer this technology to beekeepers. 
Tom and Suki Glenn, of Glenn Apiaries, are also cooperators in this project with Hawaii Department of Agriculture and will be present for discussion. 

Read more about the work of Dr. Bob Danka: 
http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=1258

Read more about the work of Glenn Apiaries: 
http://www.glenn-apiaries.com/vsh_hawaii_queen_bees.html

Read more about the VSH bee, which is being evaluated and maintained to help Hawaii's beekeeping industry:
http://www.extension.org/pages/30361/varroa-sensitive-hygiene-and-mite-reproduction

We hope you can join us, and please help spread the word. 
Mahalo,
Danielle Downey

--
Danielle Downey
Apiculture Specialist
Hawaii Department of Agriculture/
UH Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit
16 E. Lanikaula St.
Hilo, HI  96720
808 936 5483
ddowney@hawaii.edu"

Moving Sale Maui Kahului, Almost Anything

MOVING SALE TODAY SATURDAY MAY 10, 2013 EVERYTHING GOES!

43 years of tools/ hardware, furniture, dressers, refrigerator, stove, cabinets, 15 speed bike. All goes today. Or to Non-Profits Monday.

Even 55 gallon plastic barrels, plants and left over aquaponic systems. (No Fish) Green house with 2x6 & 2x4 with shade cloth and screwed together with metal brackets. Disassembly required but probably less than an hour. Rubber maid 40 gallon tank and 100 gallon Rubbermaid fishtank with cover.

Ryobi Portable Planer AP1301 S/N BA074443535
Dremel 18" Variable Speed Scroll Saw Model 1800 s/n 48804 1899
Ridgid FlipTop portable work support
Craftsman 10" Table Saw Model 137.218250. s/n RCW4163
Rockwell Drill Press series 11-100 s/n FH-7007
Makita Chop Saw Model 2414. s/n?
Ryobi Hand Router Model R161. s/n 874270 0142
Bostitch Indusrial High Power Round Head Framing Nailer Model N88RH
Craftsman Medium Duty Impact Hammer (air) Dremel MultiPro hand tool with accessory kit
Dewalt heavy duty hand sander DW412
Remmington power fastener & .22caliber loads
SnapOn Ct30 battery powered impact wrench
Columbian Router bits Dremel High Speed Rotary Saw
Craftsman Saber Saw
Tradesman 18 guage 1-1/4" Brad Nailer
Black & Decker Mouse Sander
Skilsaw HD77 Worm Drive Saw
Tile Saw and various accessories
Campbell Hausfeld compressor 13 gallons 125 PSI Max
2 head outdoor Halogen lights on stand
1 head halogen work light
Power Star 1200 watt 2 stroke generator

Todays The Day!

Listen to the Na'au. The Brain is just there to distract you.

Our Lima (Hands) use it, the Maka (Eyes) often relies on it, the Ihu (nose) is influenced by it, the Pepeiao (Ears) too often believe it, the Waha (Mouth) becomes to Nui (Big) and repeats what it saying and the Opu (stomach), well it often listens to it more than it should.

Our Brain can seem to be the center that all parts of us listen to. Yet it is the Na'au (Mind/Heart) that really speaks the truth.

When we listen only to our Brains. When we believe we have control. When we believe how our Brain interprets our senses, we are in many cases ignoring our Na'au.

If the feeling you get in the center of your gut is uneasy when your Brain is calling the shots, chances are it is not in our best interest.

When the Na'au is calm and feels peaceful while the Brain is working out the details, then is when we are on the right track.

Listening to the Na'au is not easy today, the information we are bombarded with, the advice of others, the cries from everyone that wants us to save them, when they should be listening to their own Na'au are too often used by our Brains to lead us down the wrong path or to satisfy our egos, which are just extensions of our Brains.

So listen to your Na'au when the questions and situations of life come calling.

Jim

Maui Earth Day Celebration 2013

While munching food from places like Flatbread (One of Maui's most generous Community donators, supply boxes of their famous meetings each month at the Maui Farmers Union United meeting, alongside the wonderful and tasty Maui Farm Fresh Locally Grown and prepared foods), Sipping on Maui Made Maui Coconut Kefir and about 19 other food vendors, you could be listening to music of people such as Makana, Dr. Nat & Rio Ritmo, Haiku Hillbillys and many more!

All this while sitting, standing or dancing in the wonderful almost secretly forgotten Keopuolani Park Amphitheater. A beautiful sheltered grass and tree lined valley in the desert region of Kahului Maui, Hawaii.

