Blogging Banana Joe's Fruit Stand Kauai

Wai Koa Trail

2012-01-31T09:12:00.002-10:00

Wai Koa 6 mile loop trail now starts next door at Kauai Mini Golf.

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"Wai Koa Trail 6 Mile loop #kauai #kilauea"
(taken at Kauai Mini Golf)

Great Jackfruit Recipe - In season: Jackfruit

2011-12-25T10:45:00.001-10:00

In season: Jackfruit

A great jackfruit recipe.

Tip of the hat to Frankie Sekiya, I have a tree almost 20 tears old from his nursery that is the most delicious crispy type

Okolehao Trail Hike

2011-12-19T07:39:00.002-10:00

Okolehao Trail

A fun short day hike on the North Shore

Breadfruit "Yap" Variety

2011-12-10T14:44:00.002-10:00

Looks a lot like Jakfruit.....

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"Yap Variety Breadfruit (seedless)"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Impomea Horsfalliae - Prince Kuhio Vine

2011-11-27T08:39:00.002-10:00

Back from Vacation

2011-11-04T19:46:00.001-10:00

Closed for Vacation and Renovation

2011-09-26T22:28:00.001-10:00

Sorry for any disappointment or inconvenience.
Mahalo, Joe

Variegated Noni

2011-09-22T13:48:00.001-10:00

Variegated Noni

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"Variegated Noni #kauai "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Anaina Hou Veterans Memorial

2011-09-19T17:32:00.003-10:00

Anaina Hou Veterans Memorial

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"Anaina Hou Veterans Memorial"
(taken at Kauai Mini Golf)

8:59 AM ....ready to go.

2011-09-13T09:29:00.002-10:00

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"Ready to go......"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Starfruit Season

2011-09-12T22:15:00.001-10:00

Moonset

2011-09-12T06:27:00.002-10:00

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"Moonset"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Morning Rainbow

2011-08-19T18:15:00.000-10:00

Tamarind Flowers

2011-07-28T13:19:00.002-10:00

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"Tamarind"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Sugar Loaf White Pineapple

2011-07-13T13:25:00.002-10:00

Now in season

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"Sugar Loaf White Pineapple #kauai #fruit "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Mamey Sapote - Just Picked

2011-07-12T10:08:00.002-10:00

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Mamey Sapote
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Pitaya

2011-07-09T09:30:00.002-10:00

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"Pitaya #kauai "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Rainbow Cane - Badilla Cane

2011-07-07T22:04:00.000-10:00

Some different varieties

Summer Water Lilies at Garden Ponds

2011-07-07T21:57:00.000-10:00

Sugarloaf Pineapple-Now in Season

2011-07-05T13:02:00.003-10:00

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Now in season

"Sugar Loaf Pineapple #kauai "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Hala Flower

2011-07-03T17:21:00.002-10:00

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"Hala tree flower #kauai "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Gourd Tree

2011-07-03T12:15:00.002-10:00

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"Gourd Tree #kauai "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Vanilla Flower

2011-07-03T09:47:00.002-10:00

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"Vanilla Orchid #kauai "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Crepe Myrtle

2011-07-03T08:32:00.002-10:00

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"Crepe Myrtle "
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Barbados Cherry

2011-06-29T11:25:00.002-10:00

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"Barbados Cherry"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Garlic Vine - Cydista aequinoctialis

2011-06-27T17:59:00.002-10:00

Cydista aequinoctialis

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"Garlic Vine"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Heliconia

2011-06-27T15:20:00.002-10:00

"Heliconia"
(taken at Banana Joes's fruit stand)

Tropical Flowers

2011-06-25T23:49:00.002-10:00

Local flowers are sometimes available

Pitaya Seedling

2011-06-22T06:58:00.003-10:00

Large Obake Anthurium

2011-06-21T17:46:00.003-10:00

Yellow Pitaya Starting to Bud

2011-06-18T17:45:00.003-10:00

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"Yellow Pitaya Bud"

Japanese Banana Joe Guide

2011-06-14T22:19:00.001-10:00

Japanese Banana Joe Guide, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Big in Japan?

