yummy honey

 

one of the first things that caught my eye when i first spotted a jar of volcano island honey was the label. the artwork was donated by dietrich varez, the noted big island linoblock artist (and one of my favorites), who must be a fan of the lovely organic white honey. in addition to the original honey, you can also savor honey with a ginger, lilikoi or lehua twist.

the artisanal honey company has been sharing their nectar for 25 years and it has been said to be "some of the best honey in the entire world". the secret may be that the honey is harvested from a kiawe forest on the big island where some sort of alchemy occurs when the unique topography and nature meet up with the honeybees.

volcano island honey can be found at specialty shops around the islands. if you're ordering online remember that there is minimum order of $40 to avoid a shipping surcharge or just stop by your nearest whole foods which also stocks the honey.

the java farm that mother goose built

imagine a farm where geese dot the landscape and in their own little way help the coffee beans grow as mother nature intended. such a place can be found on the big island at mother goose farms which uses sustainable farming techniques to grow their crops. the geese are free to wander the grounds and graze which not only keeps weeds at bay but fertilizes the earth.

so your morning cup o' joe is not only 100% kona coffee but certified organic to boot. mother goose has got you covered even if you prefer to roast your own beans with their certified organic green kona coffee beans.

tea time

my mom and aunties always enjoy a nice cup of tea so i was happy to discover hawaiian natural tea which is an organic tea company from the islands. this means their tea is not only good for your body (full of all of those healthy antioxidants) but it's good for the earth too. what's not to love?

midweek has a nice story about the owners & their journey to bring organic tea to the islands. longs & daiai are just a few of the shops that stock hawaiian natural tea in tropical flavors like mango peach, passionfruit orange & pineapple strawberry. now if i could only find the perfect pitcher for iced tea.

girl's day

 

since girl's day is less than a week away i thought it was the perfect time to share a few hawaiian style beauty products that have been hidden in my bookmarks.

mama coco's hawaiian lip balm is not only made in hawaii but uses organic & free trade ingredients (an eco-conscious girl's dream) like virgin coconut oil, hawaiian honey and tahitian vanilla to help moisturize your lips. i'm a sucker for the vintage looking labels too.

in addition to flavors like hawaiian vanilla and coconut cream, mama coco's also has a balm in red hibiscus rouge for those times when you prefer a little color on your lips. this is definitely on my shopping list for the next time i'm home.

hawaiian girl botanicals was started by massage therapists from kauai so they've focused on ingredients that are good for your skin and left out the dyes, chemical additives, mineral oil and alcohol. their sea salt soaks sound fabulous (if you're lucky enough to have a tub large enough for soaking) and is made of 'alaea sea salt harvested from hawaii.

they have five essential oil blends available for most of their products and the maka pua formula (a blend of jasmine and lime essential oils) would be perfect for relaxing in the tub. the hawaiian girl line also includes hand crafted body lotion, massage oil (of course), body mist and an all-natural insect repellent.