Hawai'i Island has farmers markets on every side of the island. I currently reside on the Eastern side of the Island close to where the lava is flowing into the ocean. As a vegan activist I love going out with my camera to meet new vendors and jot down their information so that I can enter it in a database for future VegFests. I have friends that want to put one on and I will gladly assist them and share my google sheet with them.
I must add, showing up at a farmer's market with a big camera will get you lots of free samples and even full meals for the exchange of your service as a portrait artist.
Sundays
Starting our week on Sunday you can attend the largest farmers market on the island called the Maku'u Farmers Market.
Every Sunday, the Maku‘u Farmers’ Association (MFA) opens their gates and hosts hundreds of residents and visitors at the infamous Maku‘u Farmers’ Market (MFM). Maku‘u Farmers’ Market operates a successful farmers market providing over 150 local merchants and artisans with opportunities to market their products and services in a fun, friendly, and clean environment. in addition to produce and food, a wide variety of new and recycled products including crafts, plants, jewelry, clothing, books, and records/cds are sold. the Farmers’ Market typically has live music and entertainment which adds to the ambiance of the market. in many ways, the Maku‘u Farmers’ Market has become the “thing to do,” the “place to be” on Sunday morning. on average, the market hosts approximately 1,500 people when we open their gates.
From MFM's facebook page
I love running into Britt and Hanale who hand out free samples for their business Makaukau Ai Kakou of their traditional Hawaiian plant pure treats. Hanale is quite the advocate for healthy homemade foods and Hawaiian sovereignty.
Britt and Hanale from Makaukau Ai Kakou
Photo © Dynamic Eye Studios
Wednesdays
Uncle Roberts Awa Bar opens for the Night Market on Wednesday attracts 700-800 people. If you arrive early the band sings in Hawaiian with occasional hula dancers and later in the evening switches to hit songs in english to get everyone on the dance floor. Warning, these classic songs played by the band will get stuck in your head.
Photo © Dynamic Eye Studios
If you don't arrive early enough at this night market you'll have to stand in line where Sean and Ashley scoop Nicoco's all vegan Hawaiian Gelato into their freshly hand crafted cones, which come in either regular or chocolate, or you can have them swirl both of them together. They come up with a mind blowing assortment of different flavors of gelato and they sell out every week!
Sean and Ashley of Nicoco Hawaiian Gelato
Photo © Dynamic Eye Studios
You'll run into familiar faces at the night market handing out free samples of kalo, kulolo, kulolo-mochi, kulolo popsicles yet again!
Britt and Hanale from Makaukau Ai Kakou
Photo © Dynamic Eye Studios
Wednesdays & Saturdays in Hilo
Across from Hilo's bus terminal is a farmers market that is open every day but on Wednesdays and Saturdays you'll find the most amount of vendors. Here you'll meet Jai from Gauranga Live whom also hosts free vegan dinners for the community.
Jai from Gauranga Live
Photo © Dynamic Eye Studios
He creates ginger tumerick coconut drinks along with fermented vegetables that don't need sugar or salt due to the sugar in the beets he uses and the salt in kale.
Gauranga Live
Photo © Dynamic Eye Studios
There are so many more vendors worth showcasing but I'd rather introduce them to you in person so come and pay me a visit on Hawai'i Island. Perhaps I'll do a part two of Faces of the Farmers Markets on Hawai'i Island.
This post received a 25% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @dynamiceye! For more information, click here!
So interesting! I can't wait to visit Hawaii, I've never been there. Upvoted and resteemed, as promised. Thanks for participating in our Farmers Market Challenge!
I've been here for a year now, going from community to eco village, on to couch surfing, camping and house sitting a house that just sold for $430'000.- thanks to the neighbor who picked me up hitchhiking and needed some landscaping work done, he one day called me to let me know that he had more work and went on to ask me if I'd like to live in a house with a swimming pool after living in a tent for 4 months off and on at Cinderland Eco-Village which was just featured on a fake mocumentary Believer with Reza Aslan - Doomsday Cult in Hawaii.
I meet heaps of people that want to tour the island so I go with them. I've lost track of how many times I've hiked out to see the lava!
I hope you can make it out soon, it would bee cool to meet other users from this platform in person! Thank you for creating this exciting challenge making my steemit experience more worth while @ericvancewalton! I still have more photos from other vendors where I could do a part two of this series. Crafting this post took forever looking up all the links. I am curious if every user is permitted to one resteem per challenge, what are your thought on that?
Makes me want to eat healthy .
Great stories to go with your photos!
Wow great photos looks really fun there :)
I upvoted your lovely post
It's too much fun here, so much fun that I miss out on doing entrepreneurial things sometimes. Thanks for the upvote, I'm glad you like my photos! 📷
Love the pictures and we love visiting farmers markets! Great post!
Fantastic post. I was at Uncle Roberts for the wake a couple years back.
Steem on.
Woah - I think I want everything there, looks so yummy! Great post!
Thanks @lindseylambz,
It's funny to think that I don't photograph the food, either my standard are to high to photograph paper plates or I gobble the food down too fast and move on to the next vendor in all the commotion and socializing of the market. However, Nicoco for instance has an amazing Instagram account where they really show of their flavors and new specials for the coming market. Last time I had litchi flavored coconut gelato!
beautiful photos, looks so pro
Great post!!
I love Hilo's farmers market ♥