Maui

Aloha from Maui Country Farm Tours, We love sharing Maui’s Agricultural beauty. We specialize in Up-Country Farm Tours, West Maui Coffee Tours, customized tours for small groups and large groups up to twenty people. We pick up at Kahului Harbor, Whole Foods Market Kahului 70 Ka`ahumanu Ave. and also Lahaina and Ka`anapali for an additional fee for the transfer. We have morning tours, afternoon tours and all day tours. Our tours begin in Kahului. Our all day tour begins when we pick you up in Kahului and head for Ho`okipa Beach Park (The wind-surfing capital of the world) before heading Up-Country to the farms. We take a scenic ocean view tour first by the last working sugar mill in the State of Hawaii through acres of sugar cane and the historical old town of Paia, once home to another sugar…

Watching Kamea Hadar the lead director of Pow Wow Hawaii, an annual gathering of artists from all over the world was amazing.  They are transforming warehouse spaces in Honolulu by painting murals, and even creating classrooms, darkrooms, housing artists in un-seaworthy boats on his family land, when they come to paint.  He and another guy…

It’s time for TedxMaui 2013. When I first heard of Tedxtalks I hadn’t a clue. I’d heard they were going on all over the United States and the world. People were giving the twenty minute talk of their life about technology, education and design. They were meant to inspire, enlighten and make this world a better place. I watched a few talks, one about vulnerability, how it was okay to be vulnerable human beings, others by inventors and designers of amazing sculptures that intrigue and shock one to move and rescue as it appears to fall and then rights itself. A twelve year old talked of sustainability and neighborhood gardens in New York City. Award winning journalist Amy Cortese spoke about Locavesting and how a community could be transformed by investing in the local businesses within a fifty mile radius….

In Hawaii it’s hard to imagine there is winter. But we feel the subtle changes in the air. It’s cooler, the surf starts to get big on the North shore, we begin to feel the excitement of the holidays and the arrival of the humpback whales. Then come the visitors in a sudden arrival to…

That mean so much Lavender in bloom The scent of tuber roses Pumpkins and farms Up country Maui Sharing the beauty with friends… God is so great!     Marilyn Jansen Lopes http://mauicountryfarmtours.com 808 283-9131 @jamarilyn on Twitter http://Facebook.com/mauicountryfarmtours

Sights and Scents of Maui Maui is the most visually beautiful place The air is sensual and stimulating too Exotic flowers reach out to us to touch them. Some are soft, some fragrant, others vibrant with color and strong waxy tropical stems. Delicate plumeria fall around us waiting to be plucked and placed behind an ear. Gentle breezes draw us to the sea… The waves so relaxing to the eye, the color blue a healing touch to the spirit. Proteas from South Africa and Australia thrive on the South West slopes of Haleakala between two and four thousand feet… This island makes us feel at home… We are all from places far far away settled on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean surrounded by beauty. We must use every resource with care and ingenuity preparing for the…

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…

It was an amazing day for Agriculture in West Maui at Piliani Kope Farm and Kaanapali Coffee Farms. The Coffee cherries were ripe for the harvest. Got a glimpse of the coffee harvesters in action and the abundant coffee cherries here ready to be transported to the mill for sorting, washing, pulping and drying. What a beautiful sight to see millions of MauiGrown Coffee cherries. Above we see cacao and the lovely Piliani Kope Farm where coffee is hand picked just as it is done in Kona for a hundred years. Greg Stille, President of Maui Coffee Association and The Hawaii Coffee Association, shows us the next node where a coffee cherry will bud on the tree. The land is rich in diversity and life. We’d love to share this with you…   ~ Marilyn   Marilyn Jansen Lopes http://mauicountryfarmtours.com…

The winds were howling in Launiupoko this morning as they blew out of the valley from the West Maui Mountains. The barn doors at Piliani Kope Farm had to be closed and Greg was roasting coffee for tomorrow’s Farmers Market. We enjoyed delicious Coffee, banana bread, chocolate chip cookies by Susy and a trek into the moist permaculture surrounding the coffee trees, to learn about growing coffee and how they do it here on Maui. Greg told us how they stump the trees to promote growth out the runners (shoots) off the coffee trees. These are gorgeous red coffee cherries almost ready to be picked. Beautiful island of Lanai below. These Koa trees bring nitrogen to the coffee trees through the roots into the soil. There is cacao growing on the property also. Love these purple flowers… Related to sweet…

Last week we took our guests to O’o Farm for their wonderful farm to table tour and lunch. We were met at the bottom of the hill by the amazing Richard Clark who planted everything on the farm. They grow everything from coffee, artichokes, asparagus, Chinese greens, lettuces, chard, cucumber, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, lemon hot chili peppers, cilantro, kohlrabi, nasturtiums, raspberry, strawberries, wild pohaberry, figs, kaffir limes and more. It’s an amazing experience to be surrounded by a working farm in such beautiful order. He was sophisticated, intelligent and passionate about the farm which is owned by Pacific O and I’o Restaurant in Lahaina. This basket of greens and red leaf lettuce, Chinese peppery greens, carrots, society garlic chives is ready to be delivered to Chef JJ for our lunch. JJ had prepared tofu that had been seared and sautéed for ninety…