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There’s something about food that enchants me. I love cooking, eating, but more recently, have become increasingly interested in where food comes from.

I’m blessed to live somewhere where farming can be done year round and have been spending the past several months researching farms around Oahu. I found out about Kahumanu Farms at work – the residents in our senior living community were planning a trip there, and I didn’t want to miss out on all of the fun, so I scheduled my own trip there!

My friend Kaley was my adventure companion for the day as we drove out to West Oahu for Kahumanu Farm’s Open House. Lucky for us, this particular day’s farm tour was free, so we were able to enjoy learning more about local agriculture for free.

Kahumanu Farm is tucked away on Lualualei Homestead Road in the Lualualei Valley in Waianae. This particular day was sunny and warm, but a cool breeze made the temperature pleasant. We were greeted promptly by a farmhand letting us know where to park. We then checked in for the tour and were given the go-ahead to look around the property before the tour started.

It turns out that Kahumanu has been around since the 1970s. It first opened as an intentional life-sharing community for those who are differently-abled. They expanded in the 80s to include group homes and started a transitional housing program for homeless, which still runs today.

In addition to growing close to 100,000 pounds of organic food a year, Kahumanu continues to support efforts for vulnerable populations including the homeless, disabled and youth. They have a learning center, a café (which I can’t wait to go back and try one day!), a commercial kitchen and even lodging spaces for those who need an alternative accommodation or retreat!

Before our tour started, we were welcomed into one of the retreat houses for refreshments by some of the farm staff. They had graciously prepared homemade hummus and veggies, pulled pork sliders, banana bread and poi mochi. We were able to wash it down with a refreshing hibiscus ice tea. We noticed some of the people who were staying in the bed and breakfast-like lodgings seems relaxed and to be communing with nature and those living and working on the farm.

We began our tour with our extremely knowledgeable guide Kristen. She blew us away with her farming knowledge, and also her expertise of Hawaiian land and customs. We toured the main farm which included a dragon fruit patch, a hurricane-resistant fruit tree orchard and a chicken coop. We were able to sample the farm’s salad greens (which they sell to a lot of restaurants in Honolulu) and carrots.

After our samples, we all jumped into our cars and followed the tour guide a mile and half up the road, further into the mountains, to another piece of land that was recently entrusted to them by a former resident who has since passed on. Upon receiving the land several years ago, they prepared it by hand to grow food. Their hard work in being stewards of the land and practicing sustainable and regenerative organic farming is palpable. Their farmers are committed to the lifestyle, but more importantly, feeding people healthy and delicious food that’s grown in their own backyard.

We walked through the different fields growing carrots, salad greens, fruit trees and beets. We also were able to feed their goats and view their beautiful taro bed.

At the end of the tour, we were invited to view a video they recently produced about the farm and the good work that they do.

Unfortunately, the café was closed that day due to a farm fundraising dinner, but I can’t wait to come back and try their famous macadamia nut pesto, salads and lilkoi cheesecake!

If you’re a visitor to Oahu or simply a resident looking for a fun and informative afternoon on the farm, make the drive and go visit. It’s enriching to walk the earth where our nourishment comes from and empowering to learn how to better feed and take care of ourselves!

To learn more about Kahumanu Farms, visit https://www.kahumana.org/.

I never thought that I was brave. When I was a busgirl at one of my first jobs at a country club, I was timid. I was afraid of the other waitresses who were older, most experienced, smoked cigarettes, had kids and second jobs. I felt small around their exposed tattoos and shared stories about Poison concerts.

I’d work in the all-men’s room where swearing, excessive drinking, and avoiding wives was a favorite pastime of our members. I would fear the ass-grabbing, snide comments and remarks of “Honey, get me a drink.” Still, I grinned and bore it. The tips were good, and after all, where else would I work?

Being brave at home didn’t come easy. Everyone has a role in their family, and mine was caretaker. I helped raise my siblings from the time they were in diapers. I was a teenager. I enjoyed a lot of freedoms, but not at the expense of being guilted into familial obligations. I had to muster the courage to stand up for something I really wanted, and when I couldn’t get it, well, that’s just the way it was.

It’s safe to say that I wasn’t a very brave little girl, either. When I was little during rolling Midwest thunderstorms, I’d hide under the blankets fearing the roof would blow off. I’d tell myself God was bowling, just how Grandma Jean used to tell me.

I grew in college but was still timid around new people and situations. I joined clubs and academic organizations. I wrote for the college newspaper. Yet, I was always eager for the meeting to be over with. I didn’t want to over extend myself at the expense of looking silly. I couldn’t speak up at the editorial meetings out of fear of sounding stupid. I never really got anywhere leadership-wise because I didn’t really believe that I could offer anything more valuable than the others. I earned my good grades and graduated.

What came next was a shock. My college relationship was one that meant so much to me. It came to an end, and my core was shook. When it was pulled away, I reeled.

The breakup was the turning point of discovering something bigger within myself. Looking back on it now, I’m actually grateful. I wonder back to how different my life would be if that relationship played out. I pray to my lucky stars that it never did play out, because it was an unhealthy relationship and I was of an unhealthy mindset.

When I was done letting life shit on me, I decided to muster up some bravery. Bravery never came naturally to me, so at first, I faked it. I announced a cross-country move. I stood up to my mom who was appalled and non-supportive, but eventually relented. I took all the savings out of my bank account and geared up for a new life. I summoned bravery and it took me places.

Traveling and living different places took a lot of bravery, but it’s not the type of bravery that lasts. It’s a good “high” to live in and discover somewhere new. But even new places lose their novelty. After traveling and living all over the place, I grew tired of reinventing myself. I wanted consistency and community back. I decided it was time to put down roots.

I’ve been living in Hawaii for four years and I’m getting ready for a big transition in my life: getting married to the love of my life. Since leaving home, I had been looking for bravery in novelty, but I’m beginning to realize that it’s been within me all along. I don’t have to be moving mountains to think I’m brave. I don’t have to be living off the beaten path to be considered brave.

Waking up every day to face life and its challenges is brave. Doing the sometimes excruciating work of self-discovery and healing is brave. Admitting you have a problem in some area of your life is brave. Working to find a solution to that problem is brave. Setting out on a new chapter even though you’re scared and really don’t know what or how you’ll get along and trusting you’ll be fine is brave. Giving it another shot, day after day, is brave.

The answer to whether or not I’m brave is yes.  The timid little girl is finding bravery in all the old places within herself, places where it’s always been, always belonged. She belongs there, too.