Know Your Farmer: Paepae o He'eia fishpond

The ancient fishpond known as Paepae o He'eia sits on the shore of a native Hawaiian ahupua'a, an ancient land division that runs from the mountains to the sea.

For the second year in a row, Paepae o He'eia will be one of the native agricultural sites featured in the Bounty of He‘eia tour presented by Kamehameha Schools.

Hi'ilei Kawelo and her dedicated team care for the 800-year old Hawaiian fishpond and work to restore it in the hopes of one day making it a sustainable source of food for the area.

A sign that it is well on it's way, Chef Mark Noguchi invited friends and colleagues to join him Tuesday morning to help harvest ingredients for the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival. Things started on the hill overlooking the fishpond where people picked Palula, sweet potato shoots, to garnish Noguchi's dish for the From Farm to Table: A Makahiki Festival.

Next, the group moved along the wall of the fishpond to pick 'ākulikuli, also known as coastal succulent or sea purslane, for chefs Chris Kajioka and Mourad Lahlou to use at Cuisines of the Stars: A Magical Journey of Food & Culture.

Here are photos and video from Tuesday's harvesting trip.

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