Learn about some interesting Hawaiian fruit on the island of Kauai and understand why shopping locally for your food is so important. Dr. Jeremy Wiseman of Wiseman Family Practice tours a Hawaiian Farmers Market.
YouTube Video Transcript:
[intro music]
[Hawaiian Farmers’ Market Tour with Wiseman Family Practice]
[Wiseman Family Practice Integrative Medicine and Total Wellness]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Hey, guys. Jeremy Wiseman here with Wiseman Family
Practice. I’m here in Hawaii, on Kauai Island. And one of my favorite things to do
when I’m traveling is to visit a local farmers’ market.
I do this for a few reasons: 1). You get to meet the local people. 2). You get to eat
real, indigenous food. 3). You get a sense of the soul and the feel for the place when
you connect the people to their food source.
Now, Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, at about 6 million years old. It’s
relatively small at 560 square miles, but it’s unique—like the rest of the Hawaiian
Islands—in that it imports 90 percent of its food source. So it makes it especially
important, in this instance, that we support local farming.
Some of the local crops they do grow here are: papaya, pineapple, mangos,
macadamia nuts, sugar—in fact, it has a rich history of sugar growing—and coffee.
It’s the only state in the United States that grows its own coffee. So I’m really excited
about today. Let’s go support local farming.
[music]
[Koloa Sunshine Market]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Hello.
>> Carambola (Star fruit) Vendor: Hi.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Can you explain these, what are they?
>> Carambola (Star fruit) Vendor: They are sweet, very juicy. You just bite into it.
You can eat the peel or you can cut it cross-wise and you’d see the stars, to place in
your salad.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: It’s called a star fruit?
>> Carambola (Star fruit) Vendor: Uh huh, or a carambola.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Hi, these are the macadamia nuts?
>> Macadamia Nut Vendor: Yes.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: And you said they are not roasted?
>> Macadamia Nut Vendor: Not roasted. Unroasted. They’re fresh.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Fresh, got it. We’ll take one more.
>> Macadamia Nut Vendor: You want to take two?
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Oh, is it two for $9.00?
>> Macadamia Nut Vendor: Yeah.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: We’ll take two, thank you!
[music]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: So are these macadamia nuts?
>> Longan Vendor: No, they call them “longan.” It’s like a lychee.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: You don’t eat this [the seed]?
>> Longan Vendor: No, don’t eat the seeds.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Just the outside?
>> Longan Vendor: Yes.
[music]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: [Holding fruit] I’ve never seen one. How do you pronounce
it again?
>> Atemoya Vendor: ah-tuh-moi-uh
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Atemoya. Do you just cut it?
>> Atemoya Vendor: Yes, I would slice it this way. But you want it to get softer. And
it looks like it’s going to—see, it’s starting to open a little bit at the top?
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Yes. As soon as it opens, just peel it open?
>> Atemoya Vendor: Slice it, just cut it with a knife. You don’t eat the skin; you just
eat the inside.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: OK.
>> Atemoya Vendor: It’s kind of like a big pear!
[music]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Hi, how are you doing? I’m Jeremy.
>> Maya (Passion Fruit Vendor): Hi, Jeremy. I’m Maya. Welcome, nice to meet you.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Nice to meet you. Thank you!
>> Maya: We have this passion fruit, which we call “liliko’i.” Liliko’i is a Hawaiian
word. There is a passion drink that comes with the juice, liliko’i cupcakes, and pies.
What else do they [people] have? There are so many things they come up with! So
what you do is cut it in half and [run] it [under] cold water. Here you go.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Wow!
>> Maya: May I have the other one? [reaching for a piece of fruit]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Yes, thank you. What’s it called, again?
>> Maya: It’s called passion fruit, or liliko’i. There’s tartness to it. You just eat that
part in there, the inside.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Can I just scoop it out?
>> Maya: Sure! Just use your finger. You’re in Hawaii, so you have to use your finger
that way. See, welcome aboard! Now you are a Hawaiian. [laughing]
And this is papaya. This is the Hawaii Sunrise Papaya. It’s locally grown. We have 20
acres of papaya on the island. (My uncles take care of this.) And what you do is take
out the seeds—just drop your peel right here. Here we go, just try the Hawaii
Sunrise Papaya (or it’s called “strawberry” papaya).
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Yeah, I could actually eat the peel, too.
>> Maya: It’s really good.
When you go to a Japanese restaurant, they do have the pickled ginger. This is what
they use, this one right here. That’s halfway mature. Comparing it: this is the young
one and this is getting to mature. You can use everything, from the leaves all the way
down. [Pointing to ginger with leaves] This one here, if you are boiling water to
make a tea, just rinse this one here and boil it. The flavor of your water will come
through. It’s very good.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: OK, great. So what is this?
>> Maya: This is an ice cream banana. You can eat it like this or you can throw it in
your freezer with the skin on.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: It’s called an “ice cream” banana?
>> Maya: Yes.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: And that’s local?
>> Maya: It’s very local. Anything you see on our table right here, everything is
locally grown from the island of Kauai.
This is the Hawaiian Plantain. You see the inside part of it is yellow. Take this one
and taste it.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Taste this one right here?
>> Maya: Yes. And this is your ice cream banana, which is white on the inside. You
can try it, too. We have so many different types of bananas on the island.
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: Thank you very much. It was nice to meet you!
>> Maya: Aloha! Enjoy your vacation.
[music]
>> Dr. Jeremy Wiseman: I hope you guys enjoyed that small tour of a Hawaiian
farmers’ market as much as I did.
Now, I really think we should try to buy local produce whenever possible for the
following reasons: 1). Increased health benefits: When we eat locally, we eat more
seasonal fruits and vegetables. By eating more seasonal produce, we eat products
that are healthier, tastier, and have less environmental impact.
2). Greater transparency: When you meet the actual person who grows your food,
you get to verify the products are grown organically and that the workers involved
in the process are treated humanely.
3). Preservation of the environment: When we eat food that is shipped hundreds, or
even thousands, of miles, there are large environmental costs. Eating locally
decreases these costs.
4). Connection with Nature: By buying local food, we more actively participate in
our food choices, which gives us a more heightened awareness of our natural
environment.
So thanks again, guys. We’ll see you next time!
[closing music]