Treat Your Feet: Removing Calluses with Noni

Our feet do a lot of work for us. They provide mobility around our homes, at work, or even on our hiking adventures over the weekend. But with great movement, comes great pressure on our feet, which can leave them sore or callused from the wear and tear we expose them to. Calluses are one of the side effects you can experience from all that bustling around, but noni can treat them and make your feet smooth and ache-less once more!

What are Calluses?

Calluses are parts of the skin-primarily located on your hands and feet- that become tough and thick due to friction and repetitive rubbing on certain areas. They can often times cause discomfort and are unwanted due to how tough and uncomfortable they can be. In some cases, calluses can disappear after some time, but there are still many people who experience more severe problems. In order to remove them, people often use pumice stones though many still find that they aren’t satisfied with the results afterwards. Hence where the benefits of noni can come into play to restore the skin back to its natural state!

Organic, Gentle & Calming for Your Skin

Noni fruit-which is believed to have originated in Northern Australia or Borneo was brought to Hawaii by the ancient Polynesians thousands of years ago as a natural preventative. True traditional use was to eat the fruit raw or rub the pulp tropically on the body. Raw non-fermented noni fruitpulp has over 165 beneficial compounds and enzymes with countless restorative, repairing and preventative qualities that promote good health and address a variety of chronic conditions and ailments. While filing down or shaving a callus might be one way to approach the problem, it can sometimes leave the skin damaged in the end.

Our Noni Lavender Lotion is made from raw non-fermented organic noni pulp and has the ability to not only treat the problem and remove the callus, but also make the skin smooth without using chemicals or other harsh ingredients you would find in other products. Other than noni pulp which is our main ingredient, this lotion simply contains water, grapefruit seed extract and organic lavender oil to soothe hardened skin.

Learn how to say hello to happy feet on the original blog!

A Product That Delivers

Who would have thought that such a humble fruit could provide fantastic results, while also using organic and nourishing ingredients? Both the Noni Lavender Lotion and Instant Noni BioBandage can also be used for other skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and sunburn and ailments such as bruises, pain and swelling, sprains and even fractures.  Treating your calluses might just be the beginning, and you’ll find a trusted and valued healing solution with each of our organic options!

What Can Noni do for Your Scalp?

Good question. Aren’t you supposed to eat noni? “So how could it help my scalp?” you might ask. While it’s true that noni fruit has over 165 beneficial compounds in its raw pulp form and therefore can help you from the inside out, you can actually put it directly on your head, thanks to our organicNoni Lotion. Our Noni Lotions are made from organic noni pulp, and all those compounds and antioxidants mean it’s great for your scalp! But how? Your scalp is skin too, and it needs care and moisture like the rest! A dry scalp creates dandruff, but it can also lead to clogged hair follicles. Noni Lavender Lotion clears away that oil build up and moisturizes the scalp, and it has the incredible ability to heal and soothe the skin. Here’s how to use Noni Lotion to help out your scalp:

Apply directly to your scalp.

You can use a cotton ball or fingers if you prefer, but apply the lotion to your scalp, parting your hair every inch or so. Once you’ve covered your scalp with a thin layer, massage the lotion in, making sure it gets to every part of your scalp. Now those antioxidants and compounds can do their work! Let the lotion sit for about 20 minutes, and then wash it all out. Enjoy the results! Do this about once a month for a healthy, glowing scalp. If you have chronic dry and itchy scalp we recommend massaging the Noni Lavender Lotion after shampooing into the scalp while the hair is still moist and leave on as a leave-in treatment.

Interested in applying a noni hair mask for healthy, vibrant hair? Click here for the original blog!

Apply to remove head lice.

Lice? Really? Yes, noni is a great resource for eradicating lice! Harsh chemicals should always be a last resort, especially because more and more lice are becoming resistant to them! Noni naturally repels these little bugs, helping the body to fight off infection from fungi, bacteria, and, yes, parasites. Lice. Noni works by discouraging the lice, convincing them it’s a bad environment for them to live in. Apply the lotion to the scalp thickly, making sure the entire scalp is covered. You can do an overnight treatment by wearing a shower cap or wrapping your head with plastic wrap. Or you can do several thinner applications throughout the day. Soon the lice populations will fade, as they don’t like noni and will leave. No negative side effects, no toxicity. A natural and safe way to keep your family lice-free!

