The ants go marching one by one...

Hold on to your hats folks! You are about to be buried in a heaping pile of Darci style literature! Please bare with me, as I am slightly rusty in the writing department. I have an overwhelming amount of thoughts stored in this noggin of mine that will slowly come out chunk by chunk. Even if it's just pure babbling. So patience my friends! I am learning a great deal about blog-ing (it's a fabulous invention) and the inter-web world! I feel like my aspect of it completely changes when I am far away from home. I become extremely reliant on it...almost to the point of obsession! It's funny thinking that time isn't frozen back home, life is still in motion and constantly evolving! Like Ken Block and Darci Duncan's lives out here in paradise. With that said, I better fill you guys in. This is my version of the Hawaii "update."

With Ken off galavanting in the deep blue, I am holding down the fort...solo! He is cruising up the islands, and man, is he having a heaven of a time! Who wouldn't? The ropes and wind at your fingertips...pure bliss. Our last chat was short, but I was pleased to hear that they made it across the Alenuiha'ha channel - the water between maui and the big island. It has a dangerous rep, and I'm sure it was a rough ride over. I am thankful they are safe, sound and soaking up the sunshine! They will soon set sail to Molokai and eventually Lanai before he makes his way back to Kailua-Kona.  As for me, I'm content with my fingertips in the dirt. 

The Alenuiha'ha Channel lies between the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui. Maximum depth is 6,100 feet and spans 30 miles

In the peaceful hum of the morning after having my cup o' tea and light breakfast, I set out to the gardens to feed the 3 rabbits (Ginger, Basil and Lemongrass) and the chickens/ducks. Other morning duties include: putting cafe waste on the compost pile, watering, and harvesting needed produce for the cafe. (Oh, I forgot to mention getting pestered by mosquitos. It's a duty in itself. I must have savory blood because they will not stay away from me!) Crucial crops we rely on for the restaurant are bok choy, green onion, eggplant, lettuce, ginger, turmeric, lime leaf, lemongrass, chili pepper, and herbs like cilantro and basil.

A few unknown plants have recently caught my attention and made their way into my plant vocabulary. Galangal plant (above) is grown for the root, and being part of the ginger family it is favored for its medicinal properties. Mainly in aiding digestion. The part used resembles ginger root. The chef at the cafe uses it to flavor curries and soups. I had soup called 'Tom Yam' a few days ago that contained galangal root and it certainly left a piney, slightly peppery taste on my tongue. Delectable AND medicinal! You can't possibly go wrong! 

You may think "organic" farming is much simpler than conventional farming. But in fact, it's not. Having no desire to use poisonous chemicals to ward off pests and insects has its benefits, but it also requires more labor. The weeds grow faster than you can pull them! It's a lot harder work than you think. On the Lotus Farm, we are constantly jumping over natures little hurdles. The peppers grew a white powdery fungus, the tomatoes were invaded by aphids, and this strange looking green bug infested the eggplant (the photo on the left). I have recently learned that copper and sulfur are natural fungus fighters. We spray the leaves of the attacked plant about once a week. For the aphids, neem oil seems to do the trick. It somehow disturbs the aphids breeding cycle and prevents the bug from eating the plant.

The most abundant insects that I've noticed on the farm are ants! Their nests are all over the place, especially in dry areas. One morning were re-shaping the compost pile and there were swarms of ants in certain spots. These were not the nice friendly ants either. RED ANTS. I was bit a few times on the inside of my arm...ay mama! It feels sort of like a light bee sting but the pain doesn't last as long. At least they weren't centipedes. My co-WWOOFER was stung by a centipede right on the hip! Crawled right up his leg and into his underwear! It wasn't very pleasant. Howie always reminds us to "watch where you put your fingers." As an ant fighter, Howie uses boric acid and peroxide. Apparently they collect the acid infested food, take it back to the nest and that eventually kills it off.  Ants aren't always a problem though. They have a beneficial side too! They are decomposers so they help break down waste. One incredible fact about ants is they actually farm aphids and mushrooms for food. They raise the aphids for the nectar/plant juice from inside their bodies and they move fungus spores and bring them to the leaves in order to grow mushrooms. What intelligent creatures! Whew, what a lesson I had on ants! It's amazing that the smallest of organisms can be the most influential. That goes for people too. Reminds me of the inspiring story of David and Goliath.

Ginger is one of the farms most prized possessions. They use it in almost every dish on the menu, and for making fresh ginger lemonade. It is super potent and gives you that  kick-in-the-pants flavor. A pregnant woman came to the booth at the farmers market on saturday and said it has been helping with her morning sickness. Also a fabulous immunity booster, and digestive stimulant. As you can tell from the picture below, all of the ginger plants are in bags. It cannot be grown in the soil because of the lack of bacteria in it. So Howie uses 100% grinded coconut husk...and it works like a charm!

This past Saturday evening, we went up the mountain to set up our booth for the Holualoa Music and Light Festival. It poured on us as we set up, but we managed to dry out incessantly. The entire street was lined with vendors of all types. There were intriguing art galleries, live music, ethnic food, desserts, and most common of all: Kona Coffee. The vibes and aromas all screamed "Christmas!" causing me to feel slightly nostalgic for a white, snowy, sit-by-the-fire kind of winter. But interacting and mingling with people from all over the world gave me a boost of Hawaiian Christmas cheer! Not to mention I ate my weight in our freshly made raw chocolate almond pie. This will certainly be a tropical, out of the ordinary holiday that will stick in my memory for years to come! Hau’oli Lanui to all!


-Darci Duncan