Natural Insect and Pest Control

On March 17, 2012 we held a workshop at Kahumana farm, led by Lloyd Nelson. Mr. Nelson shared his thoughts on natural farming, gave us a farm tour, and demonstrated some natural recipes that he uses on the farm. Here's a recipe that one of our staff members uses on her plants:

Red Pepper Spray Concentrate:

Used For: General Insecticide and caterpillars

Materials: Blender, onion, cayenne pepper, garlic and water

Preparation: Chop onion and garlic and combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes. Blend in blender. Strain and store in jars in the refrigerator for 6 weeks

To use: Dilute 1 tablespoon of concentrate with 1 pint of water. Add a little biodegradable soap. Red pepper spray is a good general insect spray.

WOW- Lā'au Lapa'au

This month we were lucky to have Krista Steinfeld share with us the history and an introduction to Lā‘au Lapa‘au, a Hawaiian healing practice that employs plants and minerals to cure illness and injury. Lā‘au Lapa‘au also teaches the fundamental principles of healthy living. We even got to try our hand a making a simple poultice!

Mahalo Krista for sharing your mana'o with us and helping us start our new year with good health!

Healthy Eating for the Whole Week

Andrea from Down to Earth showed us how to prepare a variety of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, dressings, and vegetarian mains to ensure a week's worth of healthy eating. We are starting off the new year right!

WOW- Holiday Decorations made from Natural Materials

Reduce your holiday waste!

This month Instructor Malia Lagaso shared with us how to create holiday decorations and gifts from natural materials like leaves, twigs, and berries. We had fun making wreaths, ornaments, and more for the holidays!

Mahalo Malia for sharing these fun and beautiful decorations!

WOW- Making Earth Ovens Workshop

Earth ovens are a simple and natural way to cook food using what may already be available in your backyard. This month we were so lucky to have Uncle Eric Enos share with us the basics of building with earth at the Cultural Learning Center at Kaʻala on November 5, 2011. People all over the world use earth to build houses, walls, and ovens. 

 During the workshop we constructed the base of an earth oven that can be used to cook breads, pizzas and all sorts of deliciousness!! First, we lifted heavy rocks and created the base of the oven. We insulated the inside of the base with layers; rock and soil, cinders, glass bottles, sawdust, a slurry of water and cinders and dirt, and more cinders. With our hands and feet in the mud, we learned to mix and create basic cob; three parts cinders to one part clay and a few handfuls of hay. Then we carefully leveled out the top and placed firebricks, which will be the oven floor when we finish building the oven.

Last, we had a delicious surprise lunch cooked in an imu, a perfect ending to a fantastic workshop. We can't wait to come back and finish the top part of the oven!!

Mahalo Uncle Eric and the Cultural Learning Center at Ka’ala for sharing so much useful knowledge and yummy food!!

Introduction to Aquaponics

"Introduction to Aquaponics" at Opelu Project on October 1st. We discussed new findings in aquaponics and Eric Enos of Ka'ala Farms and Charlie Palumbo of Aquapono introduced participants to the many different ways to set up a backyard aquaponics system.









"Introduction to Aquaponics" at Opelu Project on October 1st. We discussed new findings in aquaponics and Eric Enos of Ka'ala Farms and Charlie Palumbo of Aquapono introduced participants to the many different ways to set up a backyard aquaponics system.