If your eager to learn, discuss and be informed on subjects like the side effects of having radio frequency Smart Meters, why Maui's beautiful blue skies are turned into looking and smelling worse than an L.A. freeway from Cane Burning or just disappear from a bright blue clear morning to a heavily overcast sky as Chemtrails slowly streak and spread across Hawaiian skies and what the advantages of building an industry around Sustainable Agriculture, or why one of Maui's largest Agriculture operations products like (GMO) Genetically Modified Organisms may be unhealthy and yet not required to be included on the label of the foods we choose to eat. Then the lively discussions taking place at noon should be of interest to you.

Maybe your burnt out from it all and just need a break and some healing. There will be a multitude of vendors and Crafters providing massage to Maui Made Products.

This all takes place on Sunday April 28, 2013 in Kahului at the Maui Keopuolani Park Amphitheater for only $7 from 10am to 6pm.

Stop by and support our small local farmers at the Maui Farmers Union United booth and check out some of the nicest and stylist Hats, Shirts and even cooking aprons. Find out more about them and join, you don't have to be a farmer, anyone that eats food should be a member, Find them also at www.MauiFarmersUnionUnited.org.

For more on the Maui Earth Day event, go to www.MauiEarthDay.org. 

Demo Aquaponics Built For 2013 Maui Body and Soil Conferences at Home

(I previously thought I lost this post and published a shorter version. Well, blogger did save it and here it is.)

After working in short bursts, utilizing almost all left over material, with my brother Randy's help. I then proceeded to work from Midnight to 4:30am to finish my, I'm thinking hybrid, demo Aquarium Aquaponics to display at the 2013 Maui Body and Soil Farm-Health Conference held at the Maui Tropical Plantations, April 11th to 13th.

With just enough time to load the Aquarium Aquaponics and all the internet modem & router (mahalo AKAKU), two away radios, (Mahalo Vision Enterprises) and projection equipment with screen, squeeze in a shower and be on-site with all the other volunteers. I did manage to have it run successfully for 3 days and nights at the event.

I managed to get 10 Tilapia of various breeds and junior sized, so as not to eat my 10 various colored goldfish carp in the aquarium. Planted Taro, Royal Oak Lettuce, Beets, Stir Fry Greens, Chinese Cabbage "Won Bok", with yellow Marigold and violet Torenia for color.

The hybrid Aquarium Aquaponics was basically a planter I drilled 6 small weep holes in the bottom, a layer of Ricky Apana and Vince Mina's (IMO) Indigenous Micro Organism infused BioChar to hold water and then a bio-active layer of cider from my mature grow beds with plenty of worms populating it and an over all main overflow, in case holes plug or I the water flow was too much.

All run with a air driven water pump from a ECO AIR 2 air pump. Specs: 4.5 liters per minute, 1.7 pressure, 4 watts energy moving the water. Some tricky air/water pumping adapted from Glenn Martinez of Olomana Gardens and past State President of the Hawaii Farmers Union United, (he passed the baton to Vincent Mina as the new acting, then officially elected State President of HFUU and member of the Maui Farmers Union United.

The 2013 Maui Body and Soil Farm Health Conference was a big hit and my Aquarium Aquaponics is still running at home on top of my Jacuzzi Aquaponics system. Minus one Tilapia, travel shock I think and unfortunately all the goldfish koi. Apparently the Tilapia thought they were there for dinner, their dinner. At least the Tilapia had the courtesy to wait until after the event to feast.

As We Walk In The Darkness and Wonder Why We Cannot See

This post I started awhile ago in preparing for the 11th 2013 Maui Body and Soil Farm-Health Conference. Each year for the past 4 years of the 10 Maui Body and Soil Conferences I have helped Maui Aloha Aina Association, Vince and Irene Mina, Steve Wilson put on and met, listened and learned from such notable presenters like Jerry Brunetti, a self healed cancer victim, I have wondered why the emphasis continues to be around fixing our bodies with medicines, machines and some pretty wild science, all the while, ignoring the simple idea of growing and eating good food grown in good healthy conditions, such as healthy micro-biologically active soils and now Aquaponics.

So when the money runs out, the clinics can't keep up, science has no answers, drugs and treatments are financially beyond the vast majority of unhealthy people, we see the panic and fear that so many people have when they see not only the quality of life disappear, their financial futures gone and death staring them or loved ones in the face, we either remain in the darkness with our eyes closed or make the simple choice to grow and eat healthier foods as early in our life as we can.

