America the Bountiful

[Capri] In the land of aloha, a new generation of farmers is returning to an ancestral food.

Just keeping that tradition going and bringing it back to people's plates.

[Capri] They're supplying the community of Ouaho...

These are the tools.

This is the food that our ancestors ate for thousands of years.

[Capri] ...with the means to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.

And to welcome everyone to the island table.

To family, everybody.

To family.

I'm Capri Cafaro and I'm on a mission to uncover the incredible stories of the foods we grow... ...harvest, create... ...and celebrate.

Beautiful, amazing meal.

So, I'm traveling America's backroads to learn our cherished food traditions... Whoa.

...from those who make them possible... Look at that.

...and are helping keep them alive.

There is so much more to learn.

Whoa!

[Capri] On "America the Bountiful."

[announcer] America's farmers have nourished us for generations, but today they face unprecedented challenges.

American Farmland Trust works with farmers to help save the land that sustains us.

Together we can work to keep America bountiful.

[Capri] Taro has been grown in Hawaii since it was brought to the archipelago 1,500 years ago by the first Polynesians that inhabited the islands.

They voyaged from the area now known as the Marquesas Islands using only the stars to navigate.

Ku'uipo Garrido is a certified Hawaiian studies teacher and serves on the Board of Directors for the Na Mae Kupono Learning Center where she helps grow taro for educational purposes.

Kalo is the ancestral plant to the native Hawaiian people who-- Kalo is???

The Hawaiian word for taro.

Got it.

And Polynesians say taro.

Taro.

Yes, and so kalo is the ancestral plant to the native Hawaiian people who we call Kanaka Maoli.

And there's a story of creation that speaks of the relationship that they have to this plant.

And it speaks of how kalo was born of Wakea, Sky Father.

Sky Father.

And papa earth, mother, they gave birth to the land, but they had a daughter and her name was Ho'ohokukalani.

And they had a child together, and this was the first kanaka, the first Hawaiian.

But the baby was stillborn.

From the grave, the plant kalo grew.

So, the baby's destiny was to be the seed to grow this plant.

And then they had a second child and they named him Haloa after the elder sibling.

He was healthy.

They took the plant that grew from the firstborn's grave and they fed it to the second child, and that began the relationship of, it's the elder brother's responsibility to be the food and to malama, to take care of his younger brother.

And to nourish.

To nourish it, to help Hawaiian people.

When taro was being harvested even much more regularly at this point centuries ago, what did that look like from a practice perspective agriculturally?

Well, they were amazing hydraulic engineers and they were so connected to the land because they saw themselves as one with it.

So, it was their main staple of their diet.

And so, when this whole valley at one point was probably all kalo-- But something changed along the way.

Yes.

What changed there, and how did that impact the ability for the taro to thrive?

Well, many changes occurred from the first impact of Captain Cook being that he brought diseases.

So many Hawaiians began to die out, right.

And then with the introduction of pineapple and sugar cane field, with bringing in that type of farming practice, they didn't just take some of the water, they took all of the water.

So, if your family was farming on the land that you had for hundreds of years, then all of a sudden one day that water stops, how can you farm your kalo?

Then the variety dies out.

And the farmer has to go and get a 9 to 5 job then he's not teaching his son to farm, who's not going to teach his son to farm.

So, but what we're doing today is we're trying to hold onto what we have, and just to keep the kalos breath alive.

And majority of us taro farmers are in our 60s.

I'm like trailing behind on the 60s, but then we have hope now because we have like, young taro farmers right here.

This Laad here at [speaking Hawaiian] he gives me hope.

I'm getting emotional because it's really important that we support farmers like this and keep that knowledge alive.

Because what happens after I go and the ones that I learned from, they are gone.

And so, that whole generational passing down the knowledge to generation to generation, that must continue.

And so, when I met Laad and knowing what he's doing out here by himself, it just gives me hope.

And this is Laad.

Hi, Laad.

Hello.

[Capri] Laad Ahchoy is one of the very few taro farmers in Hawaii under the age of 60.

He began growing here in Pu'uhonua in 2020 and now harvests roughly 200 pounds per week.

What's the anatomy of this plant here?

Here, I'll show you.

So, we use this tool, it's called an oo, in this case a broken shovel.

Usually, we just want to break off the babies and find the parent plant.

Okay.

And I'll reach down in there.

