J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

At home... at work... or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour, to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists.

At Albertsons Companies.

>> ...with additional support from the following.

Passion Roses... Suntory Flowers.

>> Join us on a trip to Hawaii for a special two-part episode focused on the native art of the lei.

In Part 1, we'll visit a lei store in downtown Honolulu to see the variety and multitude of lei, meet lei-maker and author Meleana Estes, tour Little Plumeria Farms, of "Family Ingredients" creates a local dish.

I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

In Hawaii, May Day is Lei Day, and I've always been intrigued by Hawaii ever since I was young.

I was fortunate to visit Hawaii twice in my youth, as I tagged along with my florist parents for industry conventions.

When my father was president of the Society of American Florists, we visited the island of Oahu, Kauai, and Maui.

My attraction to Hawaii and its spirit of aloha was rooted from then on.

Fast-forward to today, as the creator and host of a show all about flowers, it seemed high time to learn more about the flowers of Hawaii and specifically the varied and beautiful tradition of lei.

I decided Lei Day, May 1st, was the perfect opportunity.

Join me as we take an in-depth look at the Hawaiian culture of lei.

There's so much more to be learned than I ever dreamed.

The customs, traditions, and symbolism of lei go well beyond the well-known greeting of "aloha" at airport arrivals.

Lei culture is not only fascinating and beautiful, it also touches the heart in moving and meaningful ways.

Join me as I learn the "lei" of the land, thanks to the many friends, old and new, who exemplify the spirit of aloha on our way to the annual Lei Day celebration and lei-making competition in Queen Kapiolani Park.

My first stop on any visit to Hawaii is the Lei Shoppe.

I love to wear lei when I'm on the islands.

There's no wrong time and my crew will don them every day we're here.

Why?

Because I love lei and I love Hawaii, as if you couldn't tell.

So, Karen, this is my first stop whenever I come to Hawaii.

You are always busy.

This place is busy.

We got here when you opened, and you were selling lei already.

How many leis do you think you've made over the years?

How many leis have gone out of this store?

Do you have any guess?

>> Oh, I'm sure thousands.

But you gotta realize, we've been here like over 60 years.

>> I'm thinking millions.

>> Okay.

>> I'm thinking millions.

>> Yeah, I don't know about that.

Because you got to realize, too, that it's seasonal and there could be, like, a bad weather spell, and that can really halt harvest production.

>> Every single person here -- your sons, your nephews, your brother -- everyone has this amazing spirit about them.

And there's love in every lei they're helping someone find.

>> We inherited that from my mother.

>> Oh, okay.

Yeah.

>> My mother always said, "Take care of the person outside there, whatever they want."

So their need became first before ours.

And we've just sort of grown up with that mind-set.

And this is Cindy herself.

>> Cindy.

>> Turn around, Mom, and say hello to everybody.

>> Okay.

Hello.

Good morning.

>> This is Cindy.

It is such a pleasure to meet you.

>> Thank you.

>> So wonderful, so wonderful.

>> Thank you.

Yeah, yeah.

>> You're fast.

>> Yeah.

>> You're fast, Cindy.

>> Must go fast, yes.

>> Ahhh, I have been coming to your store since I was 7.

>> Oh, yeah?

Okay.

>> Uh-huh.

When I would -- And, so, whenever we would come, we would come here.

>> Okay.

>> And this is such an honor to interview you and talk to you and get to watch you make lei.

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Something different, yeah?

>> Yeah.

It's true.

>> Yeah.

See?

>> Oh, wow.

Amazing!

Amazing!

>> Hello.

Plumeria lei.

Yeah, yeah.

>> So, your mother is -- It's such an honor to meet her.

>> Pretty good for 92.

>> She is a legend.

She is a legend.

And that's so amazing.

I love that.

I love that.

And you're keeping that whole legacy alive.

It's so amazing.

What do you think is so important about a lei?

>> I think the whole idea of gifting.

We help celebrate for that person that's trying to buy a lei.

We always ask, "What's your occasion?

What's your event?

When is it?"

And we try to get some information to guide them to make that right choice.

Because you know what?

That choice, that lei, is going to be in a picture.

It's going to be in a book.

It's going to be in a -- It could be in a paper.

It could be in television.

It could be mostly here and here.

>> Right.

>> And people remember that.

