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My Day with @NotQuiteNigella

Not Quite Nigella
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I was so tickled when I got a tweet that my Twitter friend Lorraine was to be on Maui for 5 days and would love to meet me.

I’d been following her awesome food blog Not Quite Nigella since 2009. She is highly creative and a total inspiration.
She’s also gorgeous! I told her I’d love to pick up she and Mr NQN (her hubbie) and give them a tour of Maui’s Agricultural Beauty.
We began in Ka`anapali where I took them to Ka`anapali Coffee Farms 500 acres of beautiful plantation. Then I took her to meet Jeff Ferguson a the MauiGrownCoffee Company Store

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After sampling delicious red catuai, yellow caturra, and of course Maui Mokka, we traveled to Launiupoko to meet Greg and Susy Stille who took the time to give us a wonderful tour amidst the craziness of getting ready for Christmas House this weekend.
(Friday night November 16, 17 & 18)

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We had an awesome day together. We sampled more delicious Piliani Kope blends of coffee with vegan oatmeal cookies and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies from Whole Foods Kahului, Maui. So perfect with fresh brewed black Piliani Kope Coffee. Greg loves to share their story of how they decided to grow coffee and settle on Maui. In the field he showed us the prized Geisha plants which are getting established among the Kanaka Kope Typicas from the wild pickings deep in the valley behind Launiupoko. We tasted Ice Cream beans and raw cacao. We tromped through the lush wet perma-culture that Greg has created to nourish the coffee plants. It’s an amazingly beautiful place and we’re very excited about coffee in Hawaii. Next year 2013 is the bi-centennial of coffee growing in Hawaii. There will be lots of activity celebrating coffee next year.

Lorraine insisted on taking me to Mama’s Fish House where we had a to-die -for lunch. I ordered my favorite their signature Mac crusted Mahi stuffed with lobster and crab and topped with a small lobster tail and a lilikoi beur blanc sauce. So ono…Lorraine and Mr. NQN ordered one of those and the delicious, moist  ono a deep sea white fish with bok choy and a chili pepper sauce (I think). For appetizers we sampled an array of raw fish, my favorite the ahi, and the trio of fish. They also tried the octopus.Mama's Fish House Lilikopi Creme Brulee

Dessert was the incredible lilikoi creme brulee and the chocolate pie (a favorite of the employees at Mama’s) topped with Kula Strawberries and whipped cream.

After our delicious lunch we headed up a country road to the 4,000 foot level. I showed them how to get to the Lavender Farm for her next appointment in the morning and pointed out the amazing O`o Farm along the way. I loved driving along with my blogging friend and was so excited to share Maui’s agricultural beauty. Love the drive to Ulupalakua, telling the history of the ranch along the way, past the ancient rock walls created by Hawaiians (without mortar) hundreds of years ago. It takes you visually and in spirit to an old old Maui, before hotels and tourism.

This was the latest I ever arrived at Maui’s Winery and the ladies were surprised. You see I changed my schedule this day…

Lorraine is from Australia and has been blogging daily for years. Prior to this she was in the advertising business placing ads for businesses. She loves to bake and her photographs are stunning. (She and Mr. NQN. share in the photographing). When you check out her web-site, see the Anthony Bourdain interview as well as the exciting news that she has a book coming out in 2013. (published by Penguin Books) Lorraine Elliot is in high demand as a travel writer in Australia, a very large country. She says it’s three thousand miles across (just like the USA). This is her first trip to Hawaii as a guest of Hawaii Tourism Authority. She has fallen in love with the islands and I can’t wait to see what she writes about our home in the Pacific. I introduced @notquitenigella to @Melissa808 on Twitter and they got together to share some local food with @TheDailyDish Catherine Toth. (Three Foodie Bloggers together in Honolulu) What fun that must have been.

Did you know it takes nine hours to fly directly from Australia to Hawaii?

Someday I’ll go to Australia and visit Lorraine in her country. Meanwhile I must continue to stay on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean enjoying maui’s Agricultural beauty and sharing every bit of it with you.

 

 

Aloha for now,

~ Marilyn

 

Would you love a private tour of Maui? Call me to arrange your personalized tour.

~ Marilyn

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808 283-9131
808 280-1621

Marilyn Jansen Lopes
http://Mauicountryfarmtours.com