‘Akala is the Hawaiian name for Rubus hawaiensis and R. macraei, deciduous shrubs in the rose family (Rosaceae) known commonly as Hawaiian raspberry or Hawaiian blackberry. Across the Hawaiian islands of Kauai, Molokai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii, R. hawaiensis grows in mesic (moderately moist) to wet forest environments at elevations of 600 to 3,070 feet above sea level. The less common R. macraei is found only in East Maui and on the island of Hawaii.

‘Akala grows to a height of 3 to 10 feet and has rough compound leaves with three leaflets. It has small thorns on its upper portions and new growth. Its fruits grow to 2 inches in diameter. The tart and semi-sweet berries range in color from pink, red, purple, and yellow to white, and can have a bitter or bland flavor if not harvested when ripe. The edible flowers are dark pink or occasionally white in color and bloom from April to July.

Traditionally, Hawaiians ate ‘akala berries and flowers and used the bark to make kapa (barkcloth) clothing—the kapa was dyed with the rose-colored juice from the fruit. ‘Akala ash is used medicinally to treat stomach and chest ailments. The berries can be eaten raw and are often cooked in pies or preserved.

Although there are records of commercial plantings of ‘akala in the 1930s, it is difficult to find the berries on the market today, and most ‘akala is harvested in the wild. Due to the invasive impact of several non-native Rubus species on Hawaii’s forests, the use of biological controls is under consideration, and has caused debate: Such controls could damage the endemic Hawaiian R. hawaiensis and R. macraei if they are genetically similar enough to the invasive species, and lead to ‘akala’s extinction.

The Hawaiian word for breadfruit, ‘ulu refers specifically to the single breadfruit variety, among hundreds in the world, that has been grown throughout the Hawaii archipelago for centuries. ‘Ulu was one of the “canoe plants” brought by early Polynesian settlers from the Society Islands.

‘Ulu was such an essential part of the traditional Hawaiian food system that the trees were grown in large groves as well as singly. Because the fruit is seedless, 'ulu trees are vegetatively propagated, usually from root cuttings. With little care, they can live for decades and grow 33 feet (10 meters) or taller. Breadfruit is one of the highest-yielding food plants: A typical ‘ulu fruit weighs about 2½ pounds (2 kg) whole and about 2 pounds (1.7 kg) when peeled and cored, and a single tree can produce hundreds of fruits each year. Not only did ‘ulu produce an abundance of nutritious food for ancient Hawaiians, but excess fruit and waste (skin and cores) were fed to pigs and the fish grown in the islands’ extensive fishponds, both of which were important components of the traditional diet. The tree’s sticky latex was used for caulking boats and trapping birds, and the lightweight, insect-resistant wood was valued for buildings, canoes, and paper.

The versatile ‘ulu fruit can be eaten at all stages of development. When still small and green, it can be cooked as a vegetable; it resembles artichoke hearts in flavor. When mature but still starchy, the fruit has a dense, firm texture and a mild flavor and can be used much like a potato and even made into flour. It takes on the flavors of the ingredients with which it is prepared. A traditional Hawaiian method for cooking breadfruit is to roast the fruit whole in a fire until the skin blackens or to cook it in an imu (a deep, covered pit lined with fire-heated rocks). The mature fruit is also peeled, steamed or boiled, and then pounded into a version of poi. When fully ripe, ‘ulu is soft, sweet, and custardy, and can be eaten raw or made into desserts and beverages.

‘Ulu flesh is denser, firmer, and starchier than that of other common breadfruit varieties. ‘Ulu takes longer to cook than these other varieties and tends to be on the dry side when roasted or baked. The solid, dense texture makes it ideal for dishes that require firm slices, such as au gratin dishes, fries, or chips.

Until recently the cultivation and use of ‘ulu had suffered a long decline, although the fruit remained an integral part of the diet in many communities, especially rural areas. The trees were still found in most or all areas of Hawaii where they had been historically grown, but only scattered trees remained where there were once large groves. Most of the fruit was grown for home consumption.

Today breadfruit is receiving renewed interest among native Hawaiians and other residents, both rural and urban, for cultural, nutritional, economic, and environmental reasons. The fruit is a good source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and minerals, and it provides all of the essential amino acids. The trees can be interplanted in gardens and on farms with a wide range of plants, such as bananas, taro, citrus, and vegetables, and grown as shade trees in cities as well. Breadfruit trees improve soil and watersheds, reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, and shelter pollinators and seed dispersers.

