Hawaii Big Island - Farmers Markets
Stay at Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast and visit some of the best Big Island Farmers Markets close by: Pahoa (Sunday), Seaview (Saturday), Maku'u (Sunday), Keaau (every day except Sunday), Hilo (every day, with big market days on Wednesday & Saturday)
There's
no better way to experience the amazing cultural diversity of Hawaii
Island than to visit one of the many farmers’ markets that take place
all around the island. You can't beat the prices or the selection.
Just
before dawn, as the sky begins to lighten at the rim of the horizon,
the farmers markets come to life all across the Big Island. Trucks and
vans and cars congregate at the stalls, as farmers and fishermen and
craftspeople begin unloading boxes and crates and buckets and bags of
the most wonderful produce, baked goods and handicrafts.
A
trip to the local farmers market is a bi-weekly necessity for most
island residents, and it's a must-see experience for any curious
visitor. Nearly every community has at least a roadside stand offering
fresh fruits and vegetables, but at the larger markets you may also find
fresh-caught opakapaka (snapper) and smoked ahi (yellowfin tuna),
spectacular floral arrangements and blooming orchid plants, locally made
goat cheeses and hot sauces.
This
is family agriculture at its very best. Many farmers grow their fruits
and vegetables on small plots, using sustainable farming techniques.
Organic farming is popular in Hawaii, and organic growers are proud to
state their policies of no-pesticides and no commercial fertilizers.
Visitors
from outside of Hawaii often don't recognize half of the fruits and
vegetables grown here, and that's part of the fascination of the farmers
markets. The eclectic mix of produce reflects seasonal availability, of
course, as well as the many different ethnic groups that have
contributed to the fascinating mix of foods found here. You may find
ferns from Waipio Valley, used in Chinese and fusion dishes; Japanese
daikon (radish), eggplants, cucumbers and edamame (soybeans); Hawaiian
chili peppers; Thai basils and curries; Peruvian sweet potatoes;
Portuguese sweet bread, sausage and malasadas (no-hole donuts). And
there's always lots of fresh ginger, introduced by the Japanese but now
used by everyone.
And
bananas! You may think that you can ignore bananas because they're so
familiar, and focus on the more exotic fruits-but you may not have seen
bananas like these before. Bananas sold in mainland supermarkets are
usually Cavendish, a bland, slow-ripening variety that withstands the
rigors of shipping. Here on the Big Island, however, you'll find a wide
range of delicately flavored varieties such as diminutive apple bananas,
vanilla-flavored ice cream bananas, robust Thompsons, and plantains for
cooking.
In
most of the world, bananas are, after all, a staple food, a vital part
of the local diet. Worldwide, the banana ranks fourth (after rice, wheat
and corn) as the planet's most economically important food crop. And
bananas, of course, are perfectly portable, the ideal snack to munch on
as you strong through the rest of the market.
But
don't forget the flowers: cut blossoms, growing plants, and intricately
strung leis of every color and design. Gorgeous bunches of orchids,
anthuriums, ginger blooms, and exotic bird-of-paradise burst from their
buckets. At the lei stands, fragrant plumeria and gardenia leis swing
from overhead displays or adorn stylish woven-straw hats. Prices are
tantalizingly low, and many orchid growers specialize in shipping plants
to the mainland, so you can purchase beautiful plants and arrange to
have them land on your doorstep as soon as arrive home.
It's a real feast for the senses. Take your time to browse, and be ready to "talk story" with the folks behind the tables. Many vendors will offer samples of their wares, so you may be able to sip fresh roasted coffees from Hamakua and Kona, sample flavored macadamia nuts, taste guava jellies or freshly made fudge. Fruit sellers may offer a slice of avocado or mango or cherimoya, or show you how to pop the top to eat a furry rambutan.
