Kauai's Farmers Markets

Tropical farmers markets! Year-round happiness in the out of doors. How strange to find bouquets of vibrant fresh basil and chives and all sorts of vegetables and fruits beckoning me with their colors and aromas. In January.

Seasoned shoppers arrive early to look over what favorite sellers have to offer. Lines form early. But nothing can be sold until the market master has signaled the market is officially open by ringing a bell or banging a gong or just making a noise. Then the shopping begins.

Look at these bunches of vegetables with their messy roots all atangle. I want to reach in and grab those radishes and scallions. And I do! Thank you, Dorothy, for taking this photo.

It’s the people at these markets that bring the places alive. And their languages. Oh my goodness, so many happy voices chattering animatedly. Buyers want to know “How do you cook this.” Sellers want to sell and their aim is make as many deals as possible in the brief time the market is open.  Repeat customers get special attention. “So nice to see you again,” are music to a buyers ears, and vendors will often throw in an extra something—say a papaya, or vegetable—to show their appreciation.

Masking is mandatory, but customers often crowd at the front of sellers’ tables to pick the choicest produce. It’s really quite orderly and civil. I love the openness of these gatherings. And if I’m chatting with someone who’s picking up some of the same vegetable as I am, I’ll ask how they like to cook it. It’s a great way to pick up new culinary tips.

One market we shop at every Saturday, the Puhi market, has vendors spaced well apart on a large grassy field. My wife, Dorothy, took this photo with the rainbow shortly after a brief shower. We arrive around 9:15 in the morning and poke around a few booths to see if there’s something new we want to try. Official shopping begins at 9:30. This market offers the widest selection of produce we’ve seen, so it’s our favorite. It’s also where Midnight Bear Breads sells their sourdough loaves, croissants, and other pastries. When you come to Kauai, you must visit their bakery in Hanapepe.

I’m always seeking papayas. My wife and I eat it every morning, either plain with a squeeze of calamansi lime or their cavities filled with diced pineapple or banana. Here’s what calamansi look like. Their flesh is orange and their juices are less acidic than traditional limes. The trick is to buy several papayas with a range of ripeness so that we have a supply of perfectly ripe fruit to feed us for several days.

In addition to the Puhi market, we shop at the Monday Pau Hana market and the Wednesday market at Kukui’ula, a shopping center in the Lawai area in southeast Kaua’i. Lawai is in one of the drier areas of the island and it can be drizzly on our way there but bright and sunny at the market.

Passion fruit, or lilikoi in Hawaiian, is one of my favorite foods. I like to spoon it, seeds and all, onto pineapple or banana. It’s easy to remove the seeds by pulsing the fruit a few times in a blender and straining the pulp. Passion fruit pulp (or juice) is great in hot or iced tea, in a martini, a soufflé, cheesecake, or sorbet or ice cream. You can also mix the pulp with softened butter and spread it on toast.

Farmers markets are also great gathering places for friends to grab a coffee and snack and get caught up with what’s going on in their lives. There’s a special spirit at these markets that’s life affirming. And it’s real. Not virtual.