Since ‘ulu was added to the Ark of Taste in 2014, there has been a tremendous increase throughout the Hawaiian Islands in appreciation and use of this crop. Thousands of trees are being planted in yards, on public lands, and on farms; more fresh fruit is available at farmer’s markets, in grocery stores, and on restaurant menus; numerous entrepreneurs are developing and selling value-added products; and educational programs continue to champion this crop.

The history of the Ele Ele banana—or, in Hawaiian, the maia maoli Ele Ele—is intertwined with the earliest history of Hawaii. Ele Ele is thought to be one of the first canoe plants brought to Hawaii with the original settlers from the Marquesas Islands, in the mid-700's. It was the banana of the alii, royalty. Throughout most of Hawaiian history, the Ele Ele was the most treasured of bananas.

The Ele Ele is slightly longer and thicker than the average commercial banana. The skin is deep yellow with a slight orange tint. The orange tint is obvious on the flesh as well. The Ele Ele’s rich flavor and firm but less starchy texture distinguish it from other maoli bananas. The ripe fruit has slight citrus and cream overtones. When a bit overripe, the Ele Ele will sometimes gel in the center, becoming an extremely sweet treat, and yet it will maintain its firm texture. Despite its excellence as a dessert banana, the Ele Ele is also used green, in which form it is cooked and served as a vegetable.

The Ele Ele plant is striking in appearance. The jet-black stem is unmistakable when found in the wild.

The banana was formerly grown on all of the Hawaiian Islands, but production centered on the Big Island of Hawaii, in the area that is now Captain Cook and the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. The Ele Ele was thought to be lost in 1992, but it was re-introduced by Ken Love after a stand was found in 2004. The Ele Ele is found to a lesser extent on Molokai Island.

In Hawaiian, maia means banana and maoli is a group of varieties that includes Ele Ele. The maoli group originally had fourteen varieties, but six are now extinct. Ele Ele is critically endangered. Even though many farmers have expressed a desire to grow it, the keikis, the little suckers that grow from the rhizome of the parent plants, are hard to come by because of disease from pests in the parent plants. The Ele Ele is very susceptible to nematodes, borers, and a host of banana-specific pathogens like Bunchy Top virus. At least every five years, keikis must be taken and planted at some distance from the parent to prevent the spread of diseases.

Ele Ele fruit is commercially available only at a few farmers’ markets in Kona, Maui, and Kauai and at one grocery store. The banana has been in rapid decline since 1992, and today it is mainly found in botanic gardens and private collections. Protecting the existing plants has been the focus of Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers and others, who work to spread the young plants to safe locations around the state. Unfortunately, some years only a few disease-free plants are available. Tissue culture would enable much greater distribution of Ele Ele to farmers.

The Hua Moa is an unusually large, delicious, creamy tasting banana, the product of a rare banana-plantain cross. It was first bred in Polynesia. It brought to South Florida from the Pacific Islands--or perhaps from Hawaii where it was also introduced--in 1960 by William F. Whitman Jr. There the Hua Moa became a staple in the kitchens of many Latinos in the Miami area until farm production declined due to diseases and storms.

It can be sustainably grown both in Hawaii and in South Florida, but much needs to be done to help preserve and maintain this unique and delicious banana.

This unique banana variety, which is in season from June to December, is closely related to plantains. The fruits are unusually thick, resembling small, elongated melons up to 10 cm thick and sometimes reaching 25 cm long. Individual fruits can weigh over half a kilogram. Another unique characteristic of this fruit is that unlike other true plantains, which must cooked before being eaten, Hua Moas can be left to fully ripen and can be consumed like a sweet dessert banana.

In Polynesia the Hua Moa became hugely popular in Tahiti and the Hawaiian islands. Then in 1960, the Miami-based fruit explorer William F. Whitman brought a Tahitian variety to Miami and distributed plants to other local rare fruit enthusiasts. These fruits thrived in the hot and humid South Florida climate, and after many years of being grown mainly as a curiosity, they were planted commercially by Cuban farmers in the Homestead, Florida area. These farmers started calling it the 'Hawaiiyano' and it has been marketed this way for many years. It became so popular that many of the large Hispanic grocery store chains in Miami started carrying this fruit on their shelves.

