Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Observations and trivialities

Carrot seeds smell wonderful and not at all like carrot.

Yellow beans like shade.

There is a type of basil here called "sacred basil" which is considered a weed and smells like tutti fruity gum.

If you switch up the shovels you use, you won't get blisters.

Insects and worms are surprisingly resilient to being smooshed, decapitated and or drowned.

Guavas smell better than they taste. They are everywhere on Maui.

I had a weird-ass dream last night in which i was late to work at the farm because I was eating breakfast at the Del Mar Fair with you, parents. To get to work I had to run through a frat-boy filled field at UVa and avoid getting sprayed by the power hoses they were dousing people with--it was terrifying and I was chased off the field. (Lulu has already pointed out the Freudian bizarreness of that episode, thank you.) When I got to work, everything went bright blue and I saw a Hawaiian Chile bush with gold branches and tinkling metal Hawaaian chiles which are purple, red and yellow--all on one bush. It was beautiful.

Airen, Airen's mother, Lulu and I went on an amazingly beautiful hike through the holy, ancient and haunted Iau Valley on Saturday. We climbed for an hour up scary slopes until we reached a plain at the top where we decided wild boars would probably nest. After eating a "raspberry" which we gave a 60% chance of being poisonous, we turned around and descended through bamboo and strawberry guava lined trails. Lulu and I came up with Haikus. Here's mine:

bouncy balls in trees
sour and sweet communities
strawberry guava

OR, if you think sour has two syllables:

bouncy balls in trees
sour, sweet communities
strawberry guava

Adieu,
CMC

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Worship

The WWOOFers are headed off to church (apparently we attend the drum circle every sunday) in a bit so I must make this brief. I've been less than consistent in updating the blog lately not only because the group here meshes really well and I find myself in its company often but also because, as a result of county inspections at Hale Akua, I have been moved to a much nicer but internet-lacking bedroom. Because of the inspections, the woman behind the legend, Lori Grace: Owner and Founder of Hale Akua/Shangri La has been on the premises for the past week. In the week preceding her arrival, you could hear the wind rushing through the bamboo and whispering "Lori Grace is coming! Lori Grace is coming!" The farm managers took heed to the wind's warnings and we WWOOFers spent a good week beautifying the gardens. (Read: weeding). Good news, Lori Grace is very nice indeed.

I bought a pretty sweet mumu-jumper last week that I have been wearing with pride. I'll photograph it for you.

I learned how to harvest lemongrass on friday and found it to be very rewarding even though it gave me a few nasty paper cuts.

I've started attending the complimentary yoga classes run by the retreat manager. His practice is interesting to me because it includes a good half-hour of breathing exercises before going in to postures. Another really interesting point to mention about the yoga is that the masculine energy in the class far outweighs the feminine. Lulu and I were the only females in a class of eight people. What with a lady-run farm and a manly yoga studio, I'm all sorts of gender confused on this place. (Awesome).

Aloha!
CMC

Friday, September 25, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Hippy Dippy Shit

In continuing with the I-can't-believe-this-is-my-life theme, Sunday I hitchhiked with Lulu and a fellow Woofer, Vi, two hours across the island to a place called Little Beach Near Wailea. Little Beach is a nude beach and every Sunday they have drum circles and fire dancing. Need I say more? Yes, yes I do.

First, I would like to mention briefly that our main ride to the Beach was a 40 or 50 something man driving a Toyota Previa, the back of which he had converted into a bed. Lulu and I were fortunate enough to get in the back (being careful to remove our shoes before dirtying his tatami mat) and enjoyed a half hour doze.

Alright, enough of that. On to the naked surfers. Technically there are no beaches on maui where it is legal to be nude. Little beach, however, is separated from big beach by a cliffy lava pathway that makes it difficult for authorities to enforce the dress code. When we arrived around noon, my first observation was that this was a gay cruising beach. Awesome. Well-buffed, solitary and shaved men dotted the beach showing off their bronzed, tan-line-free bods. (No complaints here). Occasionally they would shift their pose or move to the hammocks they had tied to the trees lining the beach. Instinct must have kicked in and told me "these are your people" because, before I had had a chance to process any of the this, I found myself situated on THE gayest end of the beach.