Did You Know? In Hawaii, to treat lice it’s common to take a ripe noni fruit and mash it through the hair and scalp. They say you can see the lice jumping off the head to get away! With our Noni Lavender Lotion made from the raw non-fermented pulp of noni you get the same potency and effect, wherever you are in the world!

The health benefits of noni are endless. Try our Noni Lavender Lotion on your scalp and see the wonderful results!

Noni: Your All-Natural Ally In the Fight Against Diabetes

It’s no secret that the modern “Western diet” of processed foods, grain-fed meat, and lots of simple carbohydrates causes health problems — not least of which is type 2 diabetes. But just as diabetes is largely caused by food, certain foods can help restore balance.

One such food is noni fruit, a tropical Polynesian superfood being actively studied for its wide-ranging benefits to the human body, including its ability to help fight type 2 diabetes.

In general, foods that promote insulin resistance and diabetes are high in simple sugars and calories, but low on nutrients. These foods cause blood sugar spikes, inflammation, and excessive fat storage, all of which contribute to diabetes.

By contrast, noni is an extremely low sugar, low calorie food, but more importantly, it’s packed with all kinds of beneficial nutrients that help you feel satiated and full of energy, while actually combating the inflammation behind diabetes.

So Where’s the Research?

We have three kinds of research to draw on, which give us very different information: Scientific, historical, and anecdotal.

Just the Science

First, there’s the scientific research being done to test the impact of noni extract on diabetic animals.One study from the Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences showed that noni could keep diabetic symptoms under control for as long as the test subjects (lab rats) kept taking noni.  

In another study from Japan, the hypoglycemic effects of the chemical constituents of Morinda citrifolia roots were evaluated. One of the extracts “showed a significant reduction of the blood glucose levels.”

Cultural Context

Then we have evidence from McGill University researchers, who were looking for an explanation behind a sudden diabetes increase in New Guinea natives. They found that people who stopped eating noni fruit, part of a traditional diet, were more likely to be diabetic.

Ancient Polynesians used noni fruit as a natural preventative for a wide variety of conditions including high blood sugar. It was important enough that they brought saplings and seeds with them everywhere they settled! Learn more about noni as a “canoe plant” here.

Countless Stories

Our final type of evidence is extremely valid to us, even if it’s not seen as “evidence” as such by the scientific community: it’s the countless anecdotes of people who have seen dramatic change in their blood sugar levels and insulin resistance as a result of eating noni. Here are just a few testimonials:

“We've been using it for the past 6 months and we could not believe the numbers when we went to get our yearly check up with our Doctor! If you have diabetes we promise within 3 weeks of taking the leather NOT only did the daily glucose levels drop by a hundred (it was in the 175-225 range) the A1C number dropped to 7.2! Cut the insulin in half...and hopefully perhaps can get off it completely.  I take one 2x2 inch in the morning drop one in my hydro flask and drink it through the day and another at night before brushing my teeth. Yes, taking it three times can be quite expensive but can you put a dollar value on your health?”

“I was on Kauai last year and found these products at a Farmer’s Market. I have been using them for one year now and had to come back to visit the farm. I was a mess a year ago. Since eating the Noni Fruit Leather and using the lotions, everything changed. I lost 50 pounds, my diabetes and high blood pressure are normal and the pain in my feet is gone!! This stuff works – ask my husband!!”

Where Can I Find Noni? Learn how you can easily use noni in everyday life in the original blog!

Noni: The Essential Raw Food for the Health of Seniors

Aging can be frustrating, there’s no doubt about it. Things don’t work the same way they used to, injuries are slower to heal, and it gets harder to build muscle and burn fat. At the same time, your skin changes, your hormones change, your gut changes...and the consequences of the choices you made when you were younger become clear.

But aging is only frustrating if you feel like you’re helpless in the fight, and you are anything but helpless! We’re still only just beginning to understand the role our diet choices, activity level, and mental stimulation play in aging, but it’s clear their impact is major.

Particularly with regards to diet, new information is coming in all the time, including about an unusual Polynesian superfruit with the ability to turn back the clock on aging. Here are just a few of the health benefits raw non-fermented noni fruit has for seniors.

Restores and Revitalizes Skin

Building and maintaining healthy skin takes a lot of nutrients, and noni is packed full of exactly the building blocks your body needs to do so. Among these essential nutrients is anthraquinone, a compound which boosts collagen production (click to learn more). Noni also contains vitamin C and many other antioxidants which help repair and prevent sun damage.