So don't wonder why we can't see the answers, come out of the darkness, open our eyes and be the answers.

http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/03/cancer-clinics-are-turning-away-thousands-of-medicare-patients-blame-the-sequester/

Aquaponics all nighter for 2013 Maui Body and Soil.

Aquaponics . So the water used IMO BioChar base and mature cinder and water from my system. And is running. bit rough on a fish, but their hanging in there.
Lost my last back up reading glasses, so this is tough.

Maui Cooking

I just love using slow cookers. Prep my stuff and get on with my day. Add  ingredients as it's time and by the end of the day it's dinner.
Going to each months Maui Farmers Union United really helps me to realize how so many foods I normally wouldn't eat can be so tasty. It inspires me to try new things in my cooking.
This started out with a piece of pork, yes I eat meat, that was marinated in my usual dis & dat marinade. I have assortments of vinegars and oils I keep on hand. This one had a spicy vinegar with a sweet vinegar and a dash of rice vinegar.
With that I added a Maui Chili lime oil made in Haiku & sold in Makawao. Some peanut & sesame oil, Braggs and let soak a day.
Then cooked it in some chicken stock, normally I would have used Beef Bone Broth.
After a few hours on high in the slow cooker, I added white and red onion, potatoes, purple cauliflower and cooked another hour. By now the meats falling apart and I had eggplant from my neighbor. I had skinned it and let it soak with some salt in water for about a half hour. Rinsed it and let it cook for one more hour.
In the meantime, I cooked brown, Jasmine and Forbidden Rice together. It was good, but second day even better. Added some flax seed crackers to thicken it and I just like them and that was dinner again. Sometime some unsalted sunflower seeds go in.
Variations could have been okra, green onion, celery or taro leaf from my Aquaponics. It all works and I don't add salt or much else. The flavors work themselves out. Every pot seems like a new and different dish.

Aquaponics Story tonight on 60 Minutes

Per word by email from Murray Hallam;

" I have just had the drum that there will be an Aquaponics story on Australian 60 minutes this sunday night Channel 9.

This is significant as this is the first time here in Australia that a mainstream show (outside of gardening shows) has carried an Aquaponics story.

Take a look and see what 60 minutes has to say.

Murray Hallam Practical Aquaponics"

That's 6pm Hawaii time on KGMB-CBS. Channel 13.2 or 9, depending on how you pickup your channels.

Jim

Aquaponics just keeps on Producing

<p>Having converted my Jacuzzi, maybe three hundred gallons of water, it supports between fifty to seventy five Tilapia. Wish I was better at the names, but most are the all white ones, and I think two variety of the darker blue and or gray ones, three Chinese Catfish I was given and three Channel Catfish I bought about a year ago and were like two inches long. Besides most of the Tilapia being eating size, I should weigh them, but hate harassing them, the Chinese Catfish are still around ten to twelve inches long and I don't know how big they can get. The guy that gave me them has like five pounds and sells hundreds each week. The Channel Catfish are well over a foot long and look like baby sharks in there.<br>
Although Tilapia are top feeders and seem to take pleasure in how much water they can splash on me during feeding time. The Channel Catfish and Chines Catfish will top feed with the rest, although the Channel Catfish gobble a whole lot down. Sort of just skimming the food off the top and coming back for more. Tilapia, at least the bigger ones might take one pellet, maybe two and probably wait for them to soften up before swallowing them, then come back for more.<br>
Since I don't really separate them, at least not yet, I assume the juvenile are munching the babies when the Mom finally releases them. They raise them in their mouth until their old enough to supposedly survive.<br>
The mere fact that after a year I have huge ones and lots of smaller ones, some to small to eat the pellet foods and probably munch on Taro roots, Taro leaves I give them and graze on any algae, there must be babies surviving in all the hiding spots to survive.</p>
<p>In addition there are 23 pots of Taro, I raise them in cinder partially submerged, each pot may hold about five Taro plants, it's time to separate them again. I took out about four, one of which was too big and rubbing on the top of the green house. Moved them to regular soil and seeing how they do. Home Depot is getting $15 to $25 for ones these size potted up. I think I have at least three varieties. Not to up on my varieties. The State was pretty much right, the parasitic wasps and lady bugs eventually got the aphids on the Taro leaves under control. I did my best to work on the ants with boric acid and combinations of sweet and greasy mixtures. The ants fed on them both for the last few months and don't seem as prevalent, although my yard and house is still over run with them and potted plants in soil all have ants, some aphids and African snail. The fact that the Plumeria is dormant without leaves, but on it's was back might have been a factor. White flies and maybe aphids often over run the Plumeria.<br>
Beyond Taro I have Roma Tomatoes that where really taking off until recently a lot of new tips went limp and not looking to good. I keep all the old leaves out and yellowing ones and can't see any pest at all, yet some of the plant is doing well. And fruit keeps coming out. The Squash is all rooted in the cinder of the Aquaponics, but growing everywhere else, including my roof. Some Basil and Collards, Cabbage or something of that family that I can trim the leaves from and steam. I grew some last year and it was great.
Well, except for a half dozen orchids I transplanted into pots with soil BioChar and cinder that my neighbor had given me awhile ago: that's what's going on with my Jacuzzi Aquaponics.
Oh, also my neighbor's nephew Daryl gave him some fish. He had been doing Hydroponics since watching all my activity, but never got fish. The wife wasn't thrilled about food in fish poo. After he lost one he gave me a huge white Tilapia. So I rigged it in it's own mini aquarium Aquaponics with an air feed and a pump circulating the water through it's own taro 

