Farm-to-table is not just a trend in Hawaii. It’s a huge movement that has gained lots of momentum in recent years. With more than 80 percent of Hawaii’s food currently imported from the Mainland, Hawaii’s tourism and food industry have tried becoming more self sufficient by creating nonprofits, farm-to-table eateries and community centers that blend delicious food and social awareness based on eating local.
Two food-centric tours that should be on your must-visit and foodie lists on Kauai are the He ‘Aina Ola Farm Tour at the Waipa Foundation and the Haraguchi Rice Mill Tour. Both tours start out with a visit to the farms and end with incredible meals made with the very ingredients grown on the farm. It’s an educational, humbling and delicious experience that should be on every local and tourist’s wish list.
Kristie Hang is a jet setting freelance food and travel journalist featured in LA Weekly, LAist, Gothamist, MSNBC etc. She has a Masters in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism and a B.A. from UCLA. Find her online on Instagram @kristiehang.
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If there's one tour you have to do on Kauai, it's the Haraguchi Rice Mill Tour. Sixty-two percent of Hawaii's taro production is grown on these 200 acres in the town of Hanalei. This sixth generation farm is Hawaii's only remaining rice mill. The Haraguchi Rice Mill's 3 ½-hour tour is a unique cultural and gastronomical experience conducted by Lyndsey Haraguchi, a-fifth generation farmer who grew up in the taro fields that her family has owned since the 1800s.
Photo courtesy of Haraguchi Rice Mill
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Once established, there is no way to eradicate the invasive apple snails. Each batch of egg clusters may contain more than 1,000 pink eggs. Volunteers and farmers must get hands-on wading through the plants to gather destructive apple snails and their bright pink eggs.
Photo by Kristie Hang
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View of the taro fields where Lydnsey Haraguchi's grandparents still work the farms.
Photo by Kristie Hang
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The Pak Lan/White Orchid tree is has an incredible aroma and is believed to relieve high blood pressure, normalize sebum secretion for skin problems, and have many other beneficial properties. The tree's oil from is widely used in perfumes for floral perfumes (such as Chanel No. 5).
Photo by Kristie Hang
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The Pak Lan tree's oil from is widely used in perfumes for floral perfumes (such as Chanel No. 5).
Photo by Kristie Hang
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Lyndsey teaches the group about the taro she grows on the farm. Taro is the staple of the Native Hawaiian diet and is at the core of the Hawaiian culture.
Photo by Kristie Hang
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Hawaiians believe the taro plant to be sacred. Taro, called "kalo" in Hawaiian, is central to the Native Hawaiian creation story. It is also filled with lots of vitamins and nutrients.
Photo by Kristie Hang
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After the walking the taro fields and getting hands-on with Apple Snails, the tour moves over to the rice mill, which has been turned into a mini museum with old rice hulling and polishing equipment used on the farm from as early as the 1900s. The rice mill is Hawaii's only remaining Rice Mill and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. No photography is allowed in the rice mill.
Photo courtesy of Haraguchi Rice Mill
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Staff pound and grind fresh taro root the old fashion way and mix it with freshly grated coconut from coconut trees on property for guests to enjoy. Participants are welcome to get hands-on.
Photo by Kristie Hang
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The staff makes fresh bite sized Hawaiian taro treats rolled in fresh coconut called Pa'i'ai for the guests to enjoy. Even those people who are not typically big fans of taro will be converted.
Photo by Kristie Hang