A few weeks ago, as a guest on the Haleiwa Farmers' Market North Shore Farm Tour, a busload of us headed country for a tour of a few North Shore farms. Haleiwa Farmers' Market (partnering with E Noa tours) hopes to add more farms and tours (i.e. a chocolate tour and Waianae tour) in the future, but for now, it's just this one, running twice a week to Poamoho Organic Produce, Waialua Sugar Mill and North Shore Cattle Co.
Above, Al Santoro on 7-acre Poamoho Organic Produce, which lies between Poamoho Gulch and Mt. Ka'ala. A former naval intelligence officer, he and his wife, Joan, converted former sugar cane land to an orchard which now fruits (when in season) mangoes, longan, lychee, Meyer lemons, limes, papayas, starfruit, tangerines, avocadoes, among others.
Chickens and ducks eat any fruit that fall to the ground, helping to keep the bug population down, while also of course providing eggs.
After Poamoho, we make a stop at the Waialua Sugar Mill, which Haleiwa Farmers' Market manager Pam Boyar likes to include on the tour to give a sense of history of the region, where most of the land used to be in sugar production. The smell of roasted coffee greets us and outside, crates of cacao pods are being delivered. We also sample Island X's shave ice with syrup that's made with real, local fruit like mango and pineapple.
Last stop: North Shore Cattle Co, where Ryan Lum talks of their cattle operations at the top of Haleiwa. We finish with a picnic lunch amongst gorgeous views.
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