After we get the babies off of it, then we see the corm.

So, this is called the corm so that is the actual taro root.

Yeah, this is the part that we'll be able to make the poi out of.

Okay.

Eat it like a potato.

Right.

How did you decide that you wanted to get into agriculture and grow taro specifically?

Well, like Ku'uipo was saying it's about passing on what was passed on to us.

So, there's a lot of old kalo farmers out there and this is not the most desirable job for a lot of people.

Why is it important for you?

Well, it's important for me because I just want to continue it on for my family, for the next generation.

And there's not a lot of young farmers out there.

So, I think just keeping that tradition going and bringing it back to people's plates.

Right now, we eat a lot of rice.

So, getting kalo on the diet is really important.

What are some of the good properties of the kalo that makes it important to be back on the plate?

Well, it's high in carbohydrates and it's really nutrient dense.

How much of this do you produce a year?

About 200 pounds every week.

So, what we're picking today, what you're harvesting, where are they going to go?

Who do you give them to?

These specifically are going to go to the Waiahole Poi Factory.

[Capri] The kalo being harvested now has been growing for about 12 to 14 months.

Laad plants new kalo every week so he can also be harvesting weekly without interruption year-round.

He starts new plants by cutting the oha, or new growth, from the parent plant and plants them in a new [inaudible].

He brings the corns or roots to the Waiahole Poi Factory while the leaves are reserved for other uses.

The Waiahole Poi Factory has been making poi for the community on Oahu for 120 years.

Liko Hoe currently owns the restaurant which now includes an art gallery and market.

He pounds taro into poi weekly, often with his daughter Mali.

So, we got our kalo right in the middle here and this is kalo that's been cooked.

We've taken off the outer skin and then now we just going to start to kind of rough pound it.

Okay, is there a specific consistency you're looking for in this?

Yes.

Yes.

It's, again the gumminess.

It's like paste here.

Right.

Yeah.

So, the goal for poi pounding is always to get it to one consistency.

Did your dad teach you how to do this?

Yeah, basically.

How'd you learn?

So, my first teacher was my dad.

My parents got the lease here in the early 70s, and in Hawaii that was a time when actually a lot of our culture was getting really diminished.

And my parents along with others in their generation really made a effort to try to kind of preserve those pieces.

You know basically, these are the tools, this is the food that our ancestors ate for thousands of years.

And this is the way that they prepared it.

So, you can kind of have that connection.

So traditionally, when people learn how to pound poi, it would've been maybe like 6, 7, 8 years old.

So just watching, to me that's always the first step.

Just kind of seeing what's going on.

And another piece that's important when you first learning with poi is to start small.

Okay.

So, first step, you're going to kind of take your stone and usually I go with two hands, and you kind of go with the edge and you just try and rough pound it.

There you go, perfect.

Yeah.

Nice.

Alright.

And then you can add yeah.

Obviously, poi is part of who you are, so how do you like to eat it?

Yeah so, my kind of go-to dish at the Poi Factory is Beef Lu'au which is basically the taro leaf which is stewed down and then you add beef.

So, it's kind of like a hearty stew.

And basically, any type of stew is a really good compliment to poi.

So really, the poi in traditional Hawaiian food is like the anchor of the meal.

I'm ready to try to taste this anchor.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Capri] Liko ferments the poi and adds some water to achieve the consistency he desires.

Today, he's serving poi with beef lu'au and squid lu'au.

Normally when you're eating poi, I mean, traditionally, you would eat with your fingers.

But with a spoon you kind of dip and then you give it like a twirl like that.

Dip and twirl.

Okay.

Dip and a twirl.

Alight.

And then that tail will kind of wrap up.

I love it.

And, right now it has a real fresh taste.

I was going to say, it's very fresh.

It's not super tangy.

No, it doesn't have that tang yet.

So, if we left this out like a day or two, it will get that tanginess to it.

Now, is there a good way to mix these things together?

You kind of just go and whatever proportion you like.

You might kind of take some of the stew.

Mmm, this tastes like it's very slow cooked.

Yeah.

So just this like any parts of the taro plant, it has to be well cooked.

You've got to really stew it down.

That's right.

I'll try this one now.

Mmm, oh yeah.

This is great too because I taste the coconut but then with the octopus, it's almost like I'm getting that fresh ocean salt water action.

And then I feel like the poi, it's like this beautiful balancing-- Balancing everything off.