• Fades out age spots & skin discoloration due to sun damage
• Restores youthful, firm skin
• Fills in fine lines, wrinkles, and even stretch marks & scars
• Improves skin texture & brightens complexion
• Provides relief from chronic skin conditions like psoriasis & eczema

How to Use: Apply Noni Lavender Lotion to the skin daily, and supplement with a daily dose of Noni Fruit Leather. You may also use Noni Lavender Lotion or our Noni Aloe Bio Bandage as a more intensive face mask treatment. Great for faces, hands, and any other areas you’d like to firm and tighten.

Learn how to reduce the risk of chronic disease and speed the healing process on the original blog!

Boosts Mood and Energy Levels

Finally, that same compound scopoletin has an impact on your mental health as well. Scopoletin binds to the neurotransmitter serotonin to keep levels elevated. Serotonin regulates mood, sleep, hunger, temperature, and more, so it has a big impact! This is one of the first benefits most people notice after starting to take Noni Fruit Leather.

• Provides a great morning energy boost
• May help with anxiety and depression
• Replaces caffeine

How to Use: All you need to take advantage of this benefit is one 2x2 inch piece of Noni Fruit Leathereach day.

How has noni helped you redefine your relationship with aging? Let us know in the comments!

Protecting & Preserving Our Friends the Albatross

As you’re no doubt aware if you follow us on social media, our family farm on Kauai is host to a growing albatross colony. Each year, these birds return to our land for the mating season. They’re a very special part of the culture on the farm, reminding us of the importance of family and bringing us lots of joy!

Unfortunately, albatross are birds at risk of extinction, especially if their habitat continues to be destroyed by global climate change! Laysan albatross, the specific species that nests on our farm, have recovered in recent years, changing their endangered status from “vulnerable” to “near-threatened.”

This is extremely encouraging, but there’s a long way to go before these and other albatross species are truly “safe.” Preserving nature’s diversity is a major part of sustainability, and is extremely important to our family so we wanted to give you a little more information about these rare birds.

Risks to the Albatross

Albatross were once hunted for feathers, with the result that many hundreds of thousands were killed in the early 1900s. Today, these albatross are protected on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. But they aren’t out of danger yet.

Albatross are seabirds, which means anything that impacts the ocean impacts them, too. That includes changing temperatures, fish populations, pollution, and fishing techniques used by humans.

In particular, longline fishing and the ingestion of floating plastics kill many birds. Albatross hunt by floating on the top of the water and diving down to grab fish and squid. It’s very easy for them to grab something dangerous by mistake. Parents may even bring home trash to their chicks, mistaking it for food. This has devastating consequences for the health of the chick.

On Midway Atoll in the Pacific, thousands of albatross chicks die each year due to poisoning from plastics, lead, and other human waste.

Learn about the Albatross on Our Family Farm in the original article!

What We Can Learn About Sustainability

We’ve had our lives dramatically enriched by the presence of the albatross on our farm, and doing all we can to raise awareness about them and protect their habitat has been extremely rewarding for us. Watching the colony grow each year has become so special to us.

Even if you don’t have an amazing species like the Laysan albatross living on your land, you’re surrounded by endangered species that need your help. In particular, think about your local pollinators. Honeybee populations are in bad shape these days, and they can be helped out a lot just by suburban gardeners planting more flowers and plants they like.

Anytime you take action to preserve habitat, whether by building it, protecting it, or voting to protect it, you’re doing your part to help this planet’s endangered species.

How do you protect nature’s diversity in your life? Let us know in the comments!

Try This Mouth-Watering Noni Colada Green Smoothie

Just in time for summer, here’s a smoothie that will instantly make you feel like you’re here in Hawaii with us! You’ll love the fresh, bright taste, the added veggies will ensure the smoothie satisfies, and the Noni Fruit Leather acts as a powerful preventative and restorative on all your body’s systems.

Wait, What’s Noni?

Noni is a south seas fruit that might not look familiar to you. You’ll never find the fresh fruit in your grocery store because it has absolutely no shelf life, starting to ferment within 6 to 8 hours after ripening.

This is a shame, because noni is one of nature’s most powerful foods for healing! It’s been used for thousands of years to help address and prevent countless ailments, from inflammation to diabetes to arthritis. Originally used by ancient Polynesians as a raw food with 165+ beneficial compounds in the pulp of the fruit which are now being studied by modern science, trying to unlock what exactly makes noni such a potent a healer.