Since its peak in the 1990s, production in Florida has fallen substantially, mainly due to pest and disease problems as well as from the damage inflicted by a number of hurricanes, which wreaked havoc with plantain and banana production in the Dade County area of southern Florida. This just one of the many banana and plantain varieties that are endangered in their native habitats of Hawaii and Polynesia, and is rarely seen in the markets even there. While the Hua Moa is known to be grown on a small scale, in parts of Central and South America and is sometimes imported into the United States, the Hua Moa is in danger of disappearing from South Florida entirely if conservation measures are not taken. At present, a few artisanal banana growers still have small patches in Dade and Broward counties, and efforts have begun to try to ensure a market for those growers.

Grown in the districts of North Kona and South Kona on the Island of Hawai’i, Kona coffee is distinguished for having great strength, fine flavor and delicious aroma. These outstanding taste characteristics have been recognized for generations. In an 1866 letter to the Sacramento Union, Mark Twain wrote: “Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other, be it grown where it may and call it what name you please.” Almost 150 years later, noted coffee writer Kenneth Davids described the taste of Kona coffee as “delicate, subtle, and sometimes extraordinary.”

Coffee has been grown in Kona since 1828 when the Reverend Samuel Ruggles introduced coffee cultivation near Napo’opo’o in South Kona. In the later part of the 19th century, coffee production expanded significantly in Kona with the development of hundreds of small coffee farms—primarily by Japanese immigrants. At present the “Kona Coffee Belt” —an area extending about 22 miles long and two miles wide from North Kona through South Kona at elevations of between 700’ to 2400’ above sea level —is home to more than 650 coffee farms with an average size of about 5 acres.

The very limited area in which Kona Coffee is grown on the Island of Hawai’i ensures this crop will not be taken over by industrial agricultural interests. Small average farm size ensures that Kona’s coffee farmers have an incentive to cultivate coffee in a way that is sustainable and maintains the quality for which Kona Coffee has become known.

The economic viability and future of “Kona Coffee” is at risk because of deceptive labeling practices occurring in the State of Hawaii and on the US Mainland. Each year, millions of pounds of “Kona Blends” (90% of which are foreign-grown commodity coffee of undisclosed origin) are sold to consumers. As a result, the market is flooded with packages of coffee which consumers are led to believe to be “Kona Coffee” but are not. Kona’s coffee farmers lose millions of dollars each year because of misleadingly labeled “Kona Blends”. The labeling on the US Mainland is even more damaging, with little or no genuine content in many packages of coffee displaying the “Kona” name. The risk is that “Kona Coffee” will become a generic term for an undefined style of coffee while the exquisite flavor of Pure Kona Coffee disappears.

Limu huluhuluwaena, also known as limu pakelewa’a, is a red algae (Grateloupia filicina) found throughout the Hawaiian islands. Bushy and pyramidal in shape, with flat stems and fine branches, limu huluhuluwaena grows in small clusters on rocks covered with fine sand. It grows best near river mouths. A favorite of Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii, limu huluhuluwaena is famous for having been transplanted from West Maui to Waikiki, Oahu, to satisfy the queen’s cravings.

Seaweed, or limu, is central to traditional Hawaiian gastronomy. It is one of the first organisms mentioned in the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant. Eaten alongside fish and poi (taro paste), limu provides a diversity of flavors and nutrients, including riboflavin and vitamins A, B12, and C. Limu is used as a condiment, often mixed with inamona (roasted candlenuts and sea salt), and as a vegetable, in salads, stews, and meat and raw-fish dishes. Hawaii is one of the areas of Polynesia where the consumption of seaweed is still a common practice. The Hawaiian language has more than one hundred names for various kinds of limu.

Limu huluhuluwaena has a delicate flavor, dark red color, and hair-like texture. Once harvested, limu huluhuluwaena is washed and then typically minced, salted, and added to broiled octopus, cooked beef, or raw liver. It was traditionally gathered by groups of women who would take care not to damage the base of the plant, since doing so could harm its ability to reproduce.

Limu huluhuluwaena is at risk because of the influx of non-native seaweed, oceanic pollution, overexploitation, and inappropriate harvesting (the roots are often taken along with the edible branches). In addition, the overuse of freshwater resources on land has decreased the presence of brackish waters (in which limu huluhuluwaena thrives) along the coast.