The beach itself was beautiful: surrounded by corral reefs and crashing blue crystal waves you could see through as you dove into them. As the sun set into the rainbow sky, the drum circle started and the crusty hippies took over. The young straight folk maintained a healthy and bathing-suit clad distance as a proper Venus of Willendorf took to her fire studded hula-hoop routine and her twelve year-old daughter followed suit with a fiery baton act. (The twelve-year-old kept her clothes on.) I happened to be sitting next to the girl's father who mentioned to me three times that "she does it for her daddy." I think I saw one of the buttons on his shirt pop. The whole day young girls with perpetual smiles on their faces combed the beaches with baskets full of chocolate. I know what you're thinking, "Chocolate and a hot day?" Guess they must have been really delicious or something... To the left, is the only picture I took. I was trying to use some discretion but you should note the old man in the the tree. He was combing the beach in a jock strap all day doing crazy yoga poses. I don't think he eats more than twice a week.

The night ended with everyone getting separated and a mild degree of drama. But, never fear, it was very mild indeed and I ended up going home with two other fellow WWOOFers. We all made it home safe and sound with time to spare for a good night's sleep before we started work at eight the next morning.

Below is a picture of my eight rows in the Grace Garden which i must nurture and shot of a cute little Okra and one of it's flowers. Today I planted rainbow chard in the first row on the left behind the carrots. I'm pretty stoked about it as it is a very beautiful crop.



Over and Out,
CMC

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The Aloha Way

I've been mulling around in my head the best way to start this post--something that would convey the humor and extreme absurdity of my day yesterday. I didn't come up with any good hook, however, and am, instead going to rely on the events of September the 12th 2009 and your knowledge of my awkwardness around children to create my intended effect.

After running some errands and grabbing lunch in town, Lulu and I hitched our way back to the farm. It was slow going and our third pick-up was a young dad and his three sun-bleached blonde kids. The two girls were immediately fascinated with Lulu and me. (Though, let's be honest, it was probably Lulu's heart-shaped shades that won them over.) How what happened next happened, I'm not really sure but Lulu and I did not make it back to the farm. We ended up baby-sitting. The whole day went pretty much like the picture above.

I mean, I've only been on the island a week and a half and have no way of gauging whether or not hiring two hitch-hikers to look after your adorable children is a common occurrence, but I'm going to chalk it up to The Aloha Way. And, you know what, once i tossed aside my mainland cynicism, it was really nice to live in a reality where you trusted strangers.

Friday, September 11, 2009

More on Dirt

I received some interesting intelligence from Chris, a farm manager, concerning my dirty toes. Turns out the dirt on Maui is used to dye clothes so it's no wonder that it dyes my skin as well. In other news, I have a new favorite plant and its name is okra. Apparently okra is related to hibiscus and the okra we eat is the result of beautiful cream colored flowers. The plants themselves are spindly and tall. They sway peacefully in the Maui breezes.

I spent most of today weeding and transplanting parsley. I've been assigned eight rows in one of the gardens that are mine to "nurture." Included in those rows are two beds of Okra, some lima beans, fennel, carrots, beets, cilantro, broccoli and other goodies. I'm pretty excited about my new babies.

I went in to Paia tonight with Lulu and Airen for some Kailua Pork. The sandwich was kind of soggy and over all meh, but it was nice to get off the farm.

I'll be sure to upload some pics for y'all manana.

Sleep well!
CMC

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

My whole body hurts. Why? Because today I dug another bed and planted it with lima beans. Yesterday I noted that I was
excited to have learned this skill which is still true today. However, what was different about today's bed turning experience was that the bed was twice as long, I did most of it myself, and it rained torrentially in the middle of it. Basically I was shoveling rain-heavy and clay-like soil for two hours and then turning that soil on top of itself while i mixed in chicken manure and oyster shells for calcium. By lunch time, my movements were lethargic and I felt as though I were floating, not walking. My back and obliques are going to be angry for the next two days.