We know for sure that raw non-fermented noni pulp has more antioxidants than even the most potent berry or pomegranate — learn more — and a compound called scopoletin, which kills pain, enhances mood, and more. You can learn more about scopoletin and the other beneficial compounds in noni fruit, click here.

In general, by combatting inflammation and free radicals in the body, noni helps fight against the family of diseases known as the “Western diseases.” Learn more by clicking here.

So Where Can I Get Noni?

If you don’t live somewhere you can forage for noni fruit, you’ll have to buy a processed noni product. But not all of these are created equal! Most noni products come in the form of either a juice or a dehydrated powder. Through fermentation and pasteurization, both of these methods destroy the vast majority of the beneficial compounds in the raw pulp of the fruit.

You’re looking for raw noni products, like Noni Fruit Leather from Hawaiian Organic Noni. By never raising the temperature of our dehydrators above 115 degrees, we preserve all the enzymes, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds in the fruit. Learn more about why it’s so important to have raw noni by clicking here.

Noni Colada Green Smoothie

This recipe is a nutritious, delicious way to get your daily dose of noni. It’s especially great for those who haven’t adjusted to the flavor of noni yet. If you’re having trouble acquiring the taste, click here for some tips! One tip is to blend into a smoothie, which is exactly what we’re doing here!

Scale this smoothie recipe up or down to find what works for you

For the recipe check out the original blog on our website!

What are your favorite recipes using Noni Fruit Leather? Let us know!

Simple Tips to Beat Your Sugar Addiction

Make no mistake, sugar is a legitimate addiction. Our bodies build tolerance to it over time, requiring more and more of that sweet taste to satisfy. We have sophisticated systems in place to make us crave sugar, and it’s ubiquity in processed foods make it difficult to avoid.

You’re probably ingesting way more sugar than you realize, hidden away in the processed “shortcut” foods you use to cook (tomato sauce, broth, sauces), in your quick snacks between meals, and in your beverages. Even if you aren’t exhibiting diabetic symptoms, you could be slowly building up resistance to insulin and paving the way for diabetes.

Sugar is a tough habit to beat, but the damage it inflicts on the body is highly reversible! If you’re taking steps to cut down or eliminate your consumption of added sugars, these tips will help ensure your success!

Sleep: Calorie-Free Energy

One of the most effective ways to reduce your dependence on sugar is to give yourself a little more energy to work with each day by sleeping a little longer or a little better. As you cut out sugar, you’ll likely find this is a positive feedback loop, where the less sugar you eat, the better you sleep and the less sugar you feel you need!

Learn Sugar’s Aliases

Trying to eat processed foods without also eating sugar is really tough. This is partially because of all the other names sugar goes by on food labels, including: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, and many, many others. Even “natural” sugar sources like concentrated fruit juice, maple syrup, coconut sugars, and honey need to be limited.

Walk It Off

Often sugar cravings are caused by stress and boredom more than hunger. You can often head these cravings off by channeling that energy somewhere else — like a walk! Plus walking helps undo some of the past damage of sugar on your system. If you’re genuinely hungry, grab a handful of berries and some almonds and get outside anyway.

Don’t Replace with Artificial

Outdated wisdom held that it was safe to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, but there’s more and more evidence coming in showing this is counterproductive and extremely dangerous. Not only are artificial sweeteners linked to countless health problems, but they also trick your body into thinking they’re getting sugar without actually delivering. That’s a recipe for more cravings.

Discover how to Find a New Source of Quick Energy on the original blog!

How have you reduced your sugar cravings? Share your insight in the comments!

Simple Tips to Beat Your Sugar Addiction

Make no mistake, sugar is a legitimate addiction. Our bodies build tolerance to it over time, requiring more and more of that sweet taste to satisfy. We have sophisticated systems in place to make us crave sugar, and it’s ubiquity in processed foods make it difficult to avoid.

You’re probably ingesting way more sugar than you realize, hidden away in the processed “shortcut” foods you use to cook (tomato sauce, broth, sauces), in your quick snacks between meals, and in your beverages. Even if you aren’t exhibiting diabetic symptoms, you could be slowly building up resistance to insulin and paving the way for diabetes.

Sugar is a tough habit to beat, but the damage it inflicts on the body is highly reversible! If you’re taking steps to cut down or eliminate your consumption of added sugars, these tips will help ensure your success!