Limu kohu (Asparagopsis taxiformis) is a red algae that grows in the intertidal zones surrounding Hawaii. Found in areas with high wave action, this species grows on shallow reefs and papa (rocky flats), at depths of about 12 meters or less (it requires a lot of light). Its lateral stems form filamentous stalks 9 centimeters long, which produce spores that are broken off and dispersed by the powerful wave movement.

Seaweed, or limu, is central to traditional Hawaiian gastronomy. It is one of the first organisms mentioned in the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant. Eaten alongside fish and poi (taro paste), limu provides a diversity of flavors and nutrients, including riboflavin and vitamins A, B12, and C. Limu is used as a condiment, often mixed with inamona (roasted candlenuts and sea salt), and as a vegetable, in salads, stews, and meat and raw-fish dishes. Hawaii is one of the areas of Polynesia where the consumption of seaweed is still a common practice. The Hawaiian language has more than one hundred names for various kinds of limu.

Known as the “supreme” or “pleasing” seaweed, limu kohu has a penetrating iodine flavor that makes it suitable as a seasoning for raw fish, raw liver, and stewed beef dishes. Many traditional recipes for poke (marinated diced raw fish) require the use of limu kohu, in addition to inamona and other seasonings, because of this seaweed’s distinctive flavor and briny crunch. Once harvested, limu kohu is soaked in water to mellow its pungency. After soaking, limu kohu is salted, dried, pounded, and rolled into small balls for preservation and storage.

Unlike many other varieties of limu, limu kohu is not cultivated; it can be harvested only in the wild. Though it used to be commonly sold at markets, raw limu kohu is becoming increasingly difficult to find for sale in Hawaii. Most limu kohu purchased today is dried and salted, to be used as seasoning ingredient in fish dishes such as poke.

The future of limu kohu is threatened largely by the lack of knowledge of sustainable harvesting methods: To properly harvest limu kohu, the stalks must be broken from the stem without removing the base of the plant. The stalks should then be rubbed on a rough surface, without harming the reef, to release the spores into the water so that limu kohu will continue to grow at the harvest site.

Kalo, or taro, is the most important traditional food crop of Hawaii, and Manalauloa is one of the most cherished varieties of Hawaiian kalo.

Kalo grows on erect stems that can be green, red, black, or variegated. The new leaf and stem unroll as they emerge from the stalk. The stems usually grow several feet high, and new little plants appear around the base of the root corm. The inflorescence is a spike covered with flowers inside an open yellow-white tube. Roots extend from the large, elongated corn.

With ancient origins in India and Southeast Asia, kalo is a “canoe plant,” one carried by boat as Polynesians migrated through the Pacific. Only in Hawaii, however, did kalo become the most important dietary staple and an essential element of the culture. Kalo is so important to native Hawaiians that it is featured in the Hawaiian creation myth: Haloa, the older brother of humankind and son of Papa, the Earth Mother, and Wakea, the Sky Father, was stillborn. When Haloa was buried, a kalo plant arose from the grave.

More than 300 kalo cultivars have been grown and named in these islands, with differences in size, shape, and flavor. Yet only about 60 Hawaiian kalo varieties remain today, and many of these are endangered. This is mainly because of the destruction of the lo’i, or kalo-growing terraces, which provided fast-flowing, cool water for the wetland kalo varieties. With continuing pressure for more development in Hawaii, the shortage of land with sufficient water only worsens. An invasive snail, called the golden apple, and the physically hard work of kalo farming are other challenges. To make matters worse, most of the few commercial growers remaining produce only one kalo variety, Lehua. Because kalo supplies are so limited, prices are high. Manalauloa kalo, a mainly upland variety, is particularly rare.

Different parts of the kalo plant can be used in all kinds of dishes: The leaves are cooked as greens, like spinach, and used to wrap fish and meat, which is then steamed in an underground oven. The large, gray-to-purple corms, also called kalo, are eaten baked, boiled, or steamed. (Neither the leaves nor the corms can be eaten raw, because they contain oxalic acid crystals.) The cooked corms are mashed with plenty of water to make poi, which is eaten right away or allowed to sour for several days, or mashed with only a little water to make pa’i’ai.