>> What's your favorite part about the lei business?

>> Talking to people about their stories.

People want to be heard.

>> Right, right.

>> I don't think we -- There's, like, a lot of mental health going on with flowers.

>> It's true.

It's true.

It's the aloha spirit.

It's the aloha spirit.

And I think if we're kinder and gentler and more loving with each other, that that makes it even better for everyone.

That will raise us all up.

>> Oh, giving lei is a huge gesture of kindness.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

You have a lei needle in your room?

>> Not yet.

>> I'm gonna get you one.

>> Okay.

>> Everybody should have a lei needle in their kitchen so that you can make a lei out of anything.

>> Yeah.

Make lei where you live.

Make lei from the flowers where you live.

And that has inspired me.

>> Yes.

>> I want to make lei from the flowers I have in my garden.

Karen, thank you so much for talking to me.

I appreciate it.

It's such a treat.

It's such a treat.

And I'm glad that you're as beautiful as your leis, and your spirit is so -- It's just -- It's wonderful.

>> Thank you so much.

Thank you.

>> Hawaii is home to some of the most exotic plumeria, also known as frangipani, found anywhere in the world.

Plumeria trees flower from early summer to fall.

The flowers are highly fragrant, especially at night.

Insect or human pollination can help create new varieties of plumeria.

Plumeria flowers come in many colors, including pink, red, white and yellow, orange, or pastel.

When the first yellow-white flower tree was introduced to Hawaii by Dr. William Hillebrand in 1860, it became a celebrated tree popular in Hawaii's landscape.

In Hawaii, the flower is called melia.

In several Pacific islands, such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga, and the Cook Islands, plumeria species are used for making leis.

When my team at American Public Television learned I was planning on bringing "Life in Bloom" to Hawaii, they suggested I contact the owner of Mud Hen Water, Chef Ed Kenney, who is also the host of PBS Hawaii's show "Family Ingredients."

I love family ingredients, so I was thrilled, to say the least, when Ed agreed to not only appear on "Life in Bloom," but graciously and with much Aloha, offered to prepare a recipe or two.

Yes, please.

>> Yeah, so as you said, this restaurant is called Mud Hen Water.

>> Okay.

>> People ask me, "What kind of stupid name is that?"

Mud Hen Water is actually the English translation of the road that we're on, Waialae.

Wai is "water."

Alae is the native Hawaiian "mud hen."

As with most things in Hawaii, there's a legend, or a mo'olelo behind it.

>> Okay.

>> And the red-faced native indigenous mud hen frequented a spring that was right here, and it became a community gathering place.

So when we opened this restaurant, we saw this as an opportunity to tell that story.

We created a watering hole, a community gathering place -- Mud Hen Water.

And that kind of goes along with what we do here.

We're in Hawaii.

We try to really lift up the unique aspects of this culture and history.

So a lot of our food includes native ingredients, foraged wild ingredients, and that's what we've got here today.

This dish is called The Big Five.

On this dish, native ingredients.

First off, ulu.

This is also known as breadfruit.

These are from the tree in my backyard.

>> Okay.

>> Probably produces 400 pounds of fruit a year.

One little tree.

So it's just prolific and it's delicious.

Simple.

Twice fried with fried herbs.

>> I've seen it on your show a lot.

>> Oh, there you go.

>> I know.

Right?

Right?

>> Yeah.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> So, it's very bready when it's green, and then, when it's ripe, it turns almost into, like a crme brle custard with this tropical mango-banana flavor.

So you can use it at all stages of ripeness.

Here, we have native fern shoots, also known as ho'i'o.

So, we make a simple salad out of that.

It's actually got this -- I don't know if you'll see this -- this slimy aspect to it.

So what we've done is paired it with every slimy ingredient we can think of.

There's okra in there.

There's mountain yam in there, which is also slimy.

I love it.

Some people may find it a little challenging.

This -- wood ear mushroom.

In Hawaiian, it's called pepeiao.

Pepeiao is actually the Hawaiian word for "ear."

We use that in a crunchy kind of Szechuan slaw.

Can't have a salad in Hawaii without pineapple.

>> Right.

>> It is introduced and it's not native, but people equate Hawaii with pineapple.

Oh, I should actually probably point out that this dish right here is 100% locally grown.

