Farmers’ markets are a part of the Big Island experience. One of the most successful markets is the Maku’u Farmers Market. It is located between Keaau and Pahoa on Hwy 130, just past Ainaloa Boulevard on the left. It’s hard to miss. They are open on Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm, and when they are open the huge parking lot is filled with cars. Maku’u Farmers Market averages over a thousand visitors every Sunday. It’s amazing!
The market is run by Hawaiians on land leased from Hawaiian Home Lands. The Maku’u Farmers Association, which runs the market has three goals. They want to educate people about Hawaii, maintain the Hawaiian culture, and support the local farmers, and small businesses. In line with these goals, they are collecting a dollar from every vehicle entering the parking lot. That money will be used to build a community center nearby. They are doing a great job. The market is a mix of vendors, selling produce, plants, things to eat, and a wide range of other products. Besides being a place to buy stuff, it is also a social venue for the Puna area, a place to meet your neighbors and talk story.
I visited Maku’u Farmers Market last Sunday. In additional to the normal vendors, I saw a couple fundraisers going on. This one for Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu school was raising money to send the students on a cultural field trip to the island of Oahu. The school is a Hawaiian language immersion charter school for grades K-12
The market also features live music every Sunday. This band, Russell Ruderman and Friends, was raising money for the The Food Basket, a Big Island food bank.
I found some handcrafted jewelry
I talked to “Banana” Marvin. He is from Santa Barbara. One of his comments really caught my attention. Marvin said that his choice to move to Puna on the Big Island, and sell banana plants at Maku’u Farmers Market, was not about finding a job, but finding a lifestyle that suited him.
As I walked around, taking pictures, and talking to the different vendors, the story that really touched my heart was that of Ben and Tamar Gilson. Tamar battled with cancer a few years ago. Part of that process was learning to eat healthy. Eating healthy led her to balsamic vinegars, and to creating her own balsamics.
Their tag line says it all, “One taste and you’ll say Wow!”
As I write this, I realize that Maku’u Farmers Market is not just a marketplace. It is part of the fabric and story of Puna and the Big Island. It’s about people’s hopes and aspirations, about finding another way. You have got to come see it, get a taste of the flavors of Puna.
