Register Now for Breadfruit from Tree to Table January Workshop to be held at NTBG Headquarters

Island growers, fruit sellers, cooks, and the general public are invited to register for the January 11 “Breadfruit from Tree to Table” Workshop on Kauai. The half-day session will cover how to grow, harvest, prepare, and market this important food crop. Registration is $12 per person and is recommended in advance due to limited space. Early registrants will also have the opportunity to secure a breadfruit tree through a small donation.

The Saturday morning workshop, part of the Hooulu ka Ulu project, will be held in the Education Center at National Tropical Botanical Headquarters in Kalaheo from 8:30 a.m.-Noon. Registrants are asked to first complete a simple pre-survey which can be accessed through:

http://hawaiihomegrown.net/breadfruit-workshop

and then complete the registration process. Inquiries by phone may be made to (808) 756-9437.

The Kauai offering is the last in a series of four workshops presented by NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute and the Hawaii Homegrown Food Network through their Hooulu ka Ulu collaboration, with sponsorship by the Department of Agriculture and Kamehameha Schools. Presenters will include Dr. Ragone and Ian Cole (Breadfruit Institute, NTBG); John Cadman (Pono Pies, Maui); Craig Elevitch (Hawaii Homegrown Food Network); and cultural practitioner Wayne Palala Harada.

“We are excited to offer this workshop to the community in response to increasing interest in this heritage crop,” said Dr. Ragone. “It offers something for everybody – the grower who wants to know how to get the best product to market, the chef looking for new ideas in preparation, or someone simply looking for hands-on learning about breadfruit for their personal use. More and more people are expressing a desire to grow, cook, or enjoy ulu as part of their everyday diet. In addition to learning just how to do that, participants will gain a deeper understanding of why ulu is a sustainable tropical solution to hunger and food independence not only for Hawaii but for other parts of the world as well.”

National Tropical Botanical Garden is a not-for-profit, non-governmental institution with nearly 2,000 acres of gardens and preserves in Hawai‘i and Florida. Its mission is to enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions. NTBG and its Breadfruit Institute are supported primarily through donations and grants.