the tasty spot

Pretty sunflowers

I decided to wake up early this Saturday morning and take a walk around the farmers market at KCC.  The market is there every Saturdays from 7:30AM – 11:00AM.  The first time I went (and dragged AM with me), I got there around 10:30AM and everyone was packing up to go already.  This time I went early (around 8:15AM) and it was perfect!  The parking lot was FULL but I still managed to get a nice spot close to the entrance.

Entrance to the market

TONS of people come here and it gets crowded.  There were a lot of Japanese tourists and a lot of families.  There were people of all age groups.  I would say it was a nice mix.  There were lines for some stands that served prepared food and oh my goodness, it smelled so good!  Especially the crepe stand!  There was also a stand that sold sake butter clams!  I will definitely go back with a BIG appetite and try that next time.  The first thing I got when I arrived was a nice tall cup of iced Kona coffee.  100% Kona prepared with a french press!  It was delicious.

I wasn’t really hungry (plus I was by myself) so I didn’t really want to stop and eat.  My objective was just to see everything and get a few things.  It was a nice Saturday morning stroll.

Kona Abalone

Live abalone

Grilled abalone

A much smaller version of the farmers market is held at the Blaisdell lawn on Wednesday afternoons.  The last time I went, the Kona Abalone stand was there too.  I shared a plate with my friend, Katja.  They were so yummy.  They grill the abalone on the half shell and you can put shoyu and lemon juice on it.  It was delicious.

Dragon fruit

Inside the dragon fruit

Pitaya and mangosteen

There were lots of different exotic fruits as well like dragon fruit, pitaya, and mangosteen.  I think pitaya is a variation of the dragon fruit.  A lot of stands also sold locally grown vegetables, flowers, and herbs.  Some sold baked goods and others sold jams and butters.  There was also a mochi stand which sold strawberry mochi for $6.25!  Two Ladies Kitchen in Hilo sells it for less than half that!

Fresh coconut juice

At the edge of middle row, there was this guy hacking away at coconuts.  You can get fresh coconut juice served in the coconut.  Pretty refreshing on a hot sunny day.

Naked Cow Dairy

Garlic & herb feta

Naked Cow Dairy is a local dairy farm that churns their own butter and makes their own cheese.  I tasted the plain feta and thought it would be perfect on the summer peach and candied walnut salad I made last time.  They only had the garlic & herb feta left so I grabbed one.  $8 for a small tub but I guess that’s what it costs to support locally hand made products.  It was very tasty though.

Fried green tomatoes

This is another one that I will need to go back and try next time.  There was a long line of people and I didn’t feel like eating fried foods at 9AM but I will definitely go back for the fried green tomatoes.

Rosemary & sweet basil plants

I made it home with a rosemary plant and a basil plant.  The last basil plant I had survived a few months and we cooked with it all the time.  I have to remember to keep re-potting it.  The rosemary plant I got last time from Home Depot died right away.  The ones at the farmers market looked healthier.  Hopefully this one will survive.  We use a lot of rosemary in our cooking too so fresh rosemary will be amazing.

Kettle corn

I also couldn’t leave without a bag of kettle corn.  Paniolo means cowboy in Hawaiian.  It was $4 for a small bag and $6 for a large bag.  I ripped it open as soon as I got home and I could not stop eating it.  The sweet and salty combination is so addictive.

The farmers market is definitely a great way to spend Saturday morning with a girlfriend (or boyfriend, if your boyfriend is into this sort of thing).  Lots of great food and drinks so it is definitely a place to go with a big appetite or to go with a group so you can try more things.  I think it gets more crowded the earlier it is so probably 9AM or even 9:30AM is a good time to go.   I left around 9AM and saw a few parking spots open and less cars coming into the lot.  Also probably best to bring some cash too although I overheard someone say there is an ATM.

By the way…all the pictures in this entry were taken with my iphone4!

KCC Farmers Market
Kapi’olani Community College
4303 Diamond Head Rd
Parking Lot C
(right across from Diamond Head Theatre)

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