The Microgreens of Hawaii
Tucked beneath the Koolau Mountains on the leeward side of Oahu is Nalo Farms, salad bowl to Hawaii’s top chefs. There I met Dean Okimoto, owner and president. As we walked past neatly tended rows of produce, he explained that the greens he grows are different from their Mainland cousins. “Our environment is hotter — 74 to 90 degrees — and we have volcanic soil.” The conditions produce a different leaf structure and flavor.
Tiny leaves of arugula are more tender in the Islands and the additional sunlight makes the flavor more pungent. Because the leaves are thinner and lighter in weight than the Mainland variety, you get more volume. “One ounce of salad looks more like two ounces,” Okimoto said.
Nalo Farms is not certified organic but follows organic practices. The farm is known for its microgreens and baby greens. It takes three weeks from seed to harvest. As we talked, Okimoto kept plucking samples for us to nibble. The flavor of just-picked baby greens was incredibly delicious — no salad dressing needed.
Okimoto took over the family farm from his father, a decorated World War II combat veteran. Under Dean Okimoto’s management, the farm primarily grew herbs until an entire crop of basil was wiped out by disease in 1990. Chef Roy Yamaguchi, who had opened the first award-winning Roy’s in 1988, suggested Okimoto grow baby greens for the restaurant. Today, Nalo Farms supplies about 130 restaurants with more than 3,000 pounds of tender greens each week. At the chic restaurant, 3660 on The Rise, for example, Potato Crusted Crab Cakes are accompanied by a salad of Nalo Farms greens.
In a darkened room, Okimoto is growing snow pea sprouts and corn sprouts. Like endive, the pitch-black environment produces very white-colored sprouts. But take a bite and you get a surprising burst of snow pea or corn flavor. Chefs use the sprouts as an intriguing garnish.
Nalo Farms is a rock star in the Islands and local folks wait in long lines at the farmers’ market to buy the produce. But supermarkets are a hard sell. Instead of buying local, they find it more cost-effective to import from the Mainland. Like everywhere else, consumers need to be educated to recognize the value of locally farmed produce and support local growers to ensure that agriculture in Hawaii is sustainable. Every delicate leaf of arugula, tat soi, amaranth and cress deserves its day in the sun.
