Aunty Viola’s Organic Farm August 20, 2012

As part of April’s Egg Layer unit, Tūtū and Me keiki and caregivers traveled to Aunty Viola’s farm where she raises a number of wild and domestic geese, ducks and chickens. The farm sits on about 5 acres of land and is home to horses, dogs, and a number of fowl. She also has a variety of citrus trees, bananas, papayas, avocados, and kukui nut trees, along with an array of fresh herbs. All of Aunty Viola’s produce are organically grown.

We were also pleased to have a few volunteers from WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) help out with our tour. Aunty Amanda and Uncle Brian were very friendly and enjoyed showing the keiki and their caregivers all that the farm has to offer. Aside from the many animals and fruit trees on the farm, there is also an aquaponic setup. This sustainable food production system combines traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water). The aquatic animals, in this case tilapia, work in harmony with plants to provide nutrients for one another.

The keiki spent the day exploring the different fruit trees, feeding the ducks and geese, and were even able to feed some horses that weren’t too shy to show themselves. Keiki were also invited to explore Aunty Viola’s composting worms. Much of the organic matter she uses to fertilize her plants comes from composting and composting worms. At the end of the huaka‘i, keiki and caregivers gathered under a big monkey pod tree and enjoyed a story read by Aunty Amanda. It was a fun filled day of exploration and adventure. We look forward to visiting Aunty Viola again to see what her farm has in store for us!!!