Take the Eat Local Challenge

Posted On: Sep 17, 10

WHAT: A challenge to attempt to eat strictly local for the week, and participate in actions that support our local food system, such as shopping at farmers’ and fish markets, buying local produce, working at local farms, dining at restaurants serving Hawai’i-grown meals, and hosting eat local pot lucks, etc.

WHERE: Across the State of Hawai’i at farms, homes, restaurants, food stores, and everywhere else that food and the resources we need to produce it exist.

WHY: To get thousands of islanders involved in the effort to create more sustainable, secure, local food systems in Hawai’i.

WHEN: Sunday, September 26 to Saturday, October 2.

Get more info at www.kanuhawaii.org/eatlocal to make your commitment and for resources to help your family Eat Local.

Tips for the Eat Local Challenge

At School:

  • Take a field trip to a farmers’ market for a morning scavenger hunt. Many are within walking distance of schools.
  • Have a tasting of one local fruit or vegetable each day of the week. Have students journal about each food item.
  • Ask each student to bring one locally grown fruit or vegetable and, as a class, make a salad and dressing. It’s a great opportunity for young children to discover texture, color and shape. Local food can also be an excellent research project for older students.
  • Instead of pencils, pens, or stickers as class prizes, give seeds to encourage students to grow their own food at home.
  • Start a garden so students can Eat Local year-round. If the school already has a garden, prepare a snack with garden produce. Send home garden-fresh herbs as a way to encourage families to prepare a locally sourced meal.

At Home:

  • Shop for the week and get to know local growers by visiting a farmers’ market . Be sure to ask the vendor where the produce is from, as a few farmers’ markets also sell imported produce. Bring a reusable bag and buy your produce loose rather than prepackaged in plastic.
  • To keep things simple you could replace just one imported item each day with a local one. Instead of regular potato salad, try replacing it with Okinawan sweet potato (locally grown of course)!
  • Plant something edible. You may not be able to eat it in time for the challenge, but there’s nothing more satisfying than eating something from your own backyard or lanai.


Kid Chef Cooking Local

On September 22, as a kickoff to Kanu Hawai’i’s Eat Local Challenge, 9 year old Duke Kenney and his assistant, Chef Ed Kenney, will be demonstrating how to prepare a wonderful locally-sourced meal that your family can make at home.

This ‘AINA In Schools family event is hosted by Wai’alae Elementary Public Charter School with support from Whole Foods Market Kahala.

It will be an educational and fun evening as we discover the joys of cooking and enjoy the tastes and smells of a local meal cooked up by Chef Duke.

If you would like to attend please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more info.

This event will be streamed LIVE starting at 6:00 PM HST at Hawaii: In Real Life