June 2009
It's another early morning for the KITV Morning Show crew as they visit Kahumana, a state-certified therapeutic facility that also has a 9-acre organic farm deep in Lualualei Valley. The farm feeds the residents and staff of the facility and also the community at the Waianae Farmers' Market every Saturday morning.
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| KITV's Dan Meisenzahl talks about the organic farm with
Kahumana director, Robert Zuckerman; Ranjith Kumar, cook; Jothy Kumar,
farmer. |
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Kahumana provides a therapeutic residential community for the
mentally, emotionally and physically disabled. They also manage
the State's transitional housing facility that helps homeless families
get back on their feet.
Kahumana Farms grows a wide variety of organic produce,
including: red beets, swiss chard, green beans, eggplant,
green onions, leeks, kale, carrots, lettuce, mizuna, herbs,
papaya, banana, lilikoi, mango, guava and more. Organic
farming does not use pesticides and utilizes sustainable farming
practices. Farm manager, Jothy Kumar is orginally from Sri Lanka
and has been farming in Hawai`i for about 10 years.
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| Cook Ranjith Kumar does a quick, simple saute of some swiss
chard. Dan says it tastes similar to spinach. |
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If you would like to try some of Kahumana's organic vegetables
and fruits, look for them at the Waianae Farmers' Market every
Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive
Health Center, 86-260 Farrington Highway in Waianae.
Kahumana Farms sell their organic produce and also value-added
products like awesome carrot cake, lilikoi cheesecake, bean salad,
prepared beets and special dishes that Robert and Ranjith cook up.
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| The early birds are still sleeping when
this photo was taken of the Kahumana crew and Dan with the spendid
array of fruits and vegetables grown at the farm. Yikes!
It's about 5:15 a.m.! |
| For more information on Kahumana and all the services they provide
the community, go to their website at: http://kahumana.org/ |
