On Saturday, June 16th ,2007, something very special happened at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden (AGG) in Kona.  Approximately 450-500 people came together to celebrate the Earth and share the food gifts found on their farms and in their gardens.  Not everyone brought something to share, many folks are just getting started, and as you know, if you have been gardening for awhile it takes time to learn to grow food.  But there was a very upbeat and positive aura over the gathering. I can see this “Local Food “ movement beginning to send down roots and to grow branches, as more and more folks every year come and bring something to share. 

A new taro mala was planted with the help of Jerry Konanui, Noa Lincoln, and Manuel Rego, the latter 2 both AGG staff and the folks who attended.  87 varieties were set down into the newly turned earth.  The next morning, when I came back early to make sure everything had been tidied up, I first walked to the new garden.  It had rained fairly hard the night before ( however, the rain held off until the festival was over) and the new taro babies were dancing in the light breeze blowing across the garden, studded with diamond water drops on their leaves.  It was very lovely, with the Manago Hotel in the background flanked by flowering Pink Tecoma trees.

All the educational presentations of the day were very well attended, as we learned about growing fruit from seed, home seed saving systems, and a discussion of What’s in our air?  Bottom line for me, who listened in on all the sessions, is that no one really knows what is in our air, there is very little monitoring, it’s expensive, and infrequently done.  Many folks asked about depleted uranium radioactive particles in the air, but neither Dr. Elizabeth Tam, Chair of UH Manoa School of Medicine, or Meteorologist Barry Neal had ever heard of this.  

Today in the US, approximately 50 million people grow some food for their families.  Gardening continues to be the biggest pastime of Americans.  At the same time, and for the first time in the history of our country, we are now importing 50% of all food consumed in the US!  This is a big change, and takes us another step away from food security for our families and communities.  However, here on Hawai’i Island I am seeing more and more folks wanting to get involved with their food, for a variety of reasons.  All in all the 5th Annual Hawai’i Island Seed Exchange was a blessing for all.  Kumu Keala Ching and Na Wai Iwi Ola presented a beautiful opening ceremony to honor “air” the “ha,” the breath of life in all living things, in all living foods.

If you would like to see some great photos of the event , taken by Craig Elevitch, go to  <http://craigelevitch.smugmug.com/gallery/3019079>.
 

Questions or Comments, please contact nancyredfeather@yahoo.com