Sleep: Calorie-Free Energy

One of the most effective ways to reduce your dependence on sugar is to give yourself a little more energy to work with each day by sleeping a little longer or a little better. As you cut out sugar, you’ll likely find this is a positive feedback loop, where the less sugar you eat, the better you sleep and the less sugar you feel you need!

Learn Sugar’s Aliases

Trying to eat processed foods without also eating sugar is really tough. This is partially because of all the other names sugar goes by on food labels, including: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, and many, many others. Even “natural” sugar sources like concentrated fruit juice, maple syrup, coconut sugars, and honey need to be limited.

Walk It Off

Often sugar cravings are caused by stress and boredom more than hunger. You can often head these cravings off by channeling that energy somewhere else — like a walk! Plus walking helps undo some of the past damage of sugar on your system. If you’re genuinely hungry, grab a handful of berries and some almonds and get outside anyway.

Don’t Replace with Artificial

Outdated wisdom held that it was safe to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, but there’s more and more evidence coming in showing this is counterproductive and extremely dangerous. Not only are artificial sweeteners linked to countless health problems, but they also trick your body into thinking they’re getting sugar without actually delivering. That’s a recipe for more cravings.

Discover how to Find a New Source of Quick Energy on the original blog!

How have you reduced your sugar cravings? Share your insight in the comments!

The Problem with Drinking your Noni

Imagine walking along the beach in Hawaii one thousand years ago, bare feet in the sand, waves crashing by your side, sun on your back. Sounds nice, right? Now imagine finding a noni fruit, perfectly ripe and ready to eat. For thousands of years, native Polynesians and Hawaiians have praised the noni fruit for its wonderful healing properties. Did they juice this fruit thousands of years ago? Of course not!  According to Captain Cook’s log when he first found Polynesia in the 1700’s , he wrote “They were eating the fruit”. Notice Captain Cook did not write they were drinking the juice. And raw food noni is still the best way to get all the positive benefits. But once noni fruit is picked, it begins to ripen and ferment quite quickly, noni fruit is very difficult to preserve. One solution to this is juicing, but is it the best solution?

Some think so. Noni juice is used across the globe by thousands of people, dozens of different kinds sold by dozens of companies. But it isn’t what it’s made out to be. Why?

What You’re Missing with Noni Juice

The power of noni is in the pulp, and juicing noni takes that away. The juicing and fermentation process destroys key nutrients and enzymes. The noni juices are fermented, pasteurized and must be refrigerated. On top of that, it isn’t even pure noni! In many parts of the world, Noni is called cheesy fruit since the raw, non-fermented pulp tastes like blue cheese. But if noni is allowed to ferment, it smells and taste like a rotten blue cheese ,which doesn’t taste all that great. That is why most noni juices have added other fruit juices to make it more palatable, but diluted. In fact, fermentation destroys all digestive enzymes and about fifty percent of the beneficial compounds found in the raw noni pulp.

And what about pasteurization? Noni juice is most often pasteurized to make it safe to drink. Which means it’s exposed to very intense heat that kills off any harmful bacteria. But pasteurization takes away more than just the bacteria. It destroys all digestive enzymes and antioxidants, along with numerous other beneficial compounds found in raw noni.

So what does all this mean for you? It means you aren’t getting the maximum benefits of noni. It means you are being deprived of the true healing power of noni. It means it might be time to try an alternative.

What’s the Alternative? Learn on the original blog!

Why It’s So Crucial to Know Your Farmers

These days, when “sustainability” is mainstream and everyone is throwing around phrases like “natural,” “organic,” and “responsibly grown,” it’s hard to navigate the tangle of words, rhetoric, and jargon to get at the truth of what’s best for our planet.

One of those little sound bites you’ve likely heard if you try to eat responsibly is, “Know your farmer.”

But do you understand why this is so important? Earth Day was last month and really should be talked about and practiced every day, so here at Hawaiian Organic Noni, we’re unpacking some of our company’s sustainability ethic, as well as explaining a few of the organic practices we use every day on the farm to do our part.

Today, let’s dive into that issue of knowing your farmers!

Food: The Faceless Commodity

Knowing your farmer is far from the norm in today’s industrial agricultural society. Most people buy food from supermarkets, which, despite the often colorful marketing language on food packaging, comprise an institution designed to turn food into a transactional commodity rather than a social, cultural experience.