Manalauloa kalo is prized for the sticky, gummy mouthfeel of the pounded corms and their distinctive flavor, which has been described both as delicate and sweet and as complex and earthy. Manalauloa is considered the best kalo for making kulolo, a traditional dessert that combines coconut and kalo. Manalauloa kalo, said one farmer, is “the one we use for our table taro, for taking to a party or dinner with friends, for pupu [a platter of mixed foods] at a meeting, for taro salad.” The leaves of Manalauloa kalo are also favored, for their large size.

Kalo is extremely nutritious. Because the small starch grains in the corms are easily digested, and because kalo is hypoallergenic, poi is often fed to babies, the sick, and the elderly. Kalo is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B, and C.

Today efforts to revive the farming of kalo, especially of threatened varieties such as Manalauloa, are inseparable from efforts to promote native Hawaiian culture and self-determination.

The Kanaka Maoli, a Hawaiian indigenous population, are intimately connected to the Kalo, or more commonly known as the taro plant, from which this poi is made. Their creation myth maintains that kalo grew from the first-born of Father Sky and Daughter Earth, and that the plant is the greatest life force of all foods. Early Polynesian settlers brought Kalo to Hawai’i where it quickly became a staple of the regional diet. To make poi, the whole tuber of the Kalo plant is cooked and mashed with water. Poi is often referred to as the “soul food” of Hawaii. Poi is consumed both freshly mashed and after days of fermentation. Poi is nutritious as it contains fiber and vitamins C and B-1 as well as the minerals potassium, magnesium and iron. Medicinally, poi is ingested to settle the stomach and used topically mixed with ripe noni fruit as a poultice, which is applied to boils and infected sores. Poi is mostly homemade, and so the knowledge of this Hawai’ian food is in danger of extinction.

Kiawe honey comes exclusively from the flowers of the kiawe (“kee-AH-vay”) tree, a type of mesquite, Prosopis pallida, that grows in the arid environment of the leeward side of Hawaii, where the soil is rocky and volcanic. Because it naturally crystallizes to a creamy texture, Kiawe honey is pearly-white, with a waxy, caramel-like consistency and a menthol flavor that is unique among honeys.

It is believed that the first kiawe tree was brought to Hawaii about 1828 by Alexis Bachelot, the first Catholic missionary to arrive on the Big Island. From this single tree, the kiawe eventually spread to cover more than 150,00 acres and to become the principal shade tree of Honolulu. Its seed pods became an important source of fodder for cattle.

Although Prosopis pallida, native to Central and South America, is considered invasive on many Pacific islands, it isn’t in Hawaii, because it grows only at low elevations and in certain coastal climates. In such places kiawe has proven valuable, because it tolerates saltwater, it resists desertification, its wood is good for fuel, its seeds can be made into a protein-rich flour, and, finally, the nectar from its flowers makes an exquisite honey.

The honeybee was introduced to Hawaii in 1860. For over one hundred years, beekeepers have been producing kiawe honey from a single stand of trees, an isolated oasis of one thousand acres situated on an aquifer that allows the trees to grow to an enormous size. Whereas mesquite trees typically grow to twenty feet, the trees from which kiawe honey is made often reach heights of sixty feet or more.

The honey produced in this kiawe forest is ninety-nine percent pure kiawe. It must be harvested in a very specific way for the product to maintain its integrity. First, the combs are selected one at a time. If harvested a little too early, the honey will ferment; if harvested too late, it will have crystallized in the comb, so the honey can’t be spun out. Crystallized honey can be melted with heat, but applying heat would radically alter the taste, texture, color and nutritional qualities of this rare and delicate honey.

Because kiawe honey is produced in only one area and by only a few beekeepers, it is at high risk of disappearing.

The honey extracted from the Ohi'a Lehua tree is unique to Hawaii. The Ohi'a Lehua grows at many elevations but thrives in the rain forests of the Kau regions of the island. It was the first tree to grow directly out of the hardened black lava covering the island of Hawaii. The flowers of the tree are called Lehua and their brilliant red color contrasts vividly against the black rocks and the pale gray green of the leaves.

The Ohi'a Lehua blossom produces a smooth, white honey that is thick and creamy. It is most distinguished for its texture, which is creamy and yet slightly crystallized. The flavor is sweet, but not overpowering. The taste could be described as floral, rather than herbal, with undertones of salted caramel, and more distinctive overall than other light honeys such as clover or kiawe (mesquite).

