Big Island Buzz » Kona

Eco Friendly Sushi Thanks to Kona Blue Water Farms

bigislandbuzz — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:15:35 +0000

CSM has an interesting article up about the increasing demand for sushi and the fished used in its tasty preparation. Many of the popular sea life used in sushi is now being over fished. Sustainable farming of these species could be key to keeping them around:

Even though it was the right thing to do, it wasn’t easy, he says. “The hard one for me was breaking my love affair with hamachi. I’ve gotten over many things, but that was tough.”

In search of a replacement, Moonen flew to Hawaii to inspect the operations of Kona Blue Water Farms. After grilling the owners about the sustainability of their fish, Moonen now offers Kona Kampachi on his menu as a replacement for hamachi.

Sheila Bowman, senior outreach manager for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, says that what’s different about Bamboo, Tataki, and other restaurants with similar philosophies is that the owners are making strong personal commitments to the ocean.

“They approached it as ‘We are going to do a business that’s sustainable’ versus ‘We want to do sushi, and let’s tweak it so it’s less bad for the environment,’ ” says Ms. Bowman.

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Brewclub.com Reviews the Kona Longboard Lager

bigislandbuzz — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:56:51 +0000

Brewclub.com Reviews the Kona Longboard Lager

Beer aficionado web site, brewclub.com reviews our own Kona Longboard Lager, and gives it a 3.5 out of 5.

Ok, ok… The smell is sorta sweet, sorta citrusy, maybe a tad fruity a little bit hoppy, yet at the same time still ‘beery’ smelling. (Please no gagging from the real beer reviewers out there) Overall, I found the aroma to be quite nice.

Now the important bit – taste! I’m also finding this a little hard to do because of my relative lack of lager exposure, but here goes. The taste at first is sweet, but there is what I think a decent amount of maltiness that balances it out pretty well. There’s something in the flavor that really mellows it for me, not sure what it is but its a little nutty maybe? This is tough for me to put a finger on.

The mouthfeel is light, and overall this lager is rather crisp, but there is none of that hop sting that is often associated with lagers. The finish is just a touch bitter, but I really have no complaints about the taste at all. From what I know of lagers, this is nicely done.

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UofN Kona – Sustainable Agriculture Seminar – W/Video

bigislandbuzz — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:46:47 +0000

UofN Kona will be holding its Sustainable Agriculture Seminar July 27th – August 7th 2009. The seminar will highlight designing and developing low-maintenance “food forests”, agricultural design and implementation, water management, plant propagation, soil care, pest management and resource stewardship.

Onouli Farm Wins Hawaii’s First Coffee Cupping Competition

bigislandbuzz — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:04:04 +0000

Via Coffee Sage:

Onouli Farm of Kona won top honors at Hawaii’s first coffee-cupping competition this weekend at the Hawaii Coffee Association’s 14th annual conference at Maui Tropical Plantation. There were 69 entries who were judged by 3 judges. The scores were based on wet and dry aromas, acidity, body, balance, sweetness and aftertaste.

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Hilo Airport Could Get Much More Expensive

bigislandbuzz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:12:10 +0000

hilolounge

According to a Star Bulletin report, the cost to airlines for using the passenger waiting lounge at the Hilo airport could go up by as much as 371%, adding about $20 to the cost of your fare.

The state Department of Transportation, citing airport activity and revenue and expenditure forecasts, increased the holdroom rate at Hilo to $18.43 a passenger from $3.91. It was the second increase in five months after the rate was adjusted to $3.91 from $2.81 on Feb. 1.

“These charges will significantly impact air travel, result in much higher fares, less service and ultimately could result in the elimination of all service to Hilo,” said Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and chief executive of Mesa Air Group, the parent of go! “It’s 100 times higher than it is in Kona.”

As a frequent user of the Hilo airport, this stinks

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Video of Eek-A-Mouse at Kona Bowl

bigislandbuzz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:01:45 +0000

The legendary Jamaican musician Eek A Mouse, known for his cover of the John Holton hit “Police in Helicopter“, played live in the parking lot at Kona Bowl a few days ago on June 27th.

Check out the video of his performance:

Cool Surfing Photos From Kona on the Big Island

bigislandbuzz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:00:56 +0000

konaboy on Flickr posted some great swell and surfing shots from the Banyans on the Big Island.

Check out the full slideshow!

Memorial Graffiti, Big Island Style

bigislandbuzz — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:11:38 +0000

Via the Examiner.com:

RIP Michael Jackson, 20 feet of letters spelled out in white coral on black lava appeared almost immediately after the star’s death. Graffiti of this type, white coral on black lava, is Hawaii’s own version of social networking. On the Big Island from Kona to Kohala this type of graffiti adorns the lava fields. Reading the messages as you drive is a welcome diversion from the miles of stark black lava.

It is an island tradition to communicate with friendly messages, nothing like the hateful graffiti spray painted on bridges and walls in cities. The coral rocks are rearranged and often change day by day. “Amanda will u marry” me soon morphs into “Happy Birthday Mom”. Hopefully the message lasted long enough for Amanda to answer. Companies promoting their conventions often decorate the lava with their logos. Tourist spell out their names and sports enthusiast embellish the lava with the names of their favorite teams. Artwork is created in the rocks, and lost loved ones are memorialized in coral.

A few of these coral graffiti messages are left untouched, a beautiful turtle, a heartfelt plea for love, perhaps RIP Michael Jackson will be one of the messages that remains for a very long time.

Source: Examiner.com

Car Crash in Kona Kills Baby, Mother Injured

bigislandbuzz — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:10:03 +0000

A 1-year-old Kona girl was killed and her mother critically injured Saturday night in Kailua-Kona when their car was allegedly struck by a pickup truck whose driver had just run a red light.

Aliyah Braden was pronounced dead at 8:23 p.m. at Kona Community Hospital. She was a passenger in a 2004 Honda 4-door sedan driven by her mother, Mayvelyn Braden, 24, eastbound on Lako Street. Police said a 2004 Toyota pickup truck driven southbound on Kuakini Highway by Valereen Kaleohano-Knittle, 49, of Captain Cook, ran a red light at the Lako Street intersection, struck a traffic pole, and then collided with the Honda, which was making a left turn onto Kuakini.

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Fire rescuers extricated the critically injured mother and child from the wreckage of the Honda and took them both to Kona Community Hospital, where the infant was pronounced dead. Mayvelyn Braden was flown to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu where she remained in critical condition. Police said she was wearing a seat belt.

Police believe that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash. Kaleohano-Knittle was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, DUI, reckless driving and inattention to driving. Kona police Sgt. Raymond Childers said that she was released without charges pending further investigation.

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Diver Missing Off Kona Coast

bigislandbuzz — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:30:22 +0000

CDNN reports:

KONA, Hawaii (12 Apr 2009) — Big Island fire-rescue personnel are searching for a tourist who disappeared while diving off the Kona Coast.

Authorities told CDNN that the Big Island fire department responded to a call from the 49-year-old victim’s wife at 10:49 am.

The search is focused on an area near the Kona Makai condominiums, where the victim’s dive buddy told police he last saw the missing diver.

Both divers had been spearfishing for about four hours when the accident occurred.

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