Unbelievable.

I feel like you all have welcomed me into your family today.

And you too Laad because you brought me into your farm.

I now understand how this whole cycle works.

Especially for Laad, being one of the farmers on Oahu where it's difficult to find the resources and the land and the water to grow kalo.

We appreciate that.

You know, you're one of the farmers who's really kind of showing that commitment to kalo.

And taking it to the next generation.

That's the goal.

Absolutely.

Well, you know, somebody has to do it, and it takes commitment to make this poi as well.

So mahala , to commitment.

[Capri] While taro is most used in savory preparations, it's also the driving force behind a sweet dish, often liken bread pudding called kulolo.

Keanue Kakalua sells family made kulolo with his sister Rose at the Honolulu Farmers Market.

So, we have kulolo which is a traditional Hawaiian dessert and this is kulolo here.

It's made from taro, coconut milk and sugar.

You get the raw taro, you peel it.

You cut it up and you grate it.

Mix in the ingredients, the coconut cream, the sweetener and then its steamed.

Oh my goodness, it's so different than poi.

The texture is different.

You're right.

The sweetness is there.

But it's not really bold.

Right.

It's just there saying, "Hey, I'm coconut and I'm sugar."

-That's good.

-Right.

Now, what about the other one?

So, haupia, this is the haupia right here, by itself.

-Okay.

-Okay.

And so, believe it or not this is actually traditional as well.

So haupia is a firm coconut pudding.

And so traditionally the pia in haupia is what was the thickener.

And so, the ingredients in haupia is coconut milk, sugar and then starch.

So, and it was the pia starch which is our root.

It's cooked and it's poured over the kulolo and it creates like, this firm pudding.

And you know what?

Let me get you a little toothpick here.

Normally at luaus, you'll see them side by side.

My brother has created it so it's all in one bite.

I love that.

And we say how normal is that?

I love a perfect bite.

I love that balance.

It's kind of our own spin on two traditional Hawaiian desserts.

I love it.

Two great tastes that taste great together.

Can I get another one of those toothpicks because I want one more of these for the road.

Sure can.

[Capri] While the taro root, or corm, provides the starchy base in both savory and sweet applications, the leaves are also used in a number of traditional dishes.

One method is in a lau lau where the leaves are wrapped around pork and butter fish and then steamed inside of tea leaves.

Monica Toguchi Ryan is the owner of Highway Inn Restaurants founded by her grandparents in 1947.

She serves lau lau at her restaurants and also enjoys making them with her father for family gatherings.

My dad, he's going to help us because he really is the master lau lau maker.

I feel honored to have an opportunity to learn from two of the best I'm sure here.

He much better, I must admit, than I am having done it for 30 years.

A lot of experience here.

So, we're going to learn how to make lau lau.

-You ready?

-I am.

-Okay, we're going to build the first one together.

So, I'm going to give you some of these leaves.

So, you're going to build your base and we're going to take about, again preference, about three pieces of pork butt.

I'll do like two pieces of pork belly.

And then I'll put a piece of butter fish.

So, once you got your base, you start to kind of just build it.

Okay, so you put these on top then.

Yeah, you could put it on top.

So you don't wrap?

You can.

So, like what my dad's doing is he's already now making it into a ball.

Oh, okay.

And you're just going to keep wrapping it.

It's laborious which is why this turns out to be a gift.

Correct.

It's a labor of love.

A labor of aloha.

So, to kind of keep this shape we're going to use two tea leaves to wrap it.

The tea leaf is not something that you eat, it's just used to hold the shape of the lau lau.

But it also helps to protect it from burning.

And it also provides some flavor.

So, it's medicinal, it's cultural, it's spiritual and there's different kinds of tea leaves that you use for spiritual cultural uses.

But what we're going to do is we're going to help my dad have some space here.

Oh, you got it?

Oh, he's already done.

Yeah, he's already done.

He's totally way ahead of us.

So, the most difficult part is wrapping the stem into a knot.

So, I'm going to use this, kind of tie it around my two fingers to kind of give myself the hole.

And then I'm going to like, loop it through there.

And then pull it.

Pull this.

And you're going to pull that.

Which part?

This right here.

So, we'll take like, 15 minutes to make one lau lau.

My dad takes 20 seconds.

Okay, yeah.

