Angel of Agriculture

A few weekends ago, I spent the morning with Dan Nakasone for the North Shore Cattle Co story. We kept loading activities in, so our schedule became packed with breakfast at Haleiwa Farmers' Market (giant burrito for Dan and his wife Linda and two cups of shave ice for me and Ben...we couldn't resist trying all of Waialua Sugar Mill's homemade shave ice syrups), tour of North Shore Cattle Co, and Kahuku Farms' new vanilla venture, all before a tomato patch luncheon at Jeanne Vana's North Shore Farms.

At Haleiwa market, Dan is no less than a celebrity. Sabrina St. Martin of Naked Cow Dairy calls him an "angel of agriculture", a phrase I'm to hear again later on other farm visits and interviews, and Laurie Carlson, publisher of the Honolulu Weekly, calls him a fixer, the ag equivalent of a local guide who helps foreign journalists in providing local connections, translation and transportation. Just recently, he was guiding Conde Nast Traveller journalists through the Hawaii local ag landscape. But his expertise isn't exclusive to "foreign" journalists; he's also responsible for sourcing much of the local products used in Alan Wong's restaurants. 


At Haleiwa market, I see Mohala Farms' beautiful produce that I had seen in the fields just a few days prior.


And Twin Bridge Farms' stand, there's the asparagus, of course. Milton Agader stands behind his produce, like a proud parent, guiding me to the purple bell peppers, potatoes (I'm still absurdly excited when I see local potatoes) and four different varieties of hot peppers.


Then to North Shore Cattle Co...we feel especially privileged to be up here, and Kay Lum takes time to talk to us right before she jets off to the Phillipines with family. I never met Doc Lum, and as cliched as it sounds, his presence is still felt on the ranch--in the cattle, in the family that work there. The resulting story is inadequate in capturing the scope of his life.


This is the second ranch I've been to in Hawaii, and it confirms my belief that during the cattle's life on pasture, their lives are worthy of envy for this writer: beautiful views and endless hours to ruminate. The grass during the summer is a little drier than the ranchers would like. Hence the constant refrain: "Pray for rain!"


Then to Kahuku Farm's vanilla project in Haleiwa. They just finished hand-pollinating the flowers, and we're too late to see any of the vanilla orchids, but if we bring our noses close to the green pods, we smell the hint of what's to come. Harvest is projected to be in January, and it's then, via the curing the process, that vanilla begins to develop its prized fragrance.


Dan leaves us at Jeanne Vana's tomato patch, for a Slow Food lunch. I wish had pictures of the spread and of our tables between the tomato fields, but by then I'm simply ravenous for the good food and good company in the warm North Shore sun and I ditch the camera.