farmstand fusion

this last trip home gave me the opportunity to do almost all of my xmas shopping in the islands (no packing up and hauling boxes to the post office or a hefty postage bill - yay for me!). on the flip side, the refrain made most often by my peeps is how difficult it can be to find anything good to gift in hawaii so i was on a mission to prove them wrong and hit the local shopping scene for a little indie gifting in 2007.

one of my favorite things to gift are gourmet treats which are in abundant supply in the islands yet something many folks never splurge on for themselves. the first booth that caught my eye at the honolulu gift fair was maui upcountry jams & jellies with their exotic mix of sweet and savory concoctions that proved hard to resist. the company originally started out as a way to make use of all the fruits growing on their family farm, and, after receiving raves from their 'ohana, other local farmers began approaching the family to turn their harvest into a bounty of breakfast spreads.

the farm fresh offerings have expanded over the years beyond jams and jellies to include syrups, mustards, and chutneys featuring island standards like mango and lilikoi to intriguing nectars made from kula black raspberries, loquats (japanese plums), and poha berries. there's even a li hing mango jam to give your morning toast an old school wake up call (sans the cock-a-doodle-doo of country roosters).

the online shop is stocked with their entire maui made product line, or click over to ali'i kula lavender who partnered with maui upcountry to whip up some of the culinary goodies infused with lavender grown on akl's farm.