Kīlauea, Kaua‘i – Kīlauea and nearby Moloa‘a are known for the fertile land and abundant small farms that blanket the landscape, producing fruit, chocolate, cheese and more. As a city girl, I sometimes forget that this is where food comes from. But not after spending much of the week touring the farms (and sampling the goods) of this rich, bountiful region. These were a few of my favorites.
Kauaʻi Sugarloaf Pineapple
See a quarter of a million pineapple plants stretching far out into the distance at Kauaʻi Sugarloaf. These iconic fruits are acclaimed for their low-acid, super-sweet flavor. The fruit is so tender you can eat the core. The informative two-hour tour covers the pineapple growing process, from planting to picking. I even got to pick my own sugarloaf to take home!
We finished up the visit with Paulie’s Pineapple Phrosty treat. This is basically frozen sugarloaf, whipped up in a juicer, until it’s creamy, smooth and sweet. Super refreshing!
Garden Island Chocolate
Down the road, Garden Island Chocolate demonstrates the chocolate making process, as well as the sustainable practices of this family farm. Then comes the fun part: the tasting. This tour was outstanding for the sheer volume of samples offered – more then 20 sizeable chocolate bites showcasing flavors like ginger, coconut macadamia nut and Hawaiian pepper. By the end, I was actually declining some of the samples. This rich, dark chocolate is not for the faint of heart.
Pick & Taste Tours
As indicated by the name, Pick & Taste Tours is less of a farm tour and more of a tropical fruit tasting. It takes place at a certified organic farm and orchard that has over 2000 different fruit trees and 100 species of fruit! On the two-hour tour, we sampled many of them – basically whatever was in season – all straight off the tree or bush. We were so lucky that there were still some ripe mangos hanging on the tree (the last remnants of the season). But my favorites were lilikoʻi (passion fruit) and pitaya (dragon fruit).
Noni was also an interesting experience. One of the original Polynesian canoe plants, this divisive fruit tastes and smells like strong blue cheese. Yeah, it’s not delicious… but the health benefits!
Common Ground
A visit to Common Ground is not just a farm tour, but also an educational, cultural and culinary journey. Formerly a guava and sugar cane plantation, the property is now a regenerative farm, seeking to build resilience and sustainability in food production. The island of Kauaʻi currently imports 85% of its food, and Common Ground is part of a movement to change that.
We started with a walk through the regenerative food forest, featuring bananas, pineapple, kava, heart of palm, papaya, bananas, ‘ulu (breadfruit) and more. The crops and trees are all planted together, mimicking a natural ecosystem, which makes it more resilient. Tree branches and debris remain on the ground to decompose and send nutrients back into the earth. We also saw how rainwater is harvested and we spotted chickens “fertilizing” the soil.
But the tour is really just an teaser. The main attraction is the gourmet four-course meal that follows, prepared from all-Hawaiʻi-grown ingredients. Our meal included a farm-fresh salad with a dozen different veggies and edible flowers; a luscious creamy kabocha bisque, drizzled with avocado oil; tender, grass-fed Wailua beef stew; and mango lilikoʻi sorbet to finish it off. Each course was exquisite on the eyes and on the palate. Guests dined at communal tables in the open air – ideal for solo travelers. It was a delightful and delicious evening!