On another note, it turns out WWOOFers at Hale Akua have group therapy seshes after work on Mondays. It was very productive and we worked through some kitchen cleaning politics. People who live in Hale Akua are asked to practice Non-Violent Communication or NVC (You down with NVC? Yeah you know me!) so the session was facilitated by an NVC aficionado.

Tonight I pan fried up some small white fishies that Len caught. I made a relish with young but pink papaya, radishes, cucumbers, cilantro and citrus all from the grounds and some coconut rice to go along side. It was pretty yummy. Wish I had taken pictures.

Below are some pictures pertaining to the Bamboo and Brewskies post. Courtesy of Lulu McAllister of course--glad one of us wants to document this trip :).





Aloha,
CMC

Monday, September 7, 2009

Bamboo and Brewskies

Saturday afternoon Lulu, our roommate, Airen, and I hopped in the WWOOFer ride (pictured in the dictionary next to the word "jalopy") and puttered down the Hana Highway to hike in the Bamboo forests. This was a hike out of a travel brochure. The trail started out in a labyrinth-like fashion as we darted through darkened paths lined with sky-reaching bamboo. The noise of the bamboo swaying into each other above us was kind of creepy and made me think of the maze in the Goblet of Fire (You know what I'm talking about Harry Potter nerds.) Unlike Harry and Cedric, however, we three wanderers emerged from the bamboo and found no death eaters waiting for us--only four INCREDIBLE water falls and a floating dead boar (more like a moving carpet of maggots in the shape of a pig--the smell was something to behold.) Luckily, we had decided to power through to the last waterfall and did not swim downstream of Ms. Piggy who was hanging out in the pool below the second waterfall. Words can't do the scenery justice and we couldn't bring a camera because swimming and slipping were inevitable. Suffice it to say, I couldn't believe my luck to be walking through something so beautiful with someone (Airen) who knew where she was headed.

Sunday was a bit more decadent. Lu and I headed off with our coworker, Len, in pursuit of good brews and ended up at Maui Brewing Co. a little bit North of Lahaina. I had already tried their mainstays so I went for the more peculiar pints this go round. I had a "hot blonde" which was a chipotle lager that paired really well with the calamari starter we ordered. Lulu got a coconut porter that had been aged in rum bottles. It was quite good. We also sampled a Belgian-style tripel called Father Damien's and some sort of quirky wheat beer, but I don't remember what the quirk was and it was too banana-ee for me. The beer was wonderful and the pub made me feel like I was in San Diego (which i guess is nice after all) but what was awesome about this day was that, on the way to the brews, Len was nice enough to drive us around the island and give us a tour that only a local could. We drove through the old sugar cane factory which looks exactly like it did in late 1800s and is still in use. The size of the, in Len's words, "small" molasses holding containers were mind-bogglingly large. He also showed us a number of choice beaches and snorkling spots that i look forward to revisiting.

Today was a half day of work as it is labor day. Seems I have taken on the job of measuring the temperature of the various piles of compost (shit) around the grounds. So, you know... that's fun. I also learned how to turn and make a bed which was exciting and harvested some green beans. Now I'm going to figure out something for lunch.

Peace!
CMC

Saturday, September 5, 2009

First Impressions

I'm calling this blog dirty toes because, after two days of traipsing around a tropical farm in flip-flops, it has become abundantly clear that the shoe box full of manicure supplies I hauled with me across the Pacific will not be touched for the next three months. There is no amount of rubbing, scrubbing or lufa-ing that will get the dirt off my dirty toes and, seeing as all the shower facilities here are co-ed, group facilities, I don't have much interest in spending ten minutes awkwardly hunched over ass to eyeballs.