The Lehua is the official flower of the island of Hawai'i. It is also known as Pele's Flower. In Hawaiian mythology, Ohi'a and Lehua were two lovers. The Volcano Goddess Pele desired Ohi'a. But Ohi'a only had eyes for Lehua and rejected Pele's advances. In a jealous fit, the fiery tempered Pele turned Ohi'a into a twisted tree. Heartbroken Lehua pleaded with the other gods to help her. Out of pity, the gods turned Lehua into a flower, which they placed on Ohi'a's tree forever uniting the two lovers. The legend remains today that it will rain when a Lehua is plucked from the tree, signifying the tears of the separated lovers.

The decline of the Ohi'a Lehua canopy has been the subject of considerable research since 1975. The once vast tracts of land where they once predominated are starting to dwindle, and the decline cannot be attributed to one sole cause. The lack of ability for the trees to withstand environmental stress, diseases and insect attacks may cause thousands of acres of forest to die off. The environmental stress, mainly dwindling territory, changing weather patterns and invasive species of plants, weakens the trees and leaves them more susceptible to insect attack, which are plentiful. The endemic cerambycid (or longhorn) borer is fatal to weakened trees and has caused extensive damage. Other borers, defoliators and sapsuckers also cause injury, as well as root rots of various kinds.

The honeybees themselves are also at risk. Honeybee populations flourished under the temperate climate of Hawai'i until 2007 when the Varroa mite arrived. The parasitic mite had a devastating effect on the honeybee population and most if not all of the feral bee colonies disappeared. Since 2010 the local bees were damaged further with the arrival of the Small Hive beetle, a pest that feeds on pollen, honey and developing bees. If not controlled, they will completely destroy the hive. Because the honey made from this tree is so special and unique, it must be protected with a vengeance.

Ohi'a Lehua honey is only produced in Hawai'i. It is produced commercially in limited quantities by only a handful of small privately owned apiaries who are kept busy ensuring its purity. Many of these private producers are families who feel a personal calling to keep this honey on the market. These families get a lot of support and praise from the local community for providing them with the honey that they remember from their childhood. The residents of Hawai'i cherish the Ohi'a Lehua honey. They recognize its unique quality, taste, and its connection to these sacred islands.

Inamona is a Hawaiian condiment made from roasted nuts of the kukui, or candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccanus), and pa'akai, Hawaiian salt. Inamona is used in Hawaiian cooking to add a distinctive salty, nutty flavor to vegetable, pork, and raw fish dishes. It is an essential ingredient in poke (marinated diced raw fish) and is sometimes mixed with the various kinds of seaweed (limu) that feature in Hawaiian gastronomy.

The kukui tree is the official state tree of Hawaii, and its blossom is the official flower of Moloka'i. The tree was brought to Hawaii by Polynesian seafarers as one of the "canoe plants" intentionally carried across the sea to cultivate on new islands. Early Hawaiians used kukui bark, wood, roots, nuts, flowers, and sap to make torches, leis, and kapa (barkcloth). Kukui nuts can be consumed raw and are used medicinally as a laxative.

To make traditional inamona, the kukui fruits are harvested, dried, and husked. The exposed dried nuts are roasted over hot coals until evenly blackish brown. They are then cooled, sometimes dipped in cold water to crack the secondary husk and expose the kernel. First ground with a pohaku (stone) and kini (mortar), the crushed kukui kernels are then mixed with pa'akai to prevent rancidity. The pa'akai used in the production of traditional inamona has a mineral flavor and a reddish-brown color caused by the presence of alaea (volcanic clay). Some modern recipes call for the addition of chilies or chili water. Traditionally, inamona is stored in an ipu (gourd), which keeps the condiment cool and allows it to breath. If kept in a dry, cool place, inamona can last for 6 months to a year, but it is traditionally prepared fresh as needed.

While inamona is still made at home with foraged kukui nuts, it can also now be purchased at Hawaiian markets and online--but most of the inamona on the market is made using non-traditional processes. The traditional process for preparing inamona is at risk of being lost, along with the traditional flavor of this Hawaiian speciality, as coal roasting is replaced with oven roasting, crushing techniques are mechanized, and the addition of salt as a preservative is no longer necessary (some commercial "inamona" is simply crushed kukui nuts in a sealed bag).

