Finding Light in the Dark

The past month was a doozy. Matt gets sick for a week. BAM. We are down an employee for 2 weeks. BAM. We lose one of our dearest friends. BAM. Farm theft. BAM. Flooding wipes out 90% of our crops. BAM. BAM. BAM.

Post-theft feels

Financially, we are okay. Most of the stolen items were found. Our insurance is covering the damage to the delivery van. The van is waiting for parts to get repaired and we are crossing our fingers to have it up and running in a few weeks.

Emotionally, we are sad and frustrated. Time will heal us but the day to day is currently filled with unease and anxiety that our farm is not safe. We are working with the Waimanalo Research Station to implement better security. We are also compiling our research and experiences to host an informational meeting for the agricultural community on how best to secure your farm from AgTheft.

Post-flooding feels

In the span of 6 days we got 15 inches of rain at our farm at the Waimanlo Research Station. At our new farm on Mahiku Pl, we probably got 30 inches of rain (but we don’t have an actual rain gauge there). But, what does that even mean? Most of our vegetables only need 1-2inches of water/week. Instead, they received 15x the recommended amount of water. Basically, all of our crops drowned and all the microbial life in the soil died. Today, 10% of our crops are still standing but as the days pass more and more plants are dropping. It is going to take time to rebuild the soil, re-plant, and have product to sell at the market. It will take at least 2 months until we have salad mix again, and salad is one of the faster growing crops. We will still be at the farmers’ market because 30% of the items we sell are from other farmers. Our farmers are from across the island, and some had less flooding than what we experienced in Waimanalo. Nonetheless, the rains last week hurt farmers everywhere and the lease we can do is help them sell their product.

Reasons that Keep Me (and Matt) Going

Matt! I’ve been having meltdowns. Yelling which turns to crying which turns to shutting down. A recipe for marital disaster. Nonetheless Matt just listens and waits for me to come to my senses. I am SO grateful Matt supports me and is patient with me. I know how hard it is because I am not so good at patience.

My dogs. Every time I touch/smell/see my pups I feel calm, grounded, and the BS washes away. I never understood “therapy animal” until now.

Friends. Matt and I are so busy with work that we don’t have a social life. Even though we don’t make a lot of time to hang with friends, we are blessed with the best people. For example, I had a lunch date with someone I haven’t spent time with in over a year and we had the best time. In the same week, I met up with my yoga friends to make lei for our friend who passed. (Two friend hangouts in a week is a supernatural phenomenon!) While I wish it was under better circumstances, I will cherish that time forever.

Our customers. Yes, that’s you! To those who come to the market almost every week, we appreciate you so much. I can’t even make it to yoga every week, so the fact that you wake up every Sunday morning, drive to the market, and buy our produce is AMAZING. There are so many things to worry about on the farm (pests, weeds, weather, etc.) so knowing our produce has a home is such a huge relief. We are INCREDIBLY grateful that week after week we sell out of our produce. And if we have extras, our restaurant customers swoop in to fill the need. This past week I received the same text from my 3 main chefs “Send all please!” This is so special for us because as a small farm we don’t have consistent product. For example, this past week I added purplette onions to the availability list because we have so much in the field. Even though none of the chefs use purplette onions normally, they all ordered it. This is hard for a chef because they have set menus and incorporating a new vegetable is more work. Special shout out to Chef Robynne Maii (Fête), Chef Jason Peel (Namikaze), and Chef Isaiah Badua (Roy’s Hawaii Kai) for taking the extra time and effort to work with local farmers.

Farm community. We are lucky to live in a time and a place where farmers are collaborative and support each other. Special shout out to the following organizations and groups for loving us and always helping us to succeed: GoFarm Hawaii, Oahu Resource and Conservation and Development Council, the local Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Waimanalo Agricultural Association. With the help of these organizations we’ve received multiple grants this year for the farm.

A Date Night to Remember. The lovely staff at Namikaze treated us to an unforgettable dining experience the other day. We enjoyed 23 courses designed by 16 of their chefs. It was a unique experience because we had to rate each dish and the chef who curated the winning dish would receive a cash prize. From truffle chutoro nigiri to “the best chicken Matt’s ever eaten,” it was an absolute delight. Chef Jason’s and Chef Bev’s dedication to uplifting and empowering their chefs is admirable. Two hours of just eating and enjoying the creativity of the chefs helped to ground us from all the craziness of the last month. As Matt assured me, “We can only go up from here!”