Hawaii farmers market

[Yorgos]

I'm planning a trip to the big island this summer and am hearing about the farmers market in Hilo. There also is one on the Kona coast.  For fruit variety which one is better?  Are there better ones to check out?Any unique fruit I can expect to see when I'm there in July/August? 

[HIfarm]

I have heard that the Kona farmers' market has some more unusual things from time to time but it hasn't the few times I have visited it.   There are a lot of things that exist here but do not seem to turn up at the farmers market.  Most of what turns up is not terribly exotic compared to most of what appears in this forum.  I made a list (by common names) of things I can recall seeing at the Hilo farmers' market (I am sure I may have missed an item or two, maybe someone will chime in):

abiu
atemoya (uncommon)
avocado (several varieties)
bananas (several varieties)
betel nut
black sapote
breadfruit
breadnut (uncommon)
cacao
cherimoya
chico
chupa chupa (rarely)
citrus (orange, mandarin, lime, lemon, kumquat, calamansi, grapefruit, pommelo)
coconut
dragon fruit (generally the yellow ones & the white fleshed ones)
durian (zibethinus)
egg fruit
green sapote (rarely)
inga (uncommon)
jaboticaba
jackfruit
lansones (uncommon)
litchee
longan
mamey sapote
mango (M. indica)
mangosteen
mountain apple
papaya (several varieties)
passionfruit (usually the yellow lilikoi but also sometimes some others)
persimmon
pineapple (yellow & white fleshed)
pulasan (uncommon)
rambutan (usually red but sometimes yellow as well)
rollinia
santol (uncommon)
soursop
star apple (green & purple)
starfruit
sweetsop (uncommon)

Obviously what you find will depend upon the season.  I do not frequent the Makuu market down in Puna near Hawaiian Paradise Park but the times I have been there, they tend to have some more unusual fruits.  I think that market is only on Sat (it is really more of a flea market).  Hilo farmers market is open every day but Wed & Sat are the big days, with more vendors & better selection (also bigger crowds).

John

[fruitlovers]

I have heard that the Kona farmers' market has some more unusual things from time to time but it hasn't the few times I have visited it.   There are a lot of things that exist here but do not seem to turn up at the farmers market.  Most of what turns up is not terribly exotic compared to most of what appears in this forum.  I made a list (by common names) of things I can recall seeing at the Hilo farmers' market (I am sure I may have missed an item or two, maybe someone will chime in):

abiu
atemoya (uncommon)
avocado (several varieties)
bananas (several varieties)
betel nut
black sapote
breadfruit
breadnut (uncommon)
cacao
cherimoya
chico
chupa chupa (rarely)
citrus (orange, mandarin, lime, lemon, kumquat, calamansi, grapefruit, pommelo)
coconut
dragon fruit (generally the yellow ones & the white fleshed ones)
durian (zibethinus)
egg fruit
green sapote (rarely)
inga (uncommon)
jaboticaba
jackfruit
lansones (uncommon)
litchee
longan
mamey sapote
mango (M. indica)
mangosteen
mountain apple
papaya (several varieties)
passionfruit (usually the yellow lilikoi but also sometimes some others)
persimmon
pineapple (yellow & white fleshed)
pulasan (uncommon)
rambutan (usually red but sometimes yellow as well)
rollinia
santol (uncommon)
soursop
star apple (green & purple)
starfruit
sweetsop (uncommon)

Obviously what you find will depend upon the season.  I do not frequent the Makuu market down in Puna near Hawaiian Paradise Park but the times I have been there, they tend to have some more unusual fruits.  I think that market is only on Sat (it is really more of a flea market).  Hilo farmers market is open every day but Wed & Sat are the big days, with more vendors & better selection (also bigger crowds).

John

John, the Makuu market is on Sundays, not Saturday. Best time is to go early in the morning. They don't have a lot of fruit there, but sometimes you can get lucky. The Hilo farmer's market if you want unusual fruit you have to go on either wednesday or saturday very early morning. Saturday is the best day. You should also check local heath food stores: Island Naturals and Abundant Life. Kona farmer's markets are not very good from what i've seen. If going to Kona make sure to check the South Kona Fruit Stand, at about the 105 mile marker, just south of turn off for Honanau. They have a website if you google it.

[HIfarm]

Oops, thanks for correcting that day of the week, Oscar -- I guess it is obvious that i don't frequent Makuu market    I have never had much luck finding anything exotic at Island Naturals (at least nothing I could not find at the farmers market) -- the only exception being wi apple and I was less than thrilled by it.

John

John, the Makuu market is on Sundays, not Saturday. Best time is to go early in the morning. They don't have a lot of fruit there, but sometimes you can get lucky. The Hilo farmer's market if you want unusual fruit you have to go on either wednesday or saturday very early morning. Saturday is the best day. You should also check local heath food stores: Island Naturals and Abundant Life. Kona farmer's markets are not very good from what i've seen. If going to Kona make sure to check the South Kona Fruit Stand, at about the 105 mile marker, just south of turn off for Honanau. They have a website if you google it.
[/quote]

[fruitlovers]

Oops, thanks for correcting that day of the week, Oscar -- I guess it is obvious that i don't frequent Makuu market    I have never had much luck finding anything exotic at Island Naturals (at least nothing I could not find at the farmers market) -- the only exception being wi apple and I was less than thrilled by it.

John

John, the Makuu market is on Sundays, not Saturday. Best time is to go early in the morning. They don't have a lot of fruit there, but sometimes you can get lucky. The Hilo farmer's market if you want unusual fruit you have to go on either wednesday or saturday very early morning. Saturday is the best day. You should also check local heath food stores: Island Naturals and Abundant Life. Kona farmer's markets are not very good from what i've seen. If going to Kona make sure to check the South Kona Fruit Stand, at about the 105 mile marker, just south of turn off for Honanau. They have a website if you google it.