Traditional Hawai’ian table salt, called Pa'akai, is an unprocessed salt that is rich in natural seawater minerals. The Alaea Pa’akai salt is reddish-brown in color due to the addition of a red volcanic clay called Alaea. This addition does not alter the salt’s taste or smell, but does significantly increase its health benefits; it is composed of over 80 unique minerals. Alaea salt has a delicate and smooth flavor that is mellower and less salty than regular table salt, and its texture is intensely crunchy.

Customarily Alaea sea salt was used by Hawai’ians to cleanse, purify and bless tools, canoes, homes and temples. Alaea is also used in several traditional Hawai’ian dishes such as Kalua Pig, Hawai’ian Jerky and Poke. Because the salt is harvested by hand, it is expensive and hard to find on the mainland. Traditionally, salt making communities have a prohibition for selling this salt — it can only be given, not sold.

While many people are aware of the extensive history of sugarcane in Hawai’i, fewer people recognize that the Hawaiians cultivated some 50-60 varieties of sugarcane prior to European arrival. In fact, the modern sugarcane that spurred plantations and production around the world originated in the Pacific in Papua New Guinea. Because Hawai‘i was an essential breeding area and experimental station for early sugarcane production, many modern sugarcane hybrids have distant ancestry of Hawaiian sugarcanes in their pedigree.

Hawai‘i has an extensive history of sugarcane that predates the arrival of the Europeans. The Hawaiians cultivated some 50-60 varieties of sugarcane prior to European arrival. The modern sugarcane that spurred plantations and production around the world originated in the Pacific in Papua New Guinea. Because Hawai’i was an essential breeding area and experimental station for early sugarcane production, many modern sugarcane hybrids have distant ancestry of Hawaiian sugarcanes in their pedigree.

Hawaiians were perhaps the most innovative farmers in the Pacific, likely due to the broad range of soil types and ecological habitats located in the islands; across these diverse ecosystems they cultivated foods in a variety of ways. Sugarcane was often an essential part of the cropping system, and could be found cultivated along flooded terraces of Taro, forming hedges of windbreaks in extensive Sweet Potato plantations, growing in mulched pits on fresh lava rock, or in a variety of other settings. Hawaiians used sugar much as we do today. The soft, sweet stalks could be chewed on directly as a quick sugary snack. The juice was extracted and used in a range of culinary preparations. Sugarcane juice was used to sweeten medicinal concoctions or as an active ingredient in fermentation. Today it has a wide range of culinary applications. The pressed juice is often used directly in mixes such as for a Mojito. Spears of the pith can be used in cooking meat or flavoring other dishes.

The different varieties developed by the Hawaiians excelled in different habitats, vary considerably in their appearance, and also vary in their taste, sugar content, and mineral quality.

The dramatic history of sugar plantations around the world is what comes to mind when people think of sugarcane. Unfortunately, with the advent of focused breeding programs aimed at maximizing monoculture production the heirloom varieties developed by Hawaiian agriculturalists have been overshadowed by commercial hybrids, and many have already been lost to history. These commercial varieties have been so well engineered for their purpose that they became useless for backyard growers. The tough rind and relatively low sugar content that has been bred into the commercial canes is optimized for large scale mills and plantation-style agriculture, and prevents any small scale usage of these accessible varieties. However, the Pacific heirloom varieties, exemplified by the Hawaiian varieties, are soft, thick, and extremely sweet – ideally suited for low-infrastructure usage.

A core collection of about 30-40 known Hawaiian canes still exists through several small organizations devoted to Hawaiian ethnobotany. These organizations promote their usage and disseminate cuttings of the varieties to all who inquire. Although the remaining varieties are stable and cared for in several collections, they are not widespread outside of these collections. Currently there are only two known producers using the heirloom cane varieties for moderate scale production, both of which make high end spirits.

Five varieties of Ko Sugar Cane have been accepted into Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste.

Sugarcane takes approximately 2 years from planting before it begins to flower. Canes typically flower in the late fall or early winter in the tropics, with the most flowering occurring in November or December. The individual flowers are typically rosy to pale lavender colored and fade to white or silver as they seed. The stalks are harvested at full maturity but before flowering, as the flowering process lowers the sugar content.

