Free information from me how you can live on Big Island if you want to (Hilo: leasing, insurance)

[McFrostyJ]

While we were on Molokai we went to Purdy's Natural Macadamia Nut Farm and one thing that really impressed me was how neat and clean everything was. If you looked around you didn't see one nut or shell on the ground under any of their trees. Not even a weed! They said they go out and pick up the new fallen nuts twice a day and I am sure that makes their job much easier. They sell the raw nuts which were very good, but my favorite was the roasted. When roasting them they use no oil, preservatives or additives and the result is an AMAZING tasting nut!
Purdy's Natural Macadamia Nuts - Molokai, Hawaii

[mangodog]

I think the raw nuts are better, nutritionally than roasted; although I love them both.. But, dont EVER put soy sauce on roasting mac nuts... Not ever - unless you want to have a new experience. And dont ever put this finished recipe into a salad with chicken . If you do, do it at your own risk and I will all ways deny I ever wrote such a thing.

I have a friend send me raw full Pecan halves from Georgia. They are awesome and very healthy.

Has anyone ever noticed that pecan halves resemble the human brain as in a topigraphical view. Halve Walnuts too have this similarity.

If you want further proof compare photos of them.... Google human brain in situ.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

[[[[......getting organic certification.....]]]]

Not saying it can't be done, but growing just about anything on Hawaii with 100% Mother Earth News type of organic methods is going to be a lot of work.

The macadamias don't have a lot of pests (yet) in Hawaii , but there are bugs that damage the nutmeat. Going 100% organic and stopping those bugs will take extra effort.

Money can be made with organic produce but I suspect that the people who do it are very devoted to their lifestyle.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

[[[[......getting organic certification.....]]]]

That takes a minimum of 5 years.

Not saying it can't be done, but growing just about anything on Hawaii with 100% Mother Earth News type of organic methods is going to be a lot of work.

A lot of work, a lot of frustration, a lot of ruined food... yup.

The macadamias don't have a lot of pests (yet) in Hawaii , but there are bugs that damage the nutmeat. Going 100% organic and stopping those bugs will take extra effort.

I know some folks who tried it and quit, it was too frustrating. Sometimes it seems like Hawai'i is just made out of bugs.

Money can be made with organic produce but I suspect that the people who do it are very devoted to their lifestyle.

Yes, it's a lifestyle thing. If it were easy or simple everyone would do it, but for most farmers it's just not worth the heartache.

[mangodog]

you all dont know what pests are until you read about this rotten creature - pest that attacks certain fish in California.....

TONGUE-EATING LOUSE

Family: Cymothoidae

Habitat: Coastal California

Fun Fact: This creature enters a fish's body through its gills, attaches itself to the base of the

fish's tongue and extracts blood from the tongue with its claws. Then it replaces the tongue by attaching itself to the muscles of the exposed tongue stub. The fish uses the louse as if the parasite were its very own tongue.

citydata wont let me attach the photo but you can google the above and find the photo yourself

[MyrrMade]

Originally Posted by McFrostyJ

While we were on Molokai we went to Purdy's Natural Macadamia Nut Farm and one thing that really impressed me was how neat and clean everything was. If you looked around you didn't see one nut or shell on the ground under any of their trees. Not even a weed! They said they go out and pick up the new fallen nuts twice a day and I am sure that makes their job much easier. They sell the raw nuts which were very good, but my favorite was the roasted. When roasting them they use no oil, preservatives or additives and the result is an AMAZING tasting nut!
Purdy's Natural Macadamia Nuts - Molokai, Hawaii

Well, I wonder what the trick is to mac nuts. I had a tree in So. Cal. that did very well and I got alot of nuts but no matter what I tried, they never tasted like commercial. Just kinda blah. Roasted, toasted, just never tasted like I expected.

Fascinating how the tree is in all stages of production at once---at least there it was. Flowers, immature developing nuts and mature nuts. All at once. Is that normal?

And man...trying to crack them. Sledgehammer on the sidewalk, cracked the sidewalk

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by MyrrMade

...trying to crack them. Sledgehammer on the sidewalk, cracked the sidewalk

It shouldn't be hard at all. With these simple and inexpensive tools, cracking Macadamia nuts is super easy! Actually, if you make one of these little foam Macadamia nut holders, you don't even need a hammer, a small rock will do. The trick is to not strike the shell too hard so that you can keep the nut whole. Another piece of advice, if you are doing this in Hawaii, watch out for jumping roosters. They like Mac nuts too!

[mangodog]

maybe cracking mac nuts in full view of a jumping rooster could be novel way of catching or trapping errant roosters for the cooking pot or to put in a chicken coop.

Also, no one has mentioned that mac nuts when kept in their hard shell will last for years and not turn rancid !!!

[tcamacho]

My daughter has come up with the idea of moving there. It'll be myself, my husband, daughter, her fiance, and my grandson. I have family there, but don't know them. I'm wondering how difficult it would be to move there. What's the job market like? How expensive is rent for a 3 bedroom 2 bath apartment? How dependable is the transportation? I'd appreciate your input.

[OpenD]

aloha tcamacho

The quickest way to get your general questions answered in depth is follow the suggestion in the Terms of Service and use the Search function at the top of the page to dig into the archives. Once you have the background information, you'll be much better equipped to ask the right questions for your situation.

But to give you a quick overview, the cost of living here is higher than most of the mainland, and wages are lower. Unemployment is probably about double the mainland average, and jobs are hard to find. It's a very challenging place to move with a child because the schools are among the lowest rated in the country. There's a skeleton bus system. Check Craig's List for rents but I'd guess $1500 for rent.

Good luck.