We are really making a concerted effort to support local agriculture and foragers, and so this dish is 100% local, except for the nori, which is seaweed that we ship in from Japan.

>> What's this one over here?

>> Roasted and raw roots from MAO Organic Farm, the largest organic farm on the island.

Purslane, which we refer to as "bus-stop vegetable."

It grows out of the cracks in the sidewalk at the bus stop.

But we have someone growing it for us.

[ Both laugh ] Little smoked yogurt underneath.

This is vegan or vegetarian, but lots of vegetarians swear that we snuck in bacon at some point, because the smoked yogurt kind of plays this trick on your brain thinking that you're eating bacon, but you're not.

>> Wow.

>> You want to dig in?

>> I do.

Okay, so, this one with the ear.

>> Yeah.

So, this is a fungus that you'll find when you're on hikes here up in the mountains.

It often -- It sprouts out of fallen logs, like, decaying, rotting logs.

And it grows out just in this fan shape.

And more than flavor, it's a textural thing.

So in this salad, it really adds kind of a textural crunch to it.

Based on surf trips to Mexico and that part of the world, they use salt and lime and chili with their fruit.

So we've kind of robbed that.

And this has a very kind of Latin American, Mexican flavor profile.

>> Okay, so, this is the smoky bacon.

>> Yeah, the smoked yogurt that gives the illusion of bacon being in the dish.

>> Mm-hmm.

I got it.

>> Yeah.

>> That's amazing, too.

>> Yeah, so, smoke attaches itself to fat.

So, yogurt has fat, so it works really well in the smoker.

>> It's all delicious, Ed.

I mean, it has been a pleasure.

So, I'm a huge fan so, you know, a little starstruck, which is awesome.

But I appreciate so much that you opened up your restaurant to us, you allowed us to come here, It's amazing.

It's the aloha spirit.

>> Yeah.

Thanks for including us in your adventure.

>> Absolutely.

>> When we chose to feature Lei Day on "Life in Bloom," of course I wanted to see where lei flowers are grown.

And one of the most popular flowers for lei is plumeria.

You can imagine my joy when I discovered Little Plumeria Farms on the North Shore of Oahu.

There's so much love about this place.

Lei flowers?

Check.

Multi-generational family farm?

Check.

Pioneer hybridizing of plumeria flower varieties?

Check.

Join me at this amazing family flower farm that recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.

>> Speaking of flowers, right here, and we got Vera Cruz rose, which is -- smells just like a rose, actually, as you pick it right here.

>> It smells exactly like rose.

It smells really good.

>> It does!

That's crazy.

>> This whole area, with all these trees, you literally can just breathe in, and you'll smell that.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

That's magical.

Your dad has hybridized how many varieties?

>> Over 100 different varieties that my dad's put his JL which is Jim Little stamp of approval, to be released.

>> So, what are we looking for when we're looking for a plumeria that your dad would put his stamp on?

>> So, one thing is, of course, the color can't be similar to any other variety that's out there.

We don't want confusion.

We want something unique.

where, like -- you know what I mean?

-- That's awesome.

Fragrance is a very important part of selecting a flower for my dad's collection.

We just want it to be strong and healthy.

We don't want a weak tree.

We want something that's going to grow for people when they purchase a hybrid cutting.

It takes years, you know, up to 10 years, until we actually release something, because we have to kind of go through all these tests.

Over here, this is one of my dad's rarest varieties, named JL Metallica.

It's a purple-silver color with a kind of like a Pez -- Was it candy-grape fragrance?

>> Yeah.

>> But just to have -- >> Yeah.

>> To have that really silver purple in the plumeria is very rare.

So everyone in the plumeria world knows JL Metallica, and even the buds, you can see, have that purple silver.

So it's a very, very beautiful tree and one of my dad's rarest varieties.

>> So, yeah, this one is actually named after my mom.

It's called JL Sandy.

And it actually smells like baby powder.

It's a really good lei flower, as well.

>> Yeah.

>> Isn't that crazy?

>> You guys are just making me crazy with this.

This is amazing.

Yes, baby powder.

>> Yeah, it's cool.

It's crazy.

In a lei, it smells even better.

>> So, it has a different structure, because, I mean, how it's folded in the center -- >> So, overlapping petals.

