(Massive Island Abalone. Greenwell Farms, Kona Salt Farm)

October 16, 2023

Gypsea Gelato, Kealakekua, Massive Island, Hawaii

Gypsea Gelato was an fascinating place the place one may come for the ice cream (or gelato) or expresso and keep to play Join 4 or corn gap, store for a brand new hat, have a look at paintings or sit on a cushty chair to learn a e-book or play on their cellphone – an ice cream store that has all of it! Seating included a picket boat with loads of youngsters’s books, massive tables for teams, and padded throne-style chairs.

There have been loads of frozen treats to get pleasure from together with Hawaiian favorites resembling “Macadamia Nut”, “Tom Kha” (coconut), “Kona Espresso” and “Lilikoi” (ardour fruit) and extra conventional flavors together with “Simply Chocolate”, “Simply Darkish Chocolate” and “Salted Caramel” , I went with Lilikoi. I discovered texture to be creamy, however the taste a bit weak. We loved our treats inside because it was drizzly outdoors.

Within the space – at present we went on two manufacturing unit excursions and one farm tour, All have been fantastic and I extremely suggest them,

Massive Island Abalone, Kona, Hawaii -Abalones are edible mollusks with ear formed shells. Along with being an vital meals supply in lots of elements of the world. their colourful, iridescence-lined shells make them engaging to be used in jewellery. Massive Island Abalone aquafarrm is an abalone grower that gives excursions of their facility. 

Our tour started with an introduction to our tour information – a really fascinating and educated scientist from Japan. He launched us to the abalones by exhibiting us the life cycle from eggs to the harvestable mollusks. We then walked by means of rows of tanks as he defined how the fish are raised. Because the abalones develop, they are moved between tanks till prepared to reap. They’re fed seaweed, which is grown in separate tanks which we additionally proven.  

After the tour of the abalones and seaweed rising space, our information introduced us to a tank with different fascinating sea creatures that they preserve solely to point out vacationers, The tour was adopted by the tour information getting ready abalones in two alternative ways and giving us samples to attempt, with sea grapes for garnish. I by no means had abalone earlier than, and I appreciated it, however the the rubbery texture would take some getting used to. The ocean grapes have been enjoyable to eat.

Kona Salt Farm, Kona, Hawaii -Sodium chloride, sometimes called “Salt” is an integral part of our diets -we want it to reside, however an excessive amount of is clearly not good for us. Salt utilized in cooking might come from a wide range of sources, resembling underground salt beds and seawater extraction. Right this moment we toured Kona Salt Farm, a seawater extraction facility . 

Because of the volcanic formation of this space in Hawaii, the ocean turns into very deep very close to the coast. It’s right here that the Kona Salt Farm will get seawater for salt – particularly 2200 toes under the ocean floor, the place the salt is cleaner and richer in minerals than salts mined nearer to the floor. 

Our tour information began by exhibiting us the scenic Pacific Ocean coast by the farm, and taking our footage by the gorgeous again drop, Then she obtained right down to explaining of the technical aspect of salt manufacturing. We noticed from a distance the place the clear, cool salt water was introduced up from the deep ocean, after which headed to the drying facility. The deep sea water went by means of a collection of evaporation steps to acquire the pure, wholesome salt. 

The totally different qualities of salts together with ending salt, coarse salt and first flake salt have been mentioned and proven to us – all chemically the identical, however with totally different textures. We have been then given an opportunity to try to purchase the ensuing salts on the finish of the tour, together with flavored salts the place further components have been added to taste to the utilized in cooking or serving.

Our tour information was pleasant, educated and really glad to point out us the wonderful course of. a tour I extremely suggest.

Greenwell Farms, Kealakekua, Hawaii – The volcanic soil, the local weather and the winds and climate patterns on the Massive Island of Hawaii all come collectively to provide a number of the finest espresso on the earth, generally known as “Kona Espresso”. We stopped at Greenwell farms for a tour of coffee-growing plantation. 

The espresso vegetation produce white flowers adopted by inexperienced berries which occurred earlier than we arrived. The inexperienced berries then produce purple fruit known as “cherries”. Our tour information gave every one in every of us a cherry and we eliminated the outer fruit to disclose an inside seed generally known as the espresso bean, lined with a slimy layer. Commercially eradicating the outer coating is finished utilizing a “pulper”, which our information he confirmed us, The following steps within the course of are a brief fermentation, rinsing and solar drying. We noticed the beans going by means of every step ending with beans drying on large trays within the solar. We discovered concerning the totally different grades of Kona Espresso and challenges in rising the crop. We have been in a position to pattern a number of the varied espresso merchandise of their small retailer.

However Greenwell farms didn’t simply develop espresso, they’d a number of different crops that thrive within the heat. moist Kona surroundings, essentially the most fascinating to me being bananas and black pepper. 

The bananas grew on a row of very tall bushes with a typical root system. Every year all of the vegetation have been torn down and regrown. Fascinating that they may develop that tall in a single 12 months. The rows of black pepper vegetation with the clumps of peppercorns have been within the technique of ripening have been additionally current.