Organic Food

[desperado]

My Wife and I are considering moving to Hawaii. We strongly prefer to eat organic food. How available is organic food in Hawaii ? We are not sure which island we plan to move to yet and availability of organic food would affect this decision so information on any of the islands would be helpful.

[lavagal]

Re: Organic Food

I'm surprised you couldn't find this out through Google.

[pzarquon]

Re: Organic Food

There are a lot of questions that can be answered via Google. Though they're not neccessarily answered well, nor correctly. And while "What year did Hawaii become a state?" would be a no-brainer, I'd say this one is reasonable... and certainly one where personal, qualified input from locals would be especially helpful.

I know I can find organic food on Oahu, for example, and that there are dozens of farms that are certified organic here as well. There's more agriculture volume on, say, the Big Island, but is organic farming as prevalent, or popular, or represented in supermarkets, farmer's markets, and restaurants there? I'm not sure. Perhaps an organic food fan here could provide more input.

Suffice it to say, some islands and communities are more supportive of the organic lifestyle. If you're talking workaday living and shopping and dining out, my off-the-cuff guess is that you'll have more options in Honolulu... but if you're serious about being one with Mother Earth, you could also probably find a farm on the Big Island that would let you live there for free in exchange for working in the fields.

[SouthKona]

Re: Organic Food

We are not sure which island we plan to move to yet and availability of organic food would affect this decision so information on any of the islands would be helpful.

If this is the hardest part of your decision-making, you'll have a very easy move!

[desperado]

Re: Organic Food

If this is the hardest part of your decision-making, you'll have a very easy move!

interesting point. My wife has some health issues which have been greatly improved by eating only organic so it is very important to us. We do have a LOT of other concerns but most are discussed often enough on this forum and others that I don't feel the need to ask.

[SouthKona]

Re: Organic Food

My wife has some health issues

Now, THERE is an issue to take a close look at before you move to Hawaii, our health care is really lacking because the doctors cannot afford to practice here (a multi-faceted problem).

[desperado]

Re: Organic Food

pzarquon, Thanks for your input.

You are correct about google not being able to answer all questions. I always forget to mention the back work I have done when I post to a forum, if I had I wouldn't have been slightly flamed about not doing my homework first. I had in fact search google. I found one or two groceries which claimed to sell organic food in Honolulu however I have no idea how good they are. We have several places in my current home in NJ where they claim to supply organic and they have very limited supply.

I had thought the Big Island would be an option since it has more farms. We are active on a co-op farm here in NJ and we would be very interested in a co-op in hawaii so your comment about being one with mother earth by working on a farm on right on the money. We are even considering starting our own farm. We aren't farmers but we are re-inventing our careers when we move anyway so we are very open to just about any options. For this option I agree the Big Island stands out. I also agree that Oahu is the island of choice for, well, choices ;-) However we currently live in NJ and work in NYC so we are very interested in getting away from the whole suburb living, city working life style. We are ready to live life first and make work secondary. But of course that's an entire new subject.

I would love to hear from some locals who are fans of the organic life style as pzarquon suggested. We are currently able to eat almost 100% organic.

[idvfilms]

Re: Organic Food

Our family joined the C.S.A.(community sustained argiculture) and pickup a box of local organic produce once a week.
The great thing is we support local farmers and we know where our food is coming from.

[SouthKona]

Re: Organic Food

Now, THERE is an issue to take a close look at before you move to Hawaii, our health care is really lacking because the doctors cannot afford to practice here (a multi-faceted problem).

You said you're thinking of the Big Island - well, we really have problems here with medical care. As for healthy food, there are some good health food stores and organic farmers, but as usual it can be a lot more expensive.

[desperado]

Re: Organic Food

You said you're thinking of the Big Island - well, we really have problems here with medical care. As for healthy food, there are some good health food stores and organic farmers, but as usual it can be a lot more expensive.

We have been evaluating the lack of health care issue however my Wife's condition is relatively minor and we prefer alternative medicine and natural cures over the medical establishment anyway. We do realize that with bigger medical issues health care may be limited and of course this concerns us as I am sure it does most people on the islands. Thanks for noticing this aspect of my post and warning us about this issue.

[desperado]

Re: Organic Food

Our family joined the C.S.A.(community sustained argiculture) and pickup a box of local organic produce once a week.
The great thing is we support local farmers and we know where our food is coming from.

That sounds great. I see from your business's contact info you are on Oahu so I assume the CSA is active there. We would be interested in this option. Thanks !

[lavagal]

Re: Organic Food

pzarquon, Thanks for your input.

You are correct about google not being able to answer all questions. I always forget to mention the back work I have done when I post to a forum, if I had I wouldn't have been slightly flamed about not doing my homework first. I had in fact search google.

