Kapiolani Community College Farmers Market

There is no getting around it ... I move slow on Saturday mornings. There is a lot of shuffling, coffee drinking, and an overall battle of wills not to go back to bed. However, once I am up and functioning, I usually start the day by cruising over to the KCC Farmers Market. I tend to go there quite often so I'm not going to cover the whole farmers market in this post. Instead, I'm just write about the few things I picked up.

I was lucky enough to grow up somewhere where we could stop at a farm stall and buy some fresh corn or produce to go with diner. However, as

the town grew the farmland was replaced by tract housing and we started buying our produce at the grocery market. I've always remembered the corn or tomatoes that we bought from the farmer to be sweeter and tastier than what we got at the store. I always dismissed this memory as one of those childhood memories where everything is seemingly better. The truth of the matter is that it wasn't a figment of my imagination. Over the last five years or so I've been trying to get my produce as close to the land as possible. Don't get me wrong, there is something great about getting an avocado when it is out of season but that taste of that avocado isn't the same as when you can pick it right off the tree and eat it. Hence my fascination with farmers markets.

Back in the day (read: 2-3 years ago) people associated farmers markets with buying a bit of produce to have with diner. However, today farmers markets have evolved and are now ground zero for most things food related. Of course, you can buy produce at KCCFM but more importantly you can get a great insight into new and upcoming food trends.

I generally go to Chinatown for produce. The price, quality and variety is much better than the grocery store. The KCCFM is a nice alternative to taking a drive across town to Chinatown. The produce is generally more expensive, but the quality is awesome.

Most of the farmers at the market are certified organic and you can find everything from papayas to tomatoes. You can also find artisan products for cooking.

Normally, I like to just wander around the market until something speaks to me. I had been planning on cooking some BBQ pulled pork in the slow cooker, but after seeing the salts I decided to cook up some Kalua Pork instead. For a good explanation of Kalua Pork and some recipes check out the Kahaki Kitchen Blog. I reposted one of their recipes at the end of the post.

For those of you who haven't cooked with Red Alaea Sea Salt, all I can say is that it is amazing. It is commonly used for seasoning and preservation, however, traditionally Hawaiians have used it with ceremonies to cleanse, purify, bless canoes, and for medicinal purposes. The reddish color comes from red Alaea clay which adds a unique flavor.

Most Red Alaea Sea Salt is produced on the island of Molokai. High tech solar evaporators are used to slowly evaporate the sea water. This slow evaporation process is vital for keeping the crystals intact. Not only does this process make for a beautiful end product, but it helps to maintain various electrolytes and minerals. As to the reddish color, the sea salt is mixed with a small amount of Alaea clay. Alaea clay is a rich red volcanic red clay that is only found on some of the Hawaiian islands.

Word to the wise, a little of this salt goes a long way, so use it sparingly. Because of the intense flavor, I recommend using this salt for cooking only you really don't want to finish a dish with it.

No trip to the KCC Farmers Market is complete without grabbing something to eat. There are a ton of different restaurants and vendors selling food. The food ranges from banana lumpia to pesto pizzas. Since it was early I opted for the french toast, portuguese sausage, and some fried eggs. There isn't much to say beyond it was delicious.

----------------------------------------

Kalua Pork Recipe from Kahakai Kitchen

-----------------------------------------

4 pounds of pork butt

2 cups water (warm)

2 Tbsp of liquid smoke

1 Tbsp of Red Alaea Sea Salt.

The prep work is simple. Trim off all the excess fat and ( my favorite part) pierce the pork butt repeatedly with a fork. Mix the liquid smoke with the water and pour over the pork. Sprinkle the pork with the salt. Set the slow cooker on low and let cook for 12-16 hours. This is one of those great leave alone dishes. Don't fuss with it, only turn it once. When the pork starts to shred by itself take it out of the slow cooker and shred it using two forks. If the meat seems a bit dry use some of the drippings to moisten.

Give the recipe a try, it is easy to cook and the flavor rocks. You can eat it with a side of rice, on a roll with some coleslaw, or as a topping for nachos.

Don

Food Tours of Hawaii