But this trend starts way before the food reaches the supermarket. Since World War II, giant companies have been swallowing up America’s small and midsized farms in favor of enormous monocultures of corn and soybeans. These commodity products come to us in the form of processed foods, further removing us from the actual fields where farming is done.

The amount of time people spend engaged with shopping for and preparing their food is decreasing while the number of calories we eat steadily increases. We don’t think it’s a coincidence that there’s been a corresponding rise in heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other “Western” diseases as a result.

Discover how you could be undernourished by not knowing your farmer in the original blog!

Farmers are Fun!

Finally, we want to get back to that idea of food as a cultural experience. That perspective is dying in this country as more of us buy food from self checkout, eat alone in our cars, and buy processed foods made by some of the biggest corporations in the world.

But farmers are pretty awesome people, with a lot to teach about food and nutrition! The best part is, most of us love to share what we know about nutrition, gardening, and sustainability with you. There’s no knowledge hoarding or industry secrets here. We believe transparency is the path back to food that is nutritious, sustainably-grown, and truly satisfying.

Get in touch with us! We love sending out our monthly newsletter to connect with you, and we post actively on social media.

Why Does Organic Matter to Hawaiian Organic Noni?

In honor of Mother Earth we’re focusing on sustainability, organic farming, and other ways we can help out our wonderful planet. We’ll be sharing how we do things on the farm, as well as tips to bring these techniques into your own home.

To us, sustainability means creating systems which ensure continued fertility, diversity, and vitality, benefiting humans, animals, plants, insects, fungi, and microbes for many years to come.

As we explore our sustainability ethic in the month to come, you can look forward to learning all about:

• Vermicomposting (that’s composting with worms!)
• Involving pollinators and other animals in agriculture
• Importance of supporting family organic farms
• The Laysan albatross sanctuary on our land
• How sustainability and organic practices impact food quality and nutrition

But before we get started, we wanted to share with you just a few of the many reasons sustainability, and organic farming in particular, matter so much to us.

Small Scale Farming

The world is moving more and more toward industrial food systems, meaning fewer larger farms growing larger yields of fewer crops with more pesticides and more herbicides.

Most big farms only grow one or two crops, most often heavily subsidized corn and/or soybeans. The market is flooded with cheap corn and soybeans, and then it’s the market’s job to figure out a use for them.

Unfortunately, there are some very heavy hidden costs that go with industrial farming:

• Edging out of small business farms and even medium-sized farms, putting farmers in debt
• Dilution of “organic” standards, increased difficulty in regulation
• Decreased diversity of plants, animals, and microbes
• Increased agricultural runoff, potentially harmful to the environment
• Increased consumption of processed foods, decreased nutrient intake

Later this month, we’ll discuss why it matters to the environment whether or not you know your farmer (even if you only know them online!)

Soil Fertility

Modern industrial agriculture places little emphasis on the long-term fertility of the soil, instead focusing on fertilizing intensively in the short term. Not only does this practice deplete the soil of nutrients over time, but it also causes runoff of toxic chemicals, decreased diversity, and the need to apply ever more fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides to keep nature at bay.

We see it as our responsibility as farmers to return as many nutrients to the soil as we can in the form of mulch, compost, worm castings and compost teas. Not only does this improve the nutritional content of the food we grow, but it also ensures the long-term ability of this land to stay productive over the years.

Learn the third reason organic matters to us on the original blog!

What are some of your best practices with regards to sustainability and protecting planet Earth? Let us know in the comments!

What Polynesian Culture Has to Teach Us About Sustainability

Today we want to draw your attention to a group that’s doing some really amazing work to spread the word about sustainability, world peace, and Polynesian culture: The Hokulea Polynesian Voyaging Society. This organization is midway through a worldwide voyage across the world’s oceans.

The catch? They’re making the voyage in traditional-style Polynesian voyaging canoes, and are navigating using only traditional Polynesian wayfinding methods. That means no GPS — not even compasses! So far they’re right on track. You can check out their route by clicking here. They’ve travelled from Hawaii, between Australia and Indonesia, around the coast of Africa, up South America, and are currently making their way up the North American coast. They plan to reach New York by the first week of June, in time for UN World Oceans Day.

We have long been inspired by the tremendous wisdom behind this group’s sustainability ethic, as well as by what we’ve learned of Polynesian society from the ethnobotanists who have come to talk to us about the traditional uses of noni. We’d love to share some of this knowledge with you, in the hopes that it inspires you to live just a little bit more with Planet Earth in mind!

