Jocelyn K.
Yelp
I went on the Kohala Grown Farm Tour in August and it was an amazing experience. The tour started at the Kohala Grown Market which sells produce and products from local businesses. We met our tour guides there, Nate and Leo, and took a van to 3 small farms in the area. Leo was so prepared and kind. He had water, napkins, and sunscreen ready for his clients. It was amazing how much Nate knew about everything! He could discuss the biology of the plants, the history of Kohala - including the fall of the sugar cane farming, the current environment of the agriculture community in Kohala. Nate explained how pineapples are propagated, how dragon fruit must be hand pollinated during a small time frame at night, and why it is difficult to grow tomatoes in Hawaii (if I remember, it was a pest problem.)
All the farmers we ran into were very friendly and let us try some of their fresh fruits and produce. One farmer harvested coconuts from his tree so we could drink directly from the fruit. I also tried white pineapple for the first time. Who even knew white pineapple was a thing?! It was sweeter than yellow pineapple and the core was soft so it could be eaten. Apparently, most people on mainland USA have never tried it because it goes bad faster than yellow pineapples. Another friendly couple showed us how cacao beans are harvested and told us about how their roosters do not like to hang out together.
Lunch was provided by Sushi Rock and all the food was delicious. The ingredients were all fresh and well seasoned. It was also a great ending for the tour since we spent the whole morning learning about the difficulties of food cultivation and we were able to enjoy the fresh produce in the dishes. Leo and Nate were extremely pleasant during lunch and offered interesting conversation.
The great thing about the tour is that it supports the sustainable community. The small farms are able to make some additional income by opening up their farms to tourist and giving them an opportunity to learn about the local agriculture. The farmers also sell their produce to the Kohala Grown Market where the community can buy local produce and Sushi rock uses fresh ingredients from many of the farms in their menu. Therefore, these tours help support the local economy and helps tourist to feel connected to the food growing process. If you have any interest in local farms, sustainable living, or just learning more about the Big Island's history, I really recommend Kohala Grown Farm Tours.