[/quote]

John, Island Naturals in Pahoa is much better than their Hilo store for exotic fruit. They quite often have in the Pahoa store: rollinia, rambutan, longan, eggfruit, black sapote, mamey sapote, chico sapodilla, cacao, and some others i've probably forgotten. Most of those fruits come from local Kapoho farm and never make it to Hilo stores.

[BigIslandGrower]

I'm planning a trip to the big island this summer and am hearing about the farmers market in Hilo. There also is one on the Kona coast.  For fruit variety which one is better?  Are there better ones to check out?Any unique fruit I can expect to see when I'm there in July/August?

As previously mentioned, the Hilo market kicks butt over the alternatives for variety, though in July/August the selection of mangoes may be better Kona side.  Lychee should be in season too.   

[Kona fruit farm]

I went to Kona farmers market yesterday.  They had mangosteen.  Expensive of course.  Kona farmers market will have atrmoya and cherimoya as well.  White pineapple.  Yellow dragon fruit.  Lychee. Rambutan.  LongaN.  Jackfruit. And a few other random tropicals that are classified as not normal.  I've never seen durian or any ultra rare ones.    I need to check out Hilo farmers market on Saturdays I gueds.

Like others said they will always have the regular avocado and papaya and banana etc. 

[fruitlovers]

I went to Kona farmers market yesterday.  They had mangosteen.  Expensive of course.  Kona farmers market will have atrmoya and cherimoya as well.  White pineapple.  Yellow dragon fruit.  Lychee. Rambutan.  LongaN.  Jackfruit. And a few other random tropicals that are classified as not normal.  I've never seen durian or any ultra rare ones.    I need to check out Hilo farmers market on Saturdays I gueds.

Like others said they will always have the regular avocado and papaya and banana etc.

There were both mangosteens and durians at Hilo Farmer's market when i went yesterday. Now is not prime time for these fruits but still found some. About 90% of the food grown on this island is grown here on east side. Kona mostly just grows coffee, avocados, mangos, and tourists. 

[barath]

The selection you both are listing is amazing!

Do you know of any big island farmers markets / shops to get Jamaican Passionfruit (P. laurifolia) fruit?

[HIfarm]

That is one of the passionfruit that is occasionally (rarely) seen at the Hilo market.

John

The selection you both are listing is amazing!

Do you know of any big island farmers markets / shops to get Jamaican Passionfruit (P. laurifolia) fruit?

[fruitlovers]

The selection you both are listing is amazing!

Do you know of any big island farmers markets / shops to get Jamaican Passionfruit (P. laurifolia) fruit?

John's list is perhaps a bit misleading. That's not what you're going to find at farmer's market here on any given day. It's a list of everything he's seen there over many months of visiting.
The list i gave is what i just saw in our local health food store.

[HIfarm]

Oscar, thanks for saving me (again) from providing what might have been misleading info.  Yes, that is over about 4 1/2 yrs of visits.  Some of the things I have listed as rare, I may have only encountered 2 or 3 times.  However, I also don't visit daily so do not take that to mean that those fruits have only been there 2 or 3 times in over 4 yrs -- just you may see them but do not expect to.  As I mentioned, many (most?) things are seasonal. Typical visits are not terribly exciting but you never know what you may run into.

John

John's list is perhaps a bit misleading. That's not what you're going to find at farmer's market here on any given day. It's a list of everything he's seen there over many months of visiting.
The list i gave is what i just saw in our local health food store.

[fruitlovers]

Some other items i saw today at local health food store: purple starapples, breadfruit, green drinking coconuts.
John, have never seen chupa chupa at Hilo Farmers market. And only seen them a couple times here at health food store. Pretty rare still here.
Ofcourse there are many fruits produced here that never make it to the markets. You just have to know the people growing them.

[HIfarm]

Hi Oscar,

Only seen chupa chupa there twice, probably within less than a week of each other.  I can't think of the woman's name right now -- her booth is right there bordering Kamehameha at bayfront.  She always has the good (more unusual) stuff in season -- durians, atemoya, dragonfruit, an assortment of mango, etc.  I'm sure you know who I mean.  I haven't seen chupa chupa for at least a couple of years now but she never had a lot & I could just be missing it when she has it.  If it is a Wed or Sat, I always check her booth first, it saves a lot of time.

[fruitlovers]

Hi Oscar,

Only seen chupa chupa there twice, probably within less than a week of each other.  I can't think of the woman's name right now -- her booth is right there bordering Kamehameha at bayfront.  She always has the good (more unusual) stuff in season -- durians, atemoya, dragonfruit, an assortment of mango, etc.  I'm sure you know who I mean.  I haven't seen chupa chupa for at least a couple of years now but she never had a lot & I could just be missing it when she has it.  If it is a Wed or Sat, I always check her booth first, it saves a lot of time.

Her name is Pam (chinese woman).

[BigIslandGrower]

  Lychee should be in season too. ..

...and Kaimana lychee is the best.  If they are in season, Pam will have them.  Her stand isn't the cheapest, but it has the greatest variety and quality.

[fruitlovers]

  Lychee should be in season too. ..

...and Kaimana lychee is the best.  If they are in season, Pam will have them.  Her stand isn't the cheapest, but it has the greatest variety and quality.

His trip is July=August. Don't usually have any Kaimanas in August. Beginning of July is possible. Best times for Kaimana are usually starting at end of May and running through June. Late season lychees happen in July, and a few in August, like B3 and Groff.

[Yorgos]

So it's Island Naturals and Pam's booth in Hilo. I will appreciate whatever they will have.
Thanks everyone for the info.