PUHI — One shopper said he was looking for kale at Kaua‘i Community Market, but was too late. “It literally jumped off the table as soon as they brought it,” said James Ayotte, a volunteer at the Kauai‘i Community College
PUHI — One shopper said he was looking for kale at Kaua‘i Community Market, but was too late.
“It literally jumped off the table as soon as they brought it,” said James Ayotte, a volunteer at the Kauai‘i Community College community garden table, said Saturday at the Kaua‘i Community Marke at KCC. “This is fresh. They just harvested it, brought it over and it was gone. It’s incredible.”
Melissa McFerrin said the KCC Community Garden, under instructor Ken Lindsey, only recently started bringing out produce. In the first two weeks, the table was sold out almost as soon as the student vendors set up, she said.
“Produce is literally jumping off the table,” Lindsey said. “The produce is grown in an area in back of the farmers market at KCC and tended to by students of the Sustainable Gardening and Farming Training program, as well as former students.”
Lindsey said the program started in January 2010 and made an appearance at the Kaua‘i Community Market before pulling back to re-organize. The program reintroduced itself to the market about a month ago.
“We were stretched too thin,” Lindsey said.
“But we got everything in order and now, with the mix of current and former students, we’re back,” he said.
McFerrin, the Kaua‘i Community Market coordinator for the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau, said she was eager to see the return of the community garden, a part of the recently launched Ho‘ouluwehi, or The Sustainable Living Institute of Kaua‘i.
She was sharing her central information tent so the program could offer its produce to customers.
“I’m so excited about their return,” McFerrin said. “This is part of the reason why we have the Saturday market — to support some of the programs being offered at KCC. The KCC Community Gardens table is only available at this market for now.”
She said the quality of the produce is tops, having picked up some giant cauliflower last week to feed to her 9-month-old son.
Lindsey said registration for the next Sustainable Gardening and Farming Training classes are currently being accepted by the KCC Office of Continuing Education and Training.
Classes start March 3 and run through May 12, meeting from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays at the KCC farm.
He said the program needs volunteers to help with the program which benefits from the Kaua‘i Community Market, because the proceeds from produce sales go back into the program.
“Today was good. I already had one person ask to volunteer,” Lindsey said. “Volunteers can call me at 346-7090.”
For more information on the class, call the college’s Office of Continuing Education and Training at 245-8318.
The Kaua‘i Community Market, coordinated by the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau and KCC, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
