Packed with delicious recipes, natural remedies, gardening tips, crafts, and more, this indispensable lifestyle reference makes earth-friendly living fun, real, and easy. Whether you live in a city, suburb, or on land in the country, this essential guide for the backyard homesteader will help you achieve a homespun life–from starting your own garden and pickling the food you grow to pressing wildflowers, baking sourdough loaves, quilting, raising chickens, and creating your own natural cleaning supplies. In these beautifully illustrated pages, makers will find an indispensable home reference for sustainability in the 21st century. Delve into enticing recipes and step-by-step directions for creating fun, cost-efficient projects that will bring out your inner pioneer. Filled with more than 300 color photographs, this relatable, comprehensive book contains time honored-wisdom and modern know-how for getting back to basics.

Size: 7.6” x 9.8” Softcover ISBN-13: 978-1426220548

It’ll be a night of incredible food for a good cause on Friday December 9, 2016 when the Hawai‘i Island Paina takes place at Merriman’s Waimea with guest chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi of O’ahu. This farm-to-table culinary experience, in which Chef Noguchi of the Pili Group will team up with Merriman’s own chef Vince McCarthy, is the first of two fundraisers held statewide for the Hawai‘i Islands Land Trust (HILT). The second fundraiser will be held on Kauai on Sunday December 18, 2016 in collaboration with Chef Sheldon Simeon of Tin Roof Maui at Merriman’s Fish House in Poipu, Kauai, Hawai’i.

With this much talent in the kitchen it’s going to be a lot of fun to see – and taste – the delectable dishes prepared by the chefs, each a leader in Hawaii’s sustainable food movement. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience how award-winning chefs use the wide variety of foods produced and raised right here in the islands.

There’s a close connection between cooking with locally sourced fresh food and preserving the land from which that food came. Thus it’s only fitting that fundraisers for the state’s largest land trust are being held at restaurants owned by Peter Merriman, a long time champion and ardent supporter of local farmers, ranchers, and fisherman. Peter, a past HILT board president, pioneered Hawaii’s Regional Cuisine movement more than 25 years ago. His Waimea restaurant, like his other establishments on Maui and Kauai, are built on the premise of serving the freshest, Hawaii grown food. In fact, 90 percent of Merriman’s food is locally grown and raised.

At their very core, the mission of each of Peter’s restaurants reflect a deep respect for the land and the people who work that land. This core mission is seen in their “Do the Right Thing” campaign and is instilled in every member of the Merriman’s team.

The Waimea event will also host professional free diving and spear fisherwoman Kimi Werner as their social media ambassador to share this unique experience with others and her own personal take on the collaboration.

Helping to conserve and protect open lands across Hawaii Island is just one way Merriman’s and collaborating chefs like Chef Simeon and Chef Noguchi help to #DoTheRightThing and #MalamaAina. It’s hoped that those attending these mouth-watering Paina’s will also be inspired to help support organizations like HILT.

Hawaii Islands Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2011 out of the merger of four local land trusts, and it is the first and only nationally accredited local land trust in Hawai‘i. To date they’ve conserved more than 17,500 acres across Hawaii, protecting scenic views, recreational areas, water and agricultural resources, and historical sites. Fundraisers such as these Paina’s help provide the land trust with much needed funds to conserve additional lands for Hawaii’s future.

Both dinners start at 5:30 pm. Tickets for the Hawai‘i Island Paina are $90 per person; Kauai Paina tickets are $120. To reserve your tickets for this sumptuous culinary soiree, call (808) 244-LAND (5263) or go to www.HILT.org. For more information on Merriman’s restaurants, visit www.merrimanshawaii.com.

By Fern Gavelek

The Blue Dragon is spreading its wings to offer delicious food beyond the Kawaihae restaurant.

Executive Chef and General Manager Noah Hester recently debuted the Blue Dragon Puako Grab & Go in the landmark Puako General Store. And this fall, the new Blue Dragon Wagon will be offering daytime food truck fare from the restaurant’s parking lot.

Hester grew up in Puako and remembers how he and his sister Marley would set up a little mango stand along Puako Beach Drive and then take their hard-earned cash to buy treats at the General Store. Today, Noah’s mom, Mary, owns the store and Blue Dragon operates the on-site kitchen.

Noah says the new Puako Grab & Go focuses on “beach-friendly food.” Offerings include sandwiches on fresh-baked breads, salads, spicy clam dip, poke bowls and kim chee kohlrabi with veggies sourced from Blue Dragon’s farm.

“We get fresh fish from local fisherman,” details Noah. “We have a daily hot special or a poke bowl that get posted on the outside blackboard.” Specials are available 11 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.

A refrigerator case is stocked daily with Grab & Go items that are available during store hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Noah says everything is priced under $12.

Tables are set up on the store’s front porch for casual dining. Grab & Go uses all compostable carryout containers.

The new Blue Dragon Wagon is equipped with a flat top grill, deep fryer and refrigerator to prepare a variety of hot sliders, kosher hot dogs, hand-cut french fries, made-to-order pork belly musubis, mini Dragon Ballz with crispy blue crab and chipolte aioli, mango summer rolls and an FBI Salad—compiled of “everything from the Big Island.” Noah says the food truck will also be available for mobile catering.

To get the latest Blue Dragon news, signup for the e-newsletter at www.bluedragonrestaurant.com or check out Blue Dragon Restaurant on facebook.