So, friends and family, this is the blog in which I will document (hopefully consistently...) my time WWOOFing on Maui. I've explained the title, and now I'll get to the substantive stuff (though I'm sure the mention of group showers has piqued your interest a bit). I arrived in Maui Wednesday evening and was picked up by the Hale Akua Garden Farms office manager, Wendy. During the 45 minute ride to the farm, we exchanged pleasantries and I expressed my excitement at having arrived in such a beautiful place. Wendy mentioned a woman should not swim in the ocean while "on her moon" seeing as it is shark season. I replied, "how terrifying." (I did not join the other WWOOFers on a surfing excursion today). We drove home by the light of a nearly full moon which reflected off the ever-present Pacific Ocean and illuminated the Coastal Landscape and distant Haleakala Crater. It was lovely.

The next day I was put straight to work. I, along with six other indentured (JK!) workers aged 17 to 26, and two farm managers spent the day weeding, thinning, transplanting and weeding some more. I worked mostly with beets, fennel, carrots and parsley and battled "nut grass" and "sensitive grass." Both these grasses are frustrating: nut grass because if you don't pull the little nut in the root system out of the ground, it pops back up in two days and sensitive grass (though fascinating because it leaves fold in on themselves when you touch it) because it has a nasty little thorn at the base of it. By hour four, my body was experiencing what i would describe as intense discomfort. Every time I moved up or down, which i did quite often, my knees cracked to remind me I was tormenting them. My back (upper and lower) was also less than thrilled and I was contributing to its discomfort in a way I had not forseen--all the crouching and hunching had resulted in pretty constant coin-slot exposure to the sun. Though I had carefully covered my Irish arms face and legs with SPF 50, I had not thought to protect my butt-crack. Needless, to say, I now have an angry and awkward sunburn. I guess this isn't a joke.

After a dip in the pool (salt water--oh so sustainable), Lulu and I decided we'd go with the other WWOOFers in to town. When we got to the car we were the last ones there and there was no room for us. It was awkward. Being the new kids, we held our chins high and ever so good-spiritedly declared (mother--stop reading, or worrying. I LOVE YOU!) that we would hitch a ride in to town. It was surprisingly easy. On the way there, our farm manager picked us up and on the way back we only had to wait for one car to pass by us before, as lulu put it, "exactly who you would imagine would pick up hitch-hikers on Maui" picked us up. For my mother's sake, let's just leave the character details to dreads, reggae, Jesus, and a funny smell. (Check out Lulu's take of hitch hiking in Maui here.)

In between rides, we went to the town of Paia 20 miles south which has everything you need--a local health food store, coffee places, a gelateria, a post office, and a farm to table pizza place. (By the end of day two of farm work, I was already restless enough to consider sending a letter of inquiry to this place. I guess the kitchen is hard to stay away from.) We also found a place called the "Wine Corner" where we bought a sampler six pack of Maui Brewing Co's beers. The owner hails from San Diego so no surprise they (Coconut Porter, Bikini Blonde, and Big Swell IPA) were all quite delicious. I was also totally enamored of the packaging style--cans.

The next day we harvested and packaged the produce we had orders for. We sell to local markets and restaurants (that pizza place and an upscale farm-to-table fish restaurant being among them). It was educational to be on the farming side of that interaction. As a cook, you really don't think about the labor that goes in to your produce before you have a chance to put your hands on it. I feel i did as much peeling and sorting as I would have done in a restaurant. PEOPLE: THERE IS SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY THAT GOES IN TO THE FOOD YOU EAT. SAVOR IT. LOVE IT.

I mentioned earlier that I was restless: farming kind of sucks. It hurts, it's repetitive and the work is never done--there will always be nut grass. This being said, I'm excited to go to work on Monday and love that I have learned the correct way to harvest Bok Choy and Basil. I'm composting, I'm cooking with incredibly fresh produce that my hands nurtured, and I'm foraging for things like bananas, passion fruit and strawberry guava. It's all retrospectively awesome and I'm praying that I can get past the mind-numbing boringness and land in the zen of efficiency i had become used to with bread. Right now, I'm pretty optimistic that this is possible.

For my next post, look forward to notes on the weather, my coworkers and things I've eaten/cooked.

Miss you all!
CMC

photography courtesy of Lulu McAllister. Thanks LU!