New Food Preservation Committee Formed

Food Preservation Information

The Food Preservation committee is dedicated to helping gardeners preserve their bounty. One of the worst things that can happen to a gardener is to have a gorgeous crop only to see it go to waste or rot because it cannot be used before it goes bad. We hope to remedy this situation by giving you all the information we can on food preservation.

There are many ways of preserving food. Some of them are; dehydration, canning, pickling and freezing.

The main thing is to not be scared of the process. It is not necessary to put up an entire acre of food as was done in years past. It is possible to preserve a few jars or bags at a time. This is especially important these days when we all have to work at jobs away from home.

Some publications that might be helpful are the following.

Dry It You’ll Like It, by Gen Macmaniman. This is a self published book full of fun and neat ideas. It is available from amazon.com.. The last printing was 2000, and it may be only available as used. But if you are into drying food it is worth the effort to find it.

Ball Blue Book, Guide to Preserving, available online but not through the Ball canning jar company’s web site. This book has been around since 1909 and is still the definitive book on food preservation. It covers almost all aspects of food preservation from canning to pickling to freezing. All types of foods are included.

Preserve It Naturally, The Complete Guide To Food Dehydration. This book is put out by the Excalibur Dehydrator company and is available at www.excaliburdehydrator.com. This is an excellent guide to dehydrating all foods and is especially helpful by rating how well each food dries.

We will be having a table set up at the Sustainability Fair on Nov. 12. Be sure to stop by and see us.

The Botany of Desire – full program online

A PBS video available online featuring Michael Pollan and based on his best-selling book, this special takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration of the human relationship with the plant world — seen from the plants’ point of view. Narrated by Frances McDormand, the program shows how four familiar species — the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato — evolved to satisfy our yearnings for sweetness, beauty, intoxication and control.

South Maui Water Quality – What You Can do

On September 10, 2009 Robin Knox spoke at the monthly SMS meeting about South Maui water quality and how we can have a hand in designing and creating the South Maui Watershed.

Robin Knox is an environmental scientist with more than 25 years experience in Clean Water regulation and pollution control. She specializes in developing water quality-based pollution controls that protect aquatic resources from man-made sources of pollution.

View Robin’s slide show.

Maalaea Bay’s once-vibrant reefs suffer decline at an alarming rate

The best place to see vibrant coral reefs in Maalaea may be at the Maui Ocean Center. The popular aquarium displays an abundant range of marine life that no longer exists in the adjacent bay, which has experienced a total collapse of its underwater ecosystem in recent years, due largely to human impacts.

[read full Maui News article]

New County Working Group to Examine Injection Well Options

Mayor Charmaine Tavares has convened a Community Working Group (CWG) to explore options to increase treated wastewater reuse to 100% within Maui Island. Represented in the group of 18 participants are developers, scientists, environmentalists, large and small scale farmers, community association representatives, a native Hawaiian fisherman and others. The CWG will meet at least once monthly over the next year and produce a report with recommendations in December 2010 to the Department of Environmental Management.

Below are the details for the first meeting. Subsequent meetings will be scheduled after consulting with the CWG members.

Where:
Kalana Pakui Building, First Floor
Planning Department Conference Room
250 S. High Street

When:
October 29th from 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Members of the public are invited to attend all the CWG meetings and provide comment. For more information, contact the Department of Environmental Management at 270-8230.

The American Meadow Garden

In his new well-illustrated book, The American Meadow Garden, John Greenlee has targeted the Great American Lawn – that notorious sink of fossil fuels, water, chemicals and spare time – for destruction. “The revolution is clearly on,” he says, adding: “It’s a one-garden-at-a-time revolution.” Greenlee describes one of the most exciting new directions in horticulture and design, yards made of combinations of grasses and compatible accent plants for different kinds of meadows. One chapter catalogs grasses and grasslike plants now available in the horticultural trade; another showcases outstanding domestic meadows, including some of Greenlee’s own designs.

[via the San Francisco Chronicle].

