Fauna and Flora ala PUNA!

Moving to the Puna District on the Big Island has been a whole new experience as over four years of retirement blog entries have shown. It is a whole new world to discover and we feel so connected! We love knowing where our water supply comes from (the sky!), where our waste goes, and where our vegies are grown. We love the fact that we have sun-power for our major appliances. We also appreciate being able to supplement our diet with fish caught right off our wild and scenic eastern shore. We are on the 'call list' when local fishermen have enough to share with neighbors, and we usually have fresh Ono, Mahi and Ahi in the freezer ready for the grill.

Lower Puna from the air - South from Kalapana

Mouflon sheep on Mauna Kea

Recently, though, we were invited to friends' home for a potluck and taste of a variety of wild meat caught on Mauna Kea as part of the population control of expanding species who pose a threat to native populations of flora and fauna. These hunts are sponsored by Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural 'resources and closely monitored for proper harvesting.  Local residents pay a nominal fee to participate and usually a group of people gather to process and package the meat.  (The variety of  wildlife available for hunting includes goat, deer, wild cattle and sheep, not to mention game birds of many kinds.) All of the well prepared samples including wild pig and Mouflon sheep were delicious, but we particularly liked creating our own tender sheep tacos with all the appropriate trimmings.

We just received a cutting from a plant that apparently traces it's lineage back to FDR!! As in Franklin Delano Roosevelt!  New friends we have made here on the Big Island have such diverse interests and always seem willing to share their knowledge with us newer residents. Such was the case last Sunday when we received cuttings of Epiphyllum Cacti that were blooming...well NOT during the day -- but at night!  The cuttings we received from our flora-friends apparently trace roots (haha) back to a staff member of the Roosevelt family who shared cuttings of this lovely bloomer over 100 years ago. From the cuttings we received (and will plant,) we have had four nights of surprise blooms -- but you have to watch carefully, because once it is dark they only take a few seconds to open.  Not only do they present a beautiful bloom, but the fragrance is lovely as well.

ONO -- OH YES!!!

"ONO" is delicious in Hawaiian, and lately we have been abundantly blessed with some wonderful treats.  We are lucky to be on "the A list" of a couple of local fisherman who email when they have some fish to share -- which means we are getting it a wholesale. 

Couple days ago, we got the word, "FRESH AHI" so we signed up for four pounds.  AHI is the local name for Yellow Fin Tuna -- a beautiful fish.  Of course we had some for dinner that night -- seared with an crust of roasted seeds and crushed black pepper (pink in the middle of course. ONO!!   There is enough in the freezer for four more beautiful meals!

We are also harvesting VAST quantities of Lilikoi (passion fruit) off the big vine in our mini-orchard. 

Today we picked a whole garbage can full, and after processing it, had two quarts to freeze and use.  Lots of people make amazing desserts that are too sweet for us, so we use it mostly in juices and tea.  The purple jar in the photo is another experiment making fermented veggies.