[Capri] Monica and her dad place the tied lau lau into the steamer after which they'll cook for two to three hours.

Monica serves the lau lau with a beautiful spread of traditional Hawaiian dishes.

[Hawaiian singing and praying] Wow, looks fabulous.

Let's eat.

This is incredible.

Thank you so much.

I'm like, moved by that and by, this is just such a warm welcome.

Mahala for being here and sharing a meal with our ohana and our friends and family.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay where do we start?

Everywhere.

Anywhere and everywhere.

I guess we have to start with the lau lau.

Okay, this is the lau lau.

Lau lau.

So, this is kaolokai which is like shredded pork.

And you just kind of eat it together and blend the flavors together.

I'm ready.

I'm ready.

Mmm.

Ono.

Ono.

It's delicious.

Delicious.

It is very ono.

This doesn't need anything.

Just that little bit of salt it's so, I wouldn't say rich.

I don't know how to describe it.

Like, it's earthy.

Yeah that's-- It's earthy.

You can tell it's nutritious.

The pork is delicious.

I have to say I have to give a shout out to the butter fish in here.

I mean, the butter fish is just unbelievable.

I mean, you can tell that we are on an island.

surrounded by fresh seafood at all time.

You're tasting everything that is abundant in the islands.

Everything that the island or the land has given us.

So, it's really important, especially in a lot of indigenous cultures to be mindful of taking care of the aina so we say malama aina.

What does that mean?

Take care of the land.

Take care of the land.

And the land will take care of you.

Oh that's, that's beautiful.

It's actually one of our olelo naauao, which is our wise proverbs or sayings.

That's definitely a sentiment that I'm going to take away with me.

Sustainability.

Sustainability.

Now, I have to ask, excuse the visitor here, but I'm learning so much.

And again, I think the average lay person who hears a luau, I've learned that luau is a potluck.

Yes.

But we, I think, often associate the luau with kua and music.

And like, does that happen too?

[all speaking at once] When everybody brings a dish that you also bring all of your talents.

And the other thing that we do too is a lot of times in Hawaii people in Hawaii, we have ukelele.

Oh, yes.

Another thing like food.

Like the food here is a collective that some is borrowed from different cultures.

Ukulele is from Portugal.

And it always gets accompanied almost always with the hula dancers.

If they know a song, that they know how to dance-- One player, one musician and one dancer in every family.

Every family has a choir.

Then you better be not the only family out there that doesn't have this.

Now, you built it up, and I'm expecting music and dancing now.

Would you grace us, please?

Are you ready?

It's like a ukulele jam session.

Oh, boy!

You going to grace us with your-- Yeah, I mean, we're going to-- So, we are going to do this melee in honor of you.

Oh, my goodness.

[speaking all at once] [music begins] [singing in Hawaiian] [singing in Hawaiian] [applause] Wow that was so lovely, thank you.

So, you ready?

-For?

-It's your turn.

Oh, no.

You can't leave the islands without at least trying a few hula steps.

Alright, well, who's going to help me out?

Okay, so let's go, one, two, three, together.

One, two, three, together.

-That's a kaholo.

-Okay.

And then next-- Yes.

Now bend the knees and swing the hip.

Two, three, four.

One, two, three, together.

One, two, three, together.

You got it.

Okay, yeah.

[speaking Hawaiian] [cheering] So great.

That's the beauty of diversity and culture is that it brings together food and dance and music and art.

We're very fortunate out here.

No matter what ethnic culture, we're here one, two, three generations, we say we're all Hawaiians.

We're Hawaiians at heart.

You're here in the culture, you in the food, you're in the aloha.

For us, aloha is not a word, it's an action.

We laugh together, we cry together, we sing.

I mean, we just come together as ohana.

[Capri] Ohana, it's a concept involving integrity, mutual aid, and feeling a sense of familial care towards all members of the human family.

It also comes directly from taro.

With "oha" referring to the shoot of the plant and " ana" being related to regeneration and procreation.

It's a concept that can only be fully understood by visiting these islands and sharing a meal with those that call them home.

But why take my word for it, when you can come experience it for yourself.

America The Bountiful is waiting for you and me.

For more information visit Americathebountifulshow.com.

[announcer] America's farmers have nourished us for generations, but today they face unprecedented challenges.

American Farmland Trust works with farmers to help save the land that sustains us.

Together we can work to keep America bountiful.