Live With an Island Mindset

A big part of the intent of the Worldwide Voyage is collecting, sharing, and spreading wisdom about our planet, particularly with regards to sustainability. According to their website, “Living on an island chain teaches us that our natural world is a gift with limits and that we must carefully steward this gift if we are to survive together.”

This is very similar to the ethic of organic agriculture, which is obviously very important to us as certified organic farmers. We’ve seen it proven season after season how critical it is to protect and replenish the earth’s fertility and resources, which we do using mulch, compost, vermiculture, and our no-till system.

Earth is not a closed system, and there are many renewable resources available to us, but only if we respect their limits. We must replenish what we use and conserve where we can. Polynesian islanders understood this, simply because their world was literally an island. Polluting their resources or depleting the soil simply wasn’t an option.

It’s Possible to Modify the Land Responsibly

Many environmentalists today get so caught up in conservation that they see any modification to the land as a negative. But it’s possible to modify the land so it’s productive, diverse, and self-sustaining, while still reaping some benefits for us as humans.

This is the goal of real organic farming. We want to develop systems that are good for humans, but which also benefit the land. The Polynesian settlers brought noni saplings and seeds with them when they came to Hawaii, and the hardy tree has happily taken up residence here, providing habitat for many animals and a good food source for others.

Read how to let your foods heal you in the original blog here!

In what ways do you try to “live like an islander” in terms of sustainability? Let us know in the comments!

What On Earth’s Compost Tea? And How Can It Help My Garden?

In honor of planet Earth, we’ve been covering lots of different organic methods we use on the farm, particularly techniques to improve soil fertility. Here’s the last post in the series — hopefully you’ve gotten lots of inspiration to bring some of these practices into your own garden.

All of the organic practices we do on our farm are about mimicking what nature does naturally, and compost tea is no exception. Compost tea is a powerful tool in any gardener’s arsenal, and it’s not for drinking! Basically, compost tea is a nutrient-dense spray for the leaves of your plants.

Sound crazy? Ineffective? Possibly unsafe? We promise it’s none of those things, and we’ll let you know exactly how we do it.

What’s Nature’s Version of “Compost Tea?”

Have you noticed how plants always turn vibrantly green after it rains? This is actually not due to the added water — it’s due to nature’s version of compost tea!

There’s much more nitrogen floating around in the air than there is in the ground. When rain falls from the sky, the water molecules pick up some of that nitrogen and deposit it on the leaves of plants. The leaves can then absorb some of those nutrients through their skin and their pores (called stomata)

Farmers and gardeners borrow this concept by spraying a diluted, biologically active compost mix directly on the leaves of plants. Basically, we steep compost and worm castings in water, and then collect the liquid to use as a foliar spray.

Does It Really Work?

We’ve used this spray on our noni trees for many years, and we believe it’s part of the reason why they grow such nutritious fruits 12 months of the year. But a while back, we had an opportunity to do a real test of how well compost tea works.

My son was spraying compost tea on our noni trees as usual, and he ended up with a little extra — enough to spray one of our two rows of banana trees. So he sprayed the one row, and then forgot about it. Four days later, I was out at the banana trees with a group, and I realized that the trees that had been sprayed were a full 2 feet taller than the un-sprayed trees! That’s enough evidence for me.

How Can I Get Started?

We promise, this is something you can do yourself!

Read How to Get Started With Great Compost in the Original Blog!

Steep Away

Once you have a good source of compost and/or worm castings, all you need is a steeping container. It’s most important to seek out a container that you can oxygenate, to get a more lively, active compost tea.

You can use a fish aquarium, and keep in the aerator pump. Or if you’d like to buy a system, a company called Growing Solutions has a variety of compost tea systems, which all aerate your compost tea as it steeps.

The oxygen allows the populations of the beneficial microbes found in your compost and worm castings to grow into the billions. We also recommend adding just a little molasses to feed your microbes while  their population is growing, for best results.

How to Apply

We always spray our compost tea in the late afternoon, because that timing works out best for a plant’s respiration cycle. Plants are busy photosynthesizing in morning and early afternoon, and the stomata (pores) in their leaves close up to prevent much-needed water from evaporating in the heat of the day. In the late afternoon, those pores open up and will stay open all night.

Just give your leaves a good spray and you’ll be on your way to greener, happier plants that produce more nutritious fruits and vegetables!

Have you tried making compost tea at home? What were your results?