Smart grid gets test in Wailea

General Electric Co. recently announced it would test its “smart grid” technology in Wailea, hoping to reduce peak electricity consumption there by 15 percent by 2012.

[details: San Francisco Chronicle].

Next Meeting: South Maui Sustainability Hosts “Sustainability Gift Fair” Nov. 12

Think Globally, Act Locally with Greener Lifestyle Gift Ideas

6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Kihei Charter School [map]

South Maui Sustainability (SMS) will host a special holiday gift fair featuring local businesses that support greener lifestyles on Maui. The “Sustainability Gift Fair” event, taking place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, November 12, at Kihei Charter School will include more than a dozen vendors showcasing locally produced body care products, fresh island-grown produce, Hawaiian herb guides, food preservation tips, recycling services, personal chef services and much more.

Affordable gift certificates and sustainable products are available for purchase on site. The event will also feature delectable pupus, crafts and a presentation on eco-friendly tips for the holiday season.

Participants include Kula Fields, Maui Aloha Aina Association, David Bruce Leonard-Hawaiian Herbalist/Author, No Mo Plastic Bags , Alii Lavender Farm , Maui Favorites, Food Preservation, Maui Recycling Service, edible Hawaiian Islands Magazine, Joy’s Cafe, Kihei Charter School, Kihei Community Yoga, Barbara Berg-Children’s books, Phil and Paula- Jewelry, Beth Marcil,-Eco-Totes & T-shirts, Maui Academy of the Healing Arts, Earth Foundation, Mountain Slopes Water Company, Maui Tomorrow, The Sierra Club and others. Live music by Cambria Moss.

*Kihei Charter School location:
300 Ohukai Rd # 213

Directions: Coming from south Kihei, take the Pi’ilani Hwy toward the Mokulele. Turn right (mauka) onto Ohukai Road. Take your second right. Go straight to the very end and turn left around the building. Turn left into the next bay. KCS is located on the right. Coming from north of Kihei, turn left (mauka) onto Ohukai Road and follow the directions as above from Ohukai Road. Look for the blue and yellow signs.

Maui Weekly preview of Sustainabiity Gift Fair.

Click map to enlarge

Mayor’s Meeting on Agriculture Department Furloughs, October 27

Agriculture’s Plant Pest Control Branch employees as well as the furloughs for their agricultural inspectors, Mayor Charmaine Tavares will be hosting her third community meeting to bring important information to the public about the impacts of these staffing shortages. The meeting will be held at the Kaunoa West Senior Center on Tuesday, October 27th, beginning promptly at 6:00 p.m. Kaunoa West is located at 788 Pau‘oa Street in Lahaina. Proceed mauka on Lahainaluna Road and take the second right onto Pau‘oa Street. The meeting will include a Powerpoint presentation by Anna Mae Shishido, Maui County Supervisor for the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch. A panel discussion will follow to address the environment, impacts to agriculture and ranching, and how the community can help with early detection and reporting of pest species.

Panelists include:
Lissa Fox, Maui Invasive Species Committee Clark Hashimoto, Agricultural Specialist, Office of the Mayor Willilam Jacintho, Maui Cattlemen’s Association/Maui County Farm Bureau Kuhea Paracuelles, Environmental Coordinator, Office of the Mayor Anna Mae Shishido, Hawaii Department of Agriculture – Plant Quarantine Branch

Mahalo to Zeke Kalua and the West Maui Taxpayers Association for hosting this important meeting.

Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project: It’s for the Birds

On Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 4 p.m. the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project is hosting its first annual gala event, “It’s for the Birds” at the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center, 2841 Baldwin Avenue in Makawao

This will be an evening celebration to benefit future research and recovery efforts of Maui’s native forest birds.

It will feature music by Maui’s very own talented musicians Halemanu and George Kahumoku and a keynote presentation by Jack Jeffrey, one of Hawaii’s most well known conservationists and photographers, on Hawaii’s unique endemic avifauna.

Pupus and fine wine will be served with a silent auction.

[read more]