Partly cloudy today with a high of 75 degrees.
The set up in our small home. Dan is on the couch, on his computer. The dogs are next to him and I am at the end, on my computer. One small, happy family!
The entrance to the Kapa'a Farmers Market
Huge avocados, pineapples, the forefront is some kind of "very rare fruit", lemons are in the back.
Baby pineapples for decoration
There are oodles of vendors. Some, like these folks sell things they grow in their yard, some are small organic farms. Dan and I have considered doing this since we have such a big yard.
Turmeric, the spice that makes curry yellow in it's original form on the left. I believe that is Taro on the right, used to make Poi.
Dan and I have never seen Ginger so big, each hand averaging 8" long 10" wide.
People flock to this farmers market
Pretty
Would you like some fresh coconut water?
The parking lot is a drag to get out of. It only took once for Dan and I to learn! We parked the next street over and walked.
My first plant; a rosemary. At Whole Foods in Colorado a rosemary plant half this size goes for $20.00, this was $15.00
All told we spent $50.00 for what you see here.
From bottom left clockwise: Lilikoi or Passion Fruit, Avocado, Cucumber, Lemon (they are large, juicy, soft and sweet) Papaya, organic eggs, Pineapple, Scallions, Mixed Baby Greens, Lacinato Kale, Mung Bean Sprouts, Basil, Parsley, Rambutan (red, spiky), Star Fruit, Sweet Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Plum Tomatoes, Baby Ginger. Center: Eggplant, Limes, Blood Oranges, and Red Bell Peppers.
Most of you are probably thinking, that would go bad, there's no way I could eat that in a week. And that's probably true! But, this is my palette! Since all of my cookbooks are still on a boat, I am forced to create and I'm loving it! I am so excited to have this great produce, it's like most people get excited about winning the lottery, that's how excited I am! We ate all the fruit and veg we bought last week, in fact, we had to buy some more. Basically, we are having fresh fruit with yogurt, nuts and toasted coconut for breakfast, salad for lunch and a stir fry or fried rice for dinner. It's healthier and cheaper than the alternatives. This morning I finished off the peppers we bought last week. They were green, about an inch wide and 2 to 4 inches long, and mild. I still had a whole bag of them. I sauteed them with a little salt and the rest of the scallions, until they had little toasty brown spots and folded them inside an omelette, delish, and a little spicy!
We decided to celebrate the fact that we made it out here so we went to the Hukilau Lanai for a special dinner. Dan did such a great job of finding us a beautiful home, getting the dogs here seamlessly, and getting our stuff here that I thought he deserved some good eats! We had a great time! The 2 Island Orchids each helped. Absolute Vodka, Hawaiian Vanilla Bean and Macadamia Nut Liquor, packs a refreshing, sweet punch.
Mmmm Island Orchids!
The restaurant is one big covered patio with an ocean view.
Appetizers; oregano, tomato and parmesan focaccia and perfectly tender calamari with coconut and Thai chili sauce.
I had the Hukilau Mixed Platter; butterfish (Walu), shrimp skewered on sugarcane, and cajun Spearfish (Hebi) over creamy parmesan orzo with a coconut Thai chili sauce.
Dan had the prime rib, the Au Jus was sublime, a perfect foil for the tender, succulent beef.
Some Bordeaux to go with dinner.
Macadamia Nut Tart and Cinnamon Ice Cream.
Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.
Since we were celebrating our arrival, our waiter from Boulder, Colorado gave us a present. Yes, there is a bite taken out of the upper right corner =) inside the box were two perfect chocolate truffles.
Cheers to the successful start of a dream.