Totally Sealed Eco-System Decades Old

I wish I had the patience that this gentleman has to wait out the results of a sealed bottle plant environment, but maybe I could get a few years in.
I would be curious of actual measurements within and without the environment. One such measurement would just be the temperature variation. I'm sure it had to be a bit of a swing given his location and movement into sunlight at various angles to provide a more uniform dispersion of light.
So sensors sealed in the bottle to provide readings of all sorts could provide valuable data, or just keep some data analyst busy for decades.

Considering so much of what plants do is opposite of what animals & people do in processing air, water and food, combining the two is very interesting to me, especially in our DIY/Maker era with the abilities to use a free app on a smart phone to do so much of it.
I presently can measure noise levels in db, generate a variety of audio tones,  and even modulate them with other tones and wave forms,

The article page.

Video
The sealed bottle garden still thriving after 40 years without fresh air or water | Mail Online

Doug Fine Journalist to Speak at UH-Maui College 5-7pm January 28, 2013

Doug Fine has covered many stories, but his coverage on the Marijuana growers in Mendocino County is very interesting, especially in light of the recent talk by Mike Bowman, an industrial hemp farmer that spoke at the January Maui Farmers Union United meeting in Haiku.
Doug's latest book.

Here is a short video clip on Doug Fine which can be found on his website's home page at www.DougFine.com.

Watch "TOO HIGH TO FAIL - Doug Fine" on YouTube

Doug Fine now travels around the world speaking about his sustainability realizations and his Drug Peace research, and is a regular contributor of adventure and investigative features to National Public Radio and many other venues. Despite all the accolades, he still milks his goats one teat at a time like all former suburbanite, neo-Rugged Individualist Organic Cowboys.

Sponsored by the University of Hawaii Maui College Sustainable Institute of Maui (SLIM)

Magic Maui Farms: Mike Bowman Talks to Maui Farmers about raising Industrial Hemp

Magic Maui Farms: Mike Bowman Talks to Maui Farmers about raising Industrial Hemp

Mike Bowman Talks to Maui Farmers about raising Industrial Hemp

Mike Bowman explains very openly his plans to farm 500 acres of industrial hemp in Colorado at the Maui Farmers Union United meeting on a special trip to spread the word on Maui in Hawaii. He and his family put their economic life on the line in hopes that Colorado will fully back them up.
Hundreds of millions of dollars can be made and saved with raising a product the world once used extensively.
Mike is hoping to gather 100,000 signatures on his proposal, so keep an eye out for it.
Rockafellow and DuPont are no longer around to profit from keeping industrial hemp illegal, so now is the time to bring it on.

Searching for plants that are edible, like shade and lots of water for Aquaponics

My greenhouse for my aquaponics is needed due to the extreme sun most of the time and heavy winds. I would like some plants that can live in a 75% light due to the shadehouse and enjoy having plenty of water. Hopefully pretty resistant to aphids and such. Non GMO.
If anyone has some starts to add to the produce swap at the next Maui Farmers Union United, I would appreciate it. Jim (audio video guy)
Also interested in tree collards. I understand the best ones are taken from the tree, they don't grow from seeds easily.
As seen in my picture, taro and surprisingly tomato are doing okay in the lower light.
Mahalo and hope to see you at the Haiku Community Center Meeting,
Go to http://www.MauiFarmersUnionUnited.com for meeting info and agenda.

30 ways in 30 days to strech your fruit and veggie budget