It has that big punch of, like, a sunrise punch of color in the middle, like, kind of orange and yellow, and it's thicker.

You feel the texture is thick, so it's good for lei-making.

Every tree has its own little characteristics, but this one's a keeper, and my wife, Sandy, is very happy.

>> Better be good, right?

>> It better be, yes, or I'm gonna hear it.

>> Right, right.

>> So this is a keeper.

>> That's amazing.

>> So, this actually is called JL Hawaiian Coral, and it smells just like a peach.

Take a whiff.

[ Laughter ] >> You guys are killing me.

This is amazing!

>> It's a peach one and it's on the dot, on the dot.

>> I mean, not just a peach.

It is strong peach.

>> It's a fresh peach, yeah, that you're slicing into, that you just picked off the tree.

>> So this, in a lei, is unbelievable.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> Yes.

It's awesome.

And the color has, you know, Hawaiian coral just for kind of that pinkish color.

Look at the blooms.

>> Yeah.

>> Every single stem has, like, a flower head on it, and it's, like, striking.

It's like somebody went like this on the ground.

and threw some aloha on the ground, and just nature does -- take in its course.

So it's really.

>> It's so true.

So, when you mention aloha, how do you guys -- how would you describe the aloha spirit?

>> I mean, aloha means love, of course.

And, like, what we do here at the farm is basically share our aloha from ourselves and with the flowers.

>> Right.

>> There's so many different varieties, and just, I mean, aloha is special, right?

It's a special thing.

And for us to be able to share it, you know, through these plumerias is kind of exciting.

>> Someone told me that if aloha spirit could be a physical thing that we could put our hands on, it would be a lei.

And I think a lei from Little Plumeria Farm is -- that's aloha spirit, you guys.

That's what you're doing, and that's amazing.

That's the best thing.

So thank you so much for letting me be here.

>> Thank you for coming.

>> Thank you, yeah, for the kind words, man.

I'm stoked that you really feel it, because that is aloha, you know, and that's awesome.

>> As we've learned, there are many types of lei, and I wanted to experience them all, of course.

Naturally, I was elated when lei-maker, lei historian, and author Meleana Estes accepted my invitation to appear on our lei show.

When I mentioned Meleana and "Lei Aloha" to Ed Kenney, he generously offered for us to meet with Meleana at his place to discuss her book and the profound culture of lei.

You are the author of "Lei Aloha" >> Me and Jenny Fiedler, yes, my co-author.

>> This book is so beautiful and has so much information inside it.

So, today, you are going to teach us -- This is kind of your signature lei, the po'o lei.

>> Yeah.

But this style of lei, some people want to call it -- Well, it's a lei po'o -- worn on your head.

Po'o is "head."

Head lei.

But, really, it means to wind.

But you can also do a couple other techniques.

And I just wanted to show you.

So, there's a hili, which is to just braid one material.

And so that's often done with fern.

What you do is, you just braid the stems of the fern.

And then, sometimes, you can do a braid and then adding a material, and that's te hipuu.

And you're wearing lei a'i, which is worn on your neck.

All of these were made in a kui method, which is with needle and thread, sewn, yeah.

Kui is to sew.

>> Kui is to sew.

>> Yeah.

Yeah, so, when I make this style of lei, my teacher used to say something pretty dramatic and fun at her lei workshops, which is true, is that she says, "This is your first day of your life as a lei-maker, of your new life as a lei-maker, and you're going to see the world in a totally different way once you start doing this."

And it really is true, because, you know, you start to notice, like, a plant like this, which is a hedge, it's a croton.

There's so many different varieties of crotons.

>> Right.

>> And you start thinking, "Oh, I could actually take these pieces of the croton and, you know, use them in my lei.

And I could maybe loop them like this or I could stick them out of my lei."

So you really start to, like, take in your world in a sort of different way, you know?

And even this -- this is actually called bleeding heart.

It's a terrible weed, but it's really great in lei.

You know, this is little.

And bougainvillea.

You see this everywhere.

This is called hinahina, but it's not real hinahina.

It's really Spanish moss.

>> Right.

>> So, I'll do something like this with this and kind of bunch it up to kind of give a wild flare.

And this is pohinahina, another kind of silvery ground cover that is found a lot in coastal areas.

that has kind of this eucalyptus smell to it, but it's really quite sturdy, and I love it.