For
a fun and delicious experience, look for a coconut stand. Choose a
green coconut, not a hard brown one, and ask if there's someone who can
open it for you. Often, a coconut seller will oblige by wielding a
machete to lop off one end so you can insert a straw and drink the
clear, sweet liquid. (That's coconut juice, not coconut milk, which is
pressed from the ripe nut.) If the liquid is a little frothy and has a
delicate, slightly fermented flavor, that's a "champagne" coconut. The
meat will be almost baby-food soft and quite sweet, not hard and dry
like the brown coconuts in the supermarket.
Farmers
markets are also great places to find unique items created by local
artists and craftspeople. Koa and coconut wood carvings, distinctive
clothing and quilts, glass sculptures, paintings and photographs,
one-of-a kind jewelry pieces-all are on display in the open-air markets,
and you'll often get a chance to talk with the artists themselves.
You're also likely to find live music; perhaps there will be a planned
concert, but more often it will be a morning serenade by street-corner
troubadours.
A note
about schedules: Many farmers markets are open for only a couple of days
each week. For example, the award-winning Hilo Farmers Market-the
largest and best-known farmers market in Hawaii-is open only two days a
week. A few vendors staff their stalls in the marketplace every day, but
Hilo Farmers Market unfolds in all its full splendor only on Wednesdays
and Saturdays. Begun in 1988 with just a few produce sellers, this
open-air market has grown to feature nearly 130 vendors selling
everything from exotic fruits and flowers to specialty foods, jewelry,
island-made clothing and traditional Hawaiian crafts. Any visit to Hilo
is incomplete without a trip to this market!
Check
the list below for the most current information (as of November, 2005)
on farmers markets around the Big Island; be aware, however, that days
and hours may change at any time. See the list below for information
about the major farmers markets on the Big Island. Then, enjoy!
Hamakua
Honokaa Farmers Market
Old Botelho Bldg., Honokaa
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Laupahoehoe Market
Verifone Building, 9652 Kaumalii Hwy, Laupahoehoe
Saturday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Hilo
Hilo Farmers Market
Corner of Kamehameha Avenue & Mamo Street, Hilo
Wednesday & Saturday, 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Panaewa Hawaiian Home Lands Farmers Market
Puainako & Ohuohu Streets, by Walmart in Hilo
Daily, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Rainbow Falls Market Place
Across from Rainbow Falls, north of Hilo, HI
Monday and Thursday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Ka'u
Fern Forest Town Market
Fern Forest
2nd Saturday of the month from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Ka'u Farmers Market
Naalehu Theater, Ka'u
Saturday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
O'Suzanna's Farmers Market
Highway 11 at Road to the Sea, Ocean View
Saturday, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Volcano Farmers Market
Cooper Center, 1000 Wright Road, Volcano
Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Kohala
Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market
Kuhio Hale Building, 64-759 Kahilu Road, Waimea
Saturday, 7:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
I Ka Pono Farmers Market
Parker School, at I Ka Pono Community Garden, Waimea
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-12:00 noon
"Under the Banyans" Farmers Market
Hawi
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
North Kona
Ali'i Garden Market Place
Ali'i Drive, 2 miles south of Kailua Pier, Kona
Wednesday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Kailua Village Farmer's Market
Across from Hale Halawai, Kailua-Kona
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Kona Farmers Market
Old Industrial Park, Kaiwi Square, Kona
Saturday & Sunday, 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Puna
Akebono Farmers Market
Akebono Theatre, Pahoa
Sunday, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Caretakers of Our Land Farmers Market
Sacred Heart Church, Pahoa
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-12:00 noon
Island Fruits
12 Mile marker on Highway 11, Mountain View
Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Kea'au Village Farmers Market
Kea'au
Daily, 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Highway 130, Pahoa
Sunday, 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m
South Kona
Kealakekua Flea Market
Haleki'i Street, Kealakekua
Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday, 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Kona Pacific Farmers' Coop
82-5810 Napoopoo Rd., Captain Cook
Fridays, 8am-4pm.
New Open Farmers Market
By the Pink Donkey sign, Captain Cook
Friday
South Kona Fruit Stand
Near the old Higashi Store, 84-4770 Mamalahoa, Captain Cook
Monday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
WOW!!! What a great resource you've put together here! Thanks for much for sharing :-)
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