Tom and Joe with Cucumbers

2011-06-14T22:16:00.001-10:00

Tom and Joe with Cucumbers, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Hydroponic Days 2001

2011-06-14T22:15:00.001-10:00

Hydroponic Days, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Fighting Spider Mites with Neem Oil

Honey Crisps at Moscow Farmers Market

2011-06-14T22:10:00.001-10:00

Honey Crisps at Moscow Farmers Market, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Araza- Araca Boi- Eugenia stipipata

2011-06-14T22:05:00.001-10:00

Araza- Araca Boi- Eugenia stipipata, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Early Banana Steamer

2011-06-14T22:04:00.003-10:00

Early Banana Steamer, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Banana Chart

2011-06-14T22:04:00.001-10:00

Banana Chart, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Alakon - Broussonetia luzonica

2011-06-14T22:03:00.003-10:00

Alakon - Broussonetia luzonica, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Crescent Cujete

2011-06-14T22:03:00.001-10:00

Crescent Cujete, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Picking Strawberry Guava

2011-06-14T22:02:00.001-10:00

Picking Strawberry Guava, a photo by jhalasey on Flickr.

Mangosteen on sale!

2011-05-25T16:33:00.001-10:00

Strawberry Guava

2011-05-11T13:22:00.000-10:00

Making guava jelly is on the to do list.......

Mei Sui Lan - Chinese Rice Flower- Aglaia Odorata

2011-05-09T22:17:00.002-10:00

At Kauai Mini Golf

Neat shrub from the Mahogany family.

Breadfruit Cooked in Steamer

2011-05-03T11:54:00.003-10:00

Got some good breadfruit varieties and used my steamer to cook them up.

About 45 minutes and two breadfruit are ready to use for various recipes.

View From Crater Hill 1981

2011-04-12T22:19:00.004-10:00

This photo was taken by my friend Steve Tiffany sometime around 1982. We worked together on a house overlooking Kaupea Beach while we were starting the farm.

You can see the house and barn all by themselves.

Steve disappeared near Chiang Mai in 1989.

Super Sweet #9 1980

2011-03-24T19:45:00.003-10:00

Here is a photo I came across from 1980.

Cindy, Joe and Richard with first crop of corn.

Hard to believe that much time has gone by.

Also nice to have a photo of when I still had abs.

Surinam Cherry

2011-03-17T12:34:00.000-10:00

Abiu in Flower

2011-02-08T09:30:00.000-10:00

First Vanilla Pods Ripening

2011-02-03T10:48:00.002-10:00

I read it's not good to let them split so I'll watch closer now. I have to go back in this blog and figure out how many months ago we pollinated the flowers. I'm propagating more plants and a few seem to be doing well and putting out good growth so we can get more pods next year. also note flowers on the Mamey tree branch, I'm thinking since both these plants origins are in Mexico they might have an affinity for one and another?

New Sign Ordinance

2011-01-31T10:57:00.001-10:00

No more plastic bags at checkout

Cloudwater Tea Farm

2011-01-08T13:35:00.003-10:00

Cloudwater Tea Farm is right up the road from us. Check out their web site . They are growing tea and offering tours and tea information

Cloudwater Tea Farm

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T23:22:00.004-10:00

New Durian Growth

2010-12-09T10:08:00.003-10:00

Fehi Banana

2010-12-08T13:05:00.000-10:00

5 inches - November

2010-12-02T08:58:00.001-10:00

2.5 inches in last 24 hours
Plants greening up.

Cujete Crescente

2010-11-28T14:21:00.001-10:00

Ipu (gourd) Tree
The fruits are dried to make containers and musical instrument.

New Entrance

2010-11-25T21:27:00.002-10:00

Construction is winding down next door and the new road is open. Kauai Mini Golf should open mid December.

Wolf Eel Skull

2010-11-18T19:51:00.002-10:00

A customer recently brought this in for "show and tell".

I thought it looked like a miniature dinosaur skull.

Some pretty impressive teeth.

Back from Southwest Road Trip

2010-11-04T11:27:00.003-10:00

Apologies to those who missed us while the stand was closed.

We're open now.

One Durian Left

2010-11-04T11:25:00.001-10:00

Saw ten pigs milling around the area of this tree last night.

October Rainfall

2010-11-04T11:24:00.003-10:00

1.75 inches for the month of October.

