Kapiolani Community College Farmers' Market | Honolulu, Hawaii

This past Friday at the Phởriday tweetup, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting chef Leslie Ashburn (@macrohawaii). We started talking about buying local versus organic. Despite living in Hawaii, it is difficult to find locally grown organic produce in any of the grocery stores. There are places like Whole Foods Kahala (@wfmkahala) that sometimes stock locally grown organic, but generally speaking we, as consumers, must often choose one or the other. Leslie's advice to me: go for what looks freshest and remember that variety is important. Our conversation, coupled with my personal goal to go out and do more with my family, motivated me to get everyone up on Saturday morning and head over to the farmers' market at KCC.

Kapiolani Community College Farmers' Market
4303 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 947-3804
Website

We got there around 10:00 and, as you can see, it was crowded. In fact, some of the vendors were already running out of stuff and packing up when we walked by.


Ma`o Organic Farms (@maoorganicfarms) is one of the few places where you can actually find locally grown organic produce. Look for their signature green tent right smack in the middle of all the action. You need to get there quick, though, because they sometimes sell out.


It was quite warm that day, so the three of us each got a strawberry lemonade. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop, but while I was waiting in line, Grace Lee (@gracelee9)came by and chatted with the owner! So naturally, I tweet about the experience, which apparently garnered me some stalker points according to @ryankanno.


Overall, it was a great experience. We didn't buy very much to take home because we spent most of our cash on lunch and lemonade. Next time, we'll know what to expect so we can plan out schedules a little better (and bring more money!).

It is my personal opinion that we should support local businesses by shopping at farmers' markets whenever possible. Where do you buy your produce? Do you usually buy local or organic?