Hālāli‘i is a green and yellow or light orange striped cane with slightly variegated leaves. It is said to be a tough cane, thriving in the most marginal of climates, and that it does not tassel freely.

The plant consists of a common root clump that supports several straight, typically unbranched stalks. The stalks range in height from 2 to 6 meters and have a disproportionately small diameter, typically 2 to 8 centimeters. They are variably coated in a wax coating, called the bloom, which can be virtually non-existent or so thick as to obscure the true stalk color beneath a frosty facade. The strong and rigid external part of the stalks protects the soft interior that is filled with an airy or watery spongy tissue. It is from the soft, juicy interior of the stalk that sugar is extracted.

The leaves are generally smooth on the top and bottom, but like all grasses have serrated, saw-tooth edges that can irritate the skin and even cause cuts.

Laukona is a tall perennial grass with green and white striped stalk and variegated green and white leaves.

The plant consists of a common root clump that supports several straight, typically unbranched stalks. The stalks range in height from 2 to 6 meters and have a disproportionately small diameter, typically 2 to 8 centimeters. They are variably coated in a wax coating, called the bloom, which can be virtually non-existent or so thick as to obscure the true stalk color beneath a frosty facade. The strong and rigid external part of the stalks protects the soft interior that is filled with an airy or watery spongy tissue. It is from the soft, juicy interior of the stalk that sugar is extracted.

The leaves are generally smooth on the top and bottom, but like all grasses have serrated, saw-tooth edges that can irritate the skin and even cause cuts. For the most part the leaves are light green striped with white when young and pea green with yellow or orangish stripes when exposed to the sun.

Maikoiko is a tall perennial grass with dark purple stalk and dark green leaves.

The plant consists of a common root clump that supports several straight, typically unbranched stalks. The stalks of this cane were said to be the blackest of the Hawaiian canes when exposed to the sun. The stalks range in height from 2 to 6 meters and have a disproportionately small diameter, typically 2 to 8 centimeters. They are variably coated in a wax coating, called the bloom, which can be virtually non-existent or so thick as to obscure the true stalk color beneath a frosty facade. The strong and rigid external part of the stalks protects the soft interior that is filled with an airy or watery spongy dark brown tissue. It is from the soft, juicy interior of the stalk that sugar is extracted.

The leaves are generally smooth on the top and bottom, but like all grasses have serrated, saw-tooth edges that can irritate the skin and even cause cuts. For the most part the leaves are light green or yellowish with a very slight tinge of red.

Pua'ole sugarcane is famous cane in Hawaiian history, known most for being a flower-less cane. The name Pua’ole literally refers to this characteristics, meaning “without flower.”

The plant consists of a common root clump that supports several straight, typically unbranched stalks. The stalks are yellow and green striped that become flushed with pink, dark rose or even purple with the sun exposure. They range in height from 2 to 6 meters and have a disproportionately small diameter, typically 2 to 8 centimeters. They are variably coated in a wax coating, called the bloom, which can be virtually non-existent or so thick as to obscure the true stalk color beneath a frosty facade. The strong and rigid external part of the stalks protects the soft interior that is filled with an airy or watery spongy tissue. It is from the soft, juicy interior of the stalk that sugar is extracted.

The leaves are generally smooth on the top and bottom, but like all grasses have serrated, saw-tooth edges that can irritate the skin and even cause cuts. For the most part the leaves are green or yellow-green with white, off-white or pink stripes.

Uahiapele (Saccharum officinarum v. Uahiapele) has a brownish-red, reddish-purple or purple stalk frosted with a white wax bloom and green leaves. Its name means "the smoke of Pele," the Volcano goddess in Hawaiian mythology. The plant consists of a common root clump supporting several straight, unbranched stalks. The stalks range in height from 2 to 6 meters and have a disproportionately small diameter, typically 2 to 8 centimeters. The strong and rigid external part of the stalks protects the soft, juicy interior of the stalk from which sugar is extracted.

The leaves are generally smooth, but like all grasses have serrated, saw-tooth edges that can irritate the skin and even cause cuts. For the most part the leaves are shades of green but can also have shades of pale yellow, purple or pink. Sugarcane takes about two years from planting before it flowers. Most flowering occurs in November or December. The stalks are harvested at full maturity but before flowering, as the flowering process lowers the sugar content.