PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 9:55 PM by Tevita

Tastes good to Kaua‘i visitors

From : Kauai Island Garden News

Award-winning Chef Mark Reinfeld treated visitors to a “Taste of the Islands” yesterday at the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s South Shore Visitors Center.More than 100 people eager to experience local cuisine sampled fresh ulu and okinawa — Hawaiian for breadfruit — and purple sweet potato.
Reinfeld, a founding chef at the popular Blossoming Lotus restaurant in Kapa‘a, prepared the dishes only using ingredients grown on Kaua‘i.Melissa Gregory, assistant to the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Breadfruit Institute Director Dr. Diane Ragone, was also on hand at the free ‘Ohana Day event to promote the study and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation.For more than 3,000 years, Pacific islanders have used these tall evergreen trees for food, canoes and homes, she said.The Breadfruit Institute, partnering with Sustainable Harvest International, is working on a project to send 3,000 plantlets to farmers in Honduras to help end hunger there and in other tropical regions, Gregory said.Blossoming Lotus uses the breadfruit in its dishes in a variety of ways, and Reinfeld shared a couple preparation tips with the crowd.For example, he suggested quartering the melon-sized breadfruit, boiling it until a knife easily passes through it, cutting it into cutlet size and marinating it in soy sauce and maple syrup.After 15 minutes, he said, grill the creamy white flesh and top it with basil and macadamia nut pesto.“It didn’t look appetizing at start, but it’s absolutely delicious,” a visitor from Los Angeles said. “I’d like to eat this everyday.”The versatile breadfruit can also be cooked over coals in a campfire, baked, fried or turned into a cake.“Pretty much anything you can do with a potato you can do with ulu,” Reinfeld said.A South African red tea called rooibos accompanied the chef’s samples.Reinfeld said the best place to find breadfruit and purple sweet potatoes on Kaua‘i is at farmer’s markets.Patti Pontone, a National Tropical Botanical Garden volunteer, said a steady stream of island visitors and local residents were taking advantage of the tasty treats before and after tours through gardens there.For more information, visit breadfruit.org.



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DIVA-GIS	Thursday, September 06, 2007 Posted 9:55 PM by Tevita Tastes good to Kaua‘i visitors From : Kauai Island Garden News Award-winning Chef Mark Reinfeld treated visitors to a “Taste of the Islands” yesterday at the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s South Shore Visitors Center.More than 100 people eager to experience local cuisine sampled fresh ulu and okinawa — Hawaiian for breadfruit — and purple sweet potato. Reinfeld, a founding chef at the popular Blossoming Lotus restaurant in Kapa‘a, prepared the dishes only using ingredients grown on Kaua‘i.Melissa Gregory, assistant to the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Breadfruit Institute Director Dr. Diane Ragone, was also on hand at the free ‘Ohana Day event to promote the study and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation.For more than 3,000 years, Pacific islanders have used these tall evergreen trees for food, canoes and homes, she said.The Breadfruit Institute, partnering with Sustainable Harvest International, is working on a project to send 3,000 plantlets to farmers in Honduras to help end hunger there and in other tropical regions, Gregory said.Blossoming Lotus uses the breadfruit in its dishes in a variety of ways, and Reinfeld shared a couple preparation tips with the crowd.For example, he suggested quartering the melon-sized breadfruit, boiling it until a knife easily passes through it, cutting it into cutlet size and marinating it in soy sauce and maple syrup.After 15 minutes, he said, grill the creamy white flesh and top it with basil and macadamia nut pesto.“It didn’t look appetizing at start, but it’s absolutely delicious,” a visitor from Los Angeles said. “I’d like to eat this everyday.”The versatile breadfruit can also be cooked over coals in a campfire, baked, fried or turned into a cake.“Pretty much anything you can do with a potato you can do with ulu,” Reinfeld said.A South African red tea called rooibos accompanied the chef’s samples.Reinfeld said the best place to find breadfruit and purple sweet potatoes on Kaua‘i is at farmer’s markets.Patti Pontone, a National Tropical Botanical Garden volunteer, said a steady stream of island visitors and local residents were taking advantage of the tasty treats before and after tours through gardens there.For more information, visit breadfruit.org. * Comments: I so enjoy a cup of rooibos red tea # posted by Unknown : 9:15 AM Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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