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Plant Aloha (FREE) Class: Specialty Crops with Dash & Erika Kuhr
December 7, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Hawaiian Sanctuary is proud to present: Plant Aloha, a FREE educational series of sustainable farming classes. Every Thursday morning, from 9:00am until 12:30pm, with special Saturday monthly offerings, led by local and visiting experts. Visit our website for more information:
http://hawaiiansanctuary.com/plantaloha
Thursday, December 7th 2017 – 9:00am-12:30pm
Cultivating Agro-forestry Polycultures and Processing Specialty Crops with Dash and Erika Kuhr from HIP Agriculture
Learn about how to grow and utilize specialty crops of the Pacific. There are so many plants that we can cultivate and utilize for increased health, wellbeing, and for primary sustenance. Dash and Erika have been installing and maintaining permaculture plantings, market gardens, and agroforestry polycultures for 9 years in Kohala. Learn about some of the crops they cultivate and their uses.
Dash and Erika will bring samples of the crops they grow and share how they cultivate them and teach about how they cook with them. Learn to increase the amount of local food that you consume and increase the resiliency of your farm. Participants may Identify niche crops and markets to grow into.
We will explore crops like taro relative- coco-yams which can me made into perfect mash potatoes or hash browns, learn about the joys of cassava pizza, turmeric processing, ashwagandha cultivation, uses of table taro, blue field corn, amaranth and more.
DASHIELL KUHR
Executive Director and Instructor
Dashiell (Dash) Kuhr, founder and director of Hawai'i Institute of Pacific Agriculture (HIP Agriculture), is the lead facilitator for the organization, and personally dedicated to the restoration of human and environmental health.
Dash has educated and mentored hundreds of youth and adults on the benefits of healthy eating and hands-on gardening skills. Working with non-profit organizations, food cooperatives and farms, Dash has lead and developed numerous gardening and sustainability initiatives.
Dash apprenticed under master permaculture designer Tom Baldwin (who studied directly with Bill Mollison, Geoff Laton, and Bullock brothers) for three years, as a farm manager, managing one of the most diverse and well designed permaculture farms on Hawaii Island. He received his Permaculture Design Certificate from Geoff Lawton. Currently, Dash leads Living Farm Internship courses and youth program development at HIP Agriculture, while also conducting professional permaculture consultation. Current projects included installations of 160 dwarf coconuts and 300 bananas in polyculture systems and permaculture design work for a 120 acre food production and reforestation project at Inhabit Hawai’i.
Rooted in North Kohala, Hawai'i, Dash is dedicated to creating a post-carbon civilization that is able to thrive while reforesting and revitalizing the landscape. Dash is thoroughly committed to youth and ensuring they have access to fresh food and land, food sovereignty, Earth justice, and a localized economy that creates peaceful and happy communities.
Dash, with his wife Erika and three beautiful children Cyrus, Jyoti and Kumari are advocates of healthy eating, exercise, and Ayurvedic medicine. He enjoys gardening, swimming, surfing, yoga, and family time.
ERIKA KUHR
Co-Director, Culinary Director
Founder and nutrition and food coordinator for Hawai'i Institute of Pacific Agriculture (HIP Agriculture), Erika is dedicated to healing people and the earth through delicious food and healing spices.
Erika received her B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and B.A. in Spanish from San Diego State University. Since then, she has studied alternative medicine and food preparation that increases digestive health such as cheese-making and cultured vegetables. She is dedicated to creating positive human culture around integrative health based within locavorism. She is very passionate about harvesting, cooking and preparing the easy to grow and very abundant Polynesian starch crops into delicious comfort foods.
A full-time mother of three children, Erika is the head land mama, providing support, guidance for the HIP Team and HIP Ag’s residents.
Erika likes to cook, study aromatherapy and herbal medicine, swim, dance hula and make cheese.
Location:
Hawaiian Sanctuary – Laka Lounge
13-3194 Pahoa Kalapana Rd (Highway 130). Pahoa, HI 96778
Hawaii Island (Big Island)
Only about 1 Mile South of Pahoa Town.
Turn into the driveway at Mile Marker 12!
Each class starts promptly with a lecture and Q&A before hands-on farm learning ~ Come prepared with notepad and writing utensil, closed toed shoes, sun hat, and gloves.
Plant Aloha is supported, in part, by the County of Hawaii, Research & Development. We are still looking for support to complete and enhance this amazing project. Please give what you can: http://hawaiiansanctuary.com/donate
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