We had one half inch last night (Nov.3)

September Rainfall

2010-10-01T09:46:00.003-10:00

Drought continues here on Kauai. We're lucky as some parts of other islands haven't had this much rain in the last 4 months! Lets hope we can empty this gauge before October ends.

Online Plant Illustrations

2010-09-27T12:09:00.004-10:00

Some great old plant illustrations here. bibliodyssey is a cool blog, follow the link at the bottom of post to the original site, three volumes and a great viewer tool .

Mountain Apple

2010-09-20T14:28:00.003-10:00

I was out picking Carambola when I thought I'd check out the Mountain Apple I topped last year. Pleasant surprise of prime fruit ready to pick. 50 cents each out at the stand while they last.

Banana Harvest

2010-09-11T11:28:00.002-10:00

I harvested some of my own bananas last week from new field. I threw fertilizer about 6 months ago and have been pruning and taking better care of my bananas. Have plan to plant new mats every month and fill in gaps of orchard.

Abiu

2010-09-08T07:14:00.001-10:00

Only a few this year. Picked a few and they were sweet.

Durian Fruit Set

2010-09-07T20:57:00.002-10:00

Rainfall Report August

2010-09-04T10:23:00.002-10:00

Still in a drought but more rain than July

2.75 inches

Peach Palm in Flower

2010-09-01T07:04:00.003-10:00

The Peach Palms are flowering now.

I recently bought a convection steamer that should make cooking the fruit quick and easy. We may have enough this year to offer at the Fruit Stand

Roselle (Hibiscus Sabdariffa)

2010-08-31T07:44:00.003-10:00

I'm putting in about ten Roselle plants for tea and flavoring. This is a fun plant to grow as it gets big fast with the right conditions. It is an annual that requires replanting but you can collect the calyces and store them.

Eugenia stipitata / Araca-boi

2010-08-27T16:09:00.004-10:00

From the western Amazon, an interesting fruit. Tried some today in smoothy and frosty. On its own its a little sour but a few tablespoons of pulp to the blender and a very refreshing flavor. High in vitamin C too.

Pitaya in Bloom

2010-08-27T13:46:00.003-10:00

Day and night photos from yesterday.

This Yellow Pitaya is close to the fruitstand and is blooming here for the first time.

Badilla Sugar Cane

2010-08-22T09:33:00.002-10:00

Got some of this cane from a friend and will be planting some. Its a old fashioned soft type that is great for chewing or juice. Very pretty colors too.

Achiote Fruit and Flower

2010-08-21T12:45:00.004-10:00

Achiote bush is blooming now.

We've used the seed to make rubs for cooking meats.

This year we're going to try some other recipes.

New Growth on Vanilla Orchid cuttings

2010-08-19T20:28:00.003-10:00

I've been propagating vanilla and placing them throughout orchards. The vines are finally showing some new growth with branches and aerial roots at the nodes

Pitaya Flower Progress

2010-08-18T20:10:00.003-10:00

Follow up photo of the progress of the Yellow Pitaya.

Last photo was in July 29th blog

Drought in Hawaii

2010-08-10T21:40:00.004-10:00

A little less than two inches of rain for July spells drought for this area. We have been lucky to have had some rain but trees and crops don't flourish without irrigation.

Durian in Flower

2010-08-01T08:34:00.003-10:00

One of our oldest Durian is flowering. This tree survived Hurricane Iniki and grew back from the roots. Its had a few fruit over the years but unfortunately its low stature makes it vulnerable to the depredations of wild pigs, so none have fully matured. Its been shade out that last few years so I've cleared out around it to let in more sun giving it a good growth flush. I hope this year some fruit will be able to mature.

Pitaya Buds

2010-07-29T10:13:00.000-10:00

Yellow Pitaya is putting out buds

Heavy Starfruit/Carambola Bloom

2010-07-26T16:01:00.003-10:00

It looks like its going to be a big crop of Starfruit this year. Heavy blossoms on trees. Drought conditions in some parts of the island though so hopefully fruit will set.

