BOBBY COMMAND

CAPTAIN COOK RESIDENT

Like everyone else, COVID has affected our lives in a multitude of ways. Luckily, neither of us was affected employment wise, and so weʻve been all to live a relatively normal life, albeit mostly at home. That has provided me with an opportunity to concentrate on trying to fulfill a goal that Iʻve aspired to meet ever since we moved to Captain Cook, and that is to grow at least five percent of the food we eat.

I think Iʻve gotten there with these opo squash alone. They really make a great breakfast soup, and Iʻve grown so many of them — maybe 50 in all — that a lot of other people have been benefiting from the deep soils of Konawaena. Iʻve been growing tomatoes, cucumber, and now my next crop — bush beans — will be providing us with something different to eat in a few weeks. The key to growing food is to eat what you can grow, rather than the other way around. Sure, weʻd like to be growing all the things that we like, but we need to be able to eat what the ground is willing to give us. Kabocha pumpkin also grows very well in mauka Kona, but I kinda got tired of eating them, except for tempura, which is awesome. The leafy greens can be grown on the balcony railing, and last week we feasted on bok choy. Iʻm going to grow a whole bunch, and I may even go back to growing Manoa lettuce using the non-circulating Kratky method, which essentially is using old coffee containers with a small basket filled with perlite and a hydroponic fluid, and then waiting six weeks  to harvest. Everyone talks about a self-sufficient Hawaii. Well, if you have some dirt, old coffee containers and a little spirit you can help our island home take another step closer to that goal.

Oh, and by the way, weʻve been elating three miles every morning at Konawaena High School. Despite the school deciding to lock up the athletic track during the duration, weʻve adopted the teacherʻs parking lot as our own track. Mary and I have easily put in enough roadwork to have been able to walk around the Big Island three or four times, during the past three years. The COVID situation forced us to do our walking in the mornings, but thatʻs all good as it gives us a chance to enjoy Konaʻs cool mornings and get our blood pumping so we can face another day.

Hopefully, youʻll join us both in making Hawaii more self sufficient and making ourselves more healthy. Mauka Kona strong!