This is akia.

This is another native to Hawaii, akia.

So, this is our lehua mamo, or yellow lehua.

We really don't pick this anymore in the wild.

When it's in your own backyard or your uncle's and they test it, and, you know, it's a healthy tree, it's okay.

So, I always start with my three raffia.

>> Okay.

>> It's like raffia, so it's a natural material.

So, there's going to be three pieces, and you want to leave a little to tie around.

It's kind of small, but it's a tie around your head and so, you know, you have something to make it secure on your head.

So, this is where I start.

This is the piko, the start of the lei.

Start with some lovely Polyphylla fern here.

And then, if you can see, I'm taking one of the pieces.

So the two are your backbone, and one piece is just going to be wrapped around these and...

But see how I leave like an inch of stems?

Because that's what develops this, like, face.

>> That's what's going to hold on to it.

>> Yeah.

>> Right.

>> And you just keep laying things on that face.

So, I'm just gonna -- >> I'm surprised at how similar it is to the way that I construct the flower crown.

>> Yeah.

It's really -- It's quite -- And I like this style because it is easier, you know, to fold and grab, and it helps to do it on a table if you're a new lei-maker, you know, so you kind of -- >> 'Cause you'll have a flat back.

>> You're gonna have a flat back.

You have to have a flat back.

See how I'm kind of going greens, and then I might add some more color.

And then, actually, I'm going to do a trick here.

I'm going to put this behind, because I want it to sort of back the lei and have the greens come out that way.

>> So, how long does it take you to make a lei?

>> Well, that depends on how -- About an hour.

>> Okay.

Oh, wow.

>> So, you can kind of see the pattern.

>> So, a little bit of lei etiquette.

>> Yeah.

>> You should never -- If someone presents you with a lei, you should never take it off in their presence.

>> Probably not.

>> That's bad form.

Okay.

We should dispose of it properly.

>> Yes.

>> And, so, people told us to hang it from trees, or they place it -- or they unstring it and return to the earth.

>> Yeah.

So, that's a big deal there -- unstringing.

I just have a hard time throwing them way, you know?

And I wouldn't ever throw it away, actually.

I'd just lay it there, and, eventually, you can cut the string and let the flowers go onto your yard, and it just helps mulch it.

>> So, when I met you today, you brought a lei for me.

>> Yeah.

>> I mean, and that's amazing.

And it smells amazing.

>> Yeah.

>> And it's just wonderful.

And I love that I can wear flowers all the time.

>> Yeah.

>> And I hope that your book, as well as this series, can help encourage people to wear lei all the time.

>> All the time.

There's never a bad time.

Yeah.

>> And it doesn't have to be on the island.

It could be anywhere.

>> Yeah.

>> It's been a treat to meet I love the book.

It's one of my favorites now.

>> Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for having me.

>> I hope you've enjoyed Part 1 of our deep dive into the culture of lei in Hawaii, and there's still so much more to learn.

In Part 2, we'll experience a generational pua kenikeni tree, learn more about nature and lei, along with its symbolism, building up to the annual Lei Day contest and special celebration you won't want to miss.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

>> Where you're from, you've got ramps, morels, fiddlehead ferns.

>> Peonies, tulips.

All of those things that need to have that winter.

>> Right.

>> Yeah, they need to have that rest.

>> Those bulbing plants.

>> Bulbs, corms all have to have rest.

>> Yeah, so we don't have that winter die-off here, so it really affects our ability to go out there and forage wild things.

>> But you also don't have 60-degree-below winters.

>> It's a trade-off.

>> Or 180 inches of snow.

[ Both laugh ] >> I love being outdoors.

I can't imagine living in a place that gets 30 degrees below.

Actually, I probably would figure out cross-country -- >> It gives us so much appreciation to come here.

>> Right.

>> That's a good time to come here.

>> Yeah, exactly.

>> It's true.

It's true.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit uBloom.com to access all episodes of "Life in Bloom," plus exclusive flower videos, J's newsletter and blog, find recipes, flower tips, techniques, and much more.

Be sure to follow "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" on social media.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

At home... at work... or anytime.

CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour, to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists.

At Albertsons Companies.

>> ...with additional support from the following.

Passion Roses... Suntory Flowers.

Closed-caption funding provided by fabulousflorals.com.