Tamarind Tree in Bloom

2010-07-25T08:58:00.003-10:00

The Tamarind in the front orchard area is really coming into its own with lots of new growth, fruit and flowers. For tropical trees in this area Cal-pril or Dolo-pril really make a difference in nutrient uptake and the results are dramatic, struggling trees show vigor and new growth as they are able to take in nutrients with the addition of soil amendments.

On the non organic side Tri-Super Phosphate is also a good boost for struggling trees

Mystery Fruit / Wax Jambu

2010-07-22T07:10:00.003-10:00

A customer brought a fruit in yesterday for identification. I recognized it as a Jambu, which is a close relative of the Mountain Apple. It was a pretty, solid white variety and I'll be propagating some seeds.

Cacao Flowers and Fruit

2010-07-20T13:04:00.002-10:00

Pitayas for Sale

2010-07-16T12:10:00.001-10:00

I just picked first batch of my pitaya for sale this year. Had to have Cindy use a net to catch them as they fell from branches where cacti had rambled. I've got to get more established on proper pole supports!

Exotic Fruit Sign

2010-07-13T07:16:00.002-10:00

This old sign is about to be retired.

Vanilla Orchids/ Pods

2010-07-10T07:58:00.005-10:00

Vanilla Orchid Vines that had been running wild and uncared for bloomed this year in a few places. With Ken Bernard and Robert Wolaver's help we managed to pollinate some flowers. I'm hoping to propagate more vines this year and give them a little more tlc. The flower /pod above is growing in a Mamey tree in the main orchard. The photo was taken 3 months apart to show the time frame of pod development.

I like to think that since both their point of origin is Mexico they may have some symbiotic bond? The shade from the Mamey does let a lot of light in so maybe as with the Pitaya it is good for a overstory / understory cultivation regime

Thunbergia Mysorensis

2010-07-09T07:32:00.003-10:00

This vine has always been a favorite with visitors. Here it is growing in a Mamey tree. I'm propagating it now for using in an arbor out by the fruit stand.

I got it originally from Kartuz Greenhouses, a great resource for tropical vines .

Banana Poster

2010-07-08T08:14:00.004-10:00

Ken Love has a great banana poster available on his hawaiifruit.net web site . Check it out . It has some great varieties.

Ice Cream Bananas

2010-07-08T07:59:00.003-10:00

This banana does well here in Kilauea and is also a favorite with mainland growers as it is cold tolerant. Follow the link to check out the "banana wiki" site

Guanabana / Soursop

2010-07-07T07:24:00.002-10:00

Looks like its going to be a good year for soursop this year.

We're going to have to find some recipes to use the mass of fruit that comes ripe over 3 or 4 weeks.

Narcissistic Brazilian Cardinal

2010-07-06T07:28:00.002-10:00

This Cardinal has been hanging out in our parking lot for the last few months. He looks for and finds his reflection in the cars that park. Every day he is hopping round on the hoods of cars pecking at his windshield reflection.

Chameleon on Jakfruit

2010-06-28T17:51:00.000-10:00

Jacaranda @ Princeville Library

2010-06-26T17:25:00.000-10:00

We're Back in Business

2010-06-05T13:06:00.003-10:00

We opened May 24th after some frantic reconstruction of the demo'd deck.

We hope to make improvements all through summer.

Its been a good lychee season.

Closed for Renovations Until May 24

2010-04-26T15:11:00.003-10:00

Sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment but we are closed until May 24th to do much needed renovations. We are replacing our ramp and redesigning our entry area to provide more seating in a relaxing garden setting.

"Betsy Sakata" Water Lily

2010-04-23T13:02:00.003-10:00

This water lily is named after Betsy Sakata who is a water plant pioneer in Hawaii. She has introduced many plants from around the world as well a breeding new ones. This one is growing right here on the farm at Ken Bernard's Garden Ponds Nursery

Lychee Picking 1987

2010-04-20T13:16:00.002-10:00

Lychee1987

Second year of the fruit stand helped pick Florence Ching's trees in Lihue.

1995 Fehi Bananas

2010-04-20T10:08:00.004-10:00

Same old thing moving fruit from point A to point B.

Found this photo in an old bin. Nice to see the old style Kauai Banana boxes.

Lupita's Art Shirts Now on Etsy!

2010-04-12T13:01:00.004-10:00

Here is one of Lupita's new shirt designs on Etsy