Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 9, 1 September 1997 — Hawaiʻi Grown [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiʻi Grown

We are fortunate to live in Hawai'i where so many tasty and nutritious fruits and vegetables grow. Mango season, my favorite, has just ended and, as always, was too short. Now, we're blessed with avocado, guava and mountain apples. Banana and papava are available vear-round. Most of our fruit is kama'āina. The trulv Hawaiian fruits are mountain apples, bananas and 'ōhelo berries. Mountain apples, 'ōhi'a 'ai are native to the Malayan Archipelago and arrived here with the earlv migration of Hawaiians. The trees flourish in deep mountain valleys on all islands and the season usuallv runs from late summer through October. Eating five or six servings of these fruits gives you more than the reqmred daily allowanee of vitamin C. 'Ohelo berries are nadve fruits and were never cultivated. They are found only on Hawai'i and East Maui, at fairly high altitudes, where they thrive on lava flows, beds of volcanic ash and cinders. The berries are considered sacred to Pele, and it is_customary to make an offering to her before picking. 'Ohelo berries are a fair source of the B and C vitamins. The early Hawaiians brought banana plants with them as growing rhizomes from the islands south of Hawai'i. In ancient days, bananas were kapu to women, except for varieties whīeh Wākea designated "noa," among them pōpo 'ulu and iholena. These early varieties were tastier when cooked. The hanana mo'olelo is this: When Kāne and kanaloa went around the island ehain, Kanaloa would find the water source, while Kāne would use his 'o'o to dig the puka for the banana to grow. Bananas are the kinolau of Kanaloa, the god of the sea. Still today, fishermen don't take bananas with them when they go fishing. 3ananas are starchv when green; as they mature, the starch is converted to mostlv sugar. Cooking varieties are fair sources of provitamin A, some B vitamins, iron and phosphorus; other types have a little vitamin C and a lot of potassium. Mangoes are indigenous to southern Asia. The first mango tree seedlings, our eommon mango, eame to

Hawai'i in 1824 from Manila. Today, Hayden and Pirie are the most desired mango varieties. Hawai'i-grown mangoes are delicious, even compared to those in their homeland. They are a rich source of vitamin A, good source of vitamin C and they're high in calories. 4vocados are tropical American natives. Admiral Beardslee brought three Guatemalan seedlings, the origins of several of the present varieties. Avocados are high in fat — from 7 to 26 percent of the calories —

depending on the variety. The Beardslee is a rich source of vitamin A and the Nabal is a good source. Kawai'i has several well-known varieties of guava — eommon and strawberry guava. A native of tropical America, guava eame to Hawai'i from Australia in 1851. Because guava grows so easily, it has become a pest in some areas. Guavas are a rich source of vitamin C, whieh is lost when cooked. Therefore, fresh blended guava drinks are best. The arrival date of papaya in Hawai'i is uncertain.

Since it has a Hawaiian name, hē'ī, some believe that its arrival predates Western contact. Others believe Don Marin introduced it from the Marquesas sometime before 1823. William Ellis describes "pawpaw apples" growing in Kona gardens. Solo papayas eame to Hawai'i in 1919. Through selechon and propagahon they have improved and are most often marketed here today. Papaya is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A. The vitamin C content of a half ripe papaya increases by 60 to 70 percent when it is allowed to fully ripen.

by Claire Hughes Nutritionist, Hawai'i Department Of Health