What's Wrong with Medical Care in Hawaii?

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by ladysheets

all that fresh produce sounds SO GOOD

Hawaii has a lot less fresh produce than other places. Almost all our food is shipped in. We don't have the capability to be self sustaining with the current population. Each person requires several acres worth of food production, and these are small islands.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Hawaii has a lot less fresh produce than other places. Almost all our food is shipped in. We don't have the capability to be self sustaining with the current population. Each person requires several acres worth of food production, and these are small islands.

It's different on the Big Island. By shopping at Farmers Markets, and getting to know the vendors, I buy almost 100% local grown produce, and the freshness is fabulous. But you do have to be on your toes, because some vendors try to pass off imports as home grown. If they say it's local pineapple, but the boxes behind them say Costa Rica, I don't buy from them.

Overall, to be accurate, according to the study being done by Agroforestry.net, 85% of our food is imported.

[mdand3boys]

@open the amount of vendors that are simply buying food at local grocery stores and reselling is rather eye-opening i suspect most of this kind of sale is done with food stamps at the grocery store then brought to the farmers market so they can obtain cash

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

@open the amount of vendors that are simply buying food at local grocery stores and reselling is rather eye-opening i suspect most of this kind of sale is done with food stamps at the grocery store then brought to the farmers market so they can obtain cash

I haven't run into that myself. I mostly shop at the Volcano Farmer's Market, where I'm on a first name basis now with many vendors, and I know where their farms are and what their growing practices are. And at Hilo it's easy to stick with vendors who are bringing in truckloads from their farms. Like I said, checking out which ones simply have cardboard cartons of imports rather than big plastic farm tubs is easy. I mean, why buy bananas from Central America when da local kine is so easy to find?

I do buy a few things from one uncle who sells imports that he gets from wholesalers, if I want something that is not available local grown, but he is reliable and his produce is very fresh and clean and attractively bagged, and he's straight about where his stuff is from.

I am also blessed by another resource that others don't have... 5 miles mauka from my place is a big vegetable farm on the highlands that has a self-service produce stand with great stuff... they pick it, put it in tubs in a little shed out front with the prices on them, you make your selection and leave the money in an old Folger's jar. I love that!