I found your query unique, but similar to the many others from people who want to chuck it all and move to Hawaii. I also found the question quite simplistic. Why wouldn't you think there is organic food grown in Hawaii? I guess I just figured organic foods were grown and consumed on just about every contintent and archipelago. But that's me and I could be wrong. Monsanto and DuPont are/were/will always be all over the state of Hawaii, right? I don't know the half-life of their chemicals that were used here, though.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Organic Food

I found your query unique, but similar to the many others from people who want to chuck it all and move to Hawaii. I also found the question quite simplistic. Why wouldn't you think there is organic food grown in Hawaii? I guess I just figured organic foods were grown and consumed on just about every contintent and archipelago. But that's me and I could be wrong. Monsanto and DuPont are/were/will always be all over the state of Hawaii, right? I don't know the half-life of their chemicals that were used here, though.

I have lived here going on seven years now. It absolutely amazes me when I see the simplistic mindsets of those who want to "chuck it all and move to Hawaii." As if all your cares will magically disappear on the thermals of the tradewinds. FYI: It's the real world here. If you were an unhappy, miserable failure on the mainland, odds are you will be here too, IMHO.

Not a thought as to health care, cost of living (as in "How bad could it be, w're in HAWAII!!!), schools for their kids, jobs.

Not all who come here, of course. But a frighteningly disproportionate number, I think, in comparison with those who may move to other parts of the country.

I took a look at the Hawaii.com. website. The "Moving to Hawaii" threads. OMG.

As far as organic foods go, they're sold even in Safeway. Just like on the mainland.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Organic Food

You said you're thinking of the Big Island - well, we really have problems here with medical care.

Yep. That's why God made those Air Ambulance flights.

I can't tell you how many times we've been waiting for an airlift patient to come over from a neighbor island and we get the word...."nevermind."

Very sad.

AND I JUST FELT AN EARTHQUAKE!!!!

[Erika Engle]

Re: Organic Food

We are even considering starting our own farm. We aren't farmers but we are re-inventing our careers when we move anyway so we are very open to just about any options. For this option I agree the Big Island stands out. I also agree that Oahu is the island of choice for, well, choices ;-) .... We are ready to live life first and make work secondary. But of course that's an entire new subject.

Ooooh -- this, especially the "We are ready to live life first and make work secondary" remark struck fear in my heart on your behalf.

There are native Hawaiians -- and perhaps others -- who engage in subsistence living around the islands (Molokai in particular comes to mind), but these are people who have spent GENERATIONS here and KNOW how to work the land/ocean/etc.

Since you've done research already I surmise you know that not everyone who lives in Hawaii is considered native Hawaiian -- that's a whole other thread or five.

My American grandfather came from generations of farmers in Ohio and was mystified that crops were not rotated in Hawaii -- that sugar cane fields were ALWAYS sugar cane fields, etc.

I surmise that you've also done research into the cost of living. If we could all "make living life" come first and make "work secondary," we'd all be a lot better-tanned than we are.

This award-winning series of stories, largely by former Star-Bulletin writer Rob Perez, is a few years old -- but it illustrates Hawaii's high cost of living.

http://starbulletin.com/specials/price/index.html

You can buy milk at two gallons for $7.50 on sale at Safeway. You can buy mainland eggs, two cartons of 18 at Safeway on buy-one-get-one specials -- but while they're cheap, they're not even close to farm-fresh.
Oh -- they're also not organic -- so, never mind. Safeway is bringing in more and more organic things -- but so is any grocery retailer worth its sea-salt.

On Oahu, the big-dog of "health food stores" is Down to Earth; there's also 'Umeke Market (ooh-meh-keh) ... and there are others.

In Hilo, there's Abundant Life ... which at least used to have a lunch counter in the 1970s. It was the first place I ever saw cayenne. I asked what it was, and the counter-girl, evidently unaware that one is NOT to use the word itself in defining the word in question, shrugged and explained quite helpfully that it was, "cayenne," with a "like, DUH" expression on her face. She left me STILL not knowing if it was salty, sweet, or what ...! Of course, to my delight -- I found out not long thereafter.

Back to your situation -- PLEASE do more research than you think you need to do. PLEASE have a considerable nest egg before you jump on the plane. PLEASE have jobs lined up! Wean your way out of the 9 to 5 as you work your way toward your farming (or whatever type of) idyllic lifestyle.

I moved to Hawaii from New Jersey in 1973 -- and it was CULTURE SHOCK big-time ... and I was only going into the 9th grade! I didn't have to wonder where my next meal was coming from, or how to pay the rent/mortgage.

Happily, I was young enough, and adept enough at moving/adjusting to new environs/people that now, there is no place on earth where I'd rather be. This is HOME and I am LOCAL. I wish for you the same transition -- that your "bumps" may be smoothed over by your stated willingness to change your lives and that your enjoyment of this precious home -- be beyond your expectations.