Kona orange is listed in
Slow Food’s Ark of Taste catalog

Kona orange, which was first brought to the islands in 1792 with the Vancouver Expedition, was recently nominated and accepted by Slow Food’s committee into the Ark of Taste catalog. This catalog is a listing of foods facing extinction.

According to Slow Food Oahu Governor Laurie Carlson, the Ark of Taste catalog identifies and champions food to keep them in production and on people’s plates.

“Once listed, the product gets on people’s radar,” notes Carlson. “It may help the product be newly or rediscovered by the consumer. Inclusion could rally support for the product’s producers and share their stories.”

Case in point is 100 percent Kona coffee.

“We have had this coffee on the Ark of Taste for a number of years now. We know that blending has been a big issue for Kona coffee farmers for quite some time. The Ark listing has made it clear to informed consumers that buying 100 percent Kona coffee is the right thing to do. Finally, in this year’s legislative session, progress was made to restrict the use of the Kona name if an insufficient amount of Kona coffee is in the package.”

Other Hawaii commodities or value-added products already listed in the catalog include kalo poi, ‘ulu (breadfruit), Kiawe honey, Hawaiian raspberry, hua moa banana, maikoiko sugar cane and inamona.

Planted in Kona as the first orange in the islands, the Kona orange became a commercial crop of Hawaii Island and O‘ahu before it was in high demand during the Gold Rush in California. According to the Ark of Taste, the US Army distributed the oranges to WWII servicemen. After the war, the USDA reverted to pre-war rules regarding fruit fly regulation and exports. The oranges continued to be sold decades later at local markets and grocery stores.

Today, there is no commercial production of the Kona orange and any existing backyard trees are showing their age.

“Clonal propagation is needed now to protect and save the Kona orange,” says Ken Love, executive director of the statewide Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers and member of the four-person Ark of Taste committee. “The orange variety is currently threatened and available only through small farms and gardens for home consumption.”

With a tight skin and solid core, the Kona orange boasts a sweet and sub-acid flavor said to be similar to pineapple. It has a juicy pulp with 10-13 segments and is harvested from March through June. It is sometimes referred to as the Paris orange, as the family were the landowners where the original tree was planted.

As the trees are not available at nurseries, Carlson says an effort is needed to get new trees propagated and grafted. “We need to come up with a strategy to reproduce the Kona orange and find some grants to aid in that effort,” Carlson says.

“The Kona, or Paris, orange is perfectly adapted to Hawaii and it’s essential we protect it and expand its numbers,” adds Love. “Sweet and juicy, it’s the perfect citrus for Hawaii.”

Ka‘u Coffee Festival recipe contest winners

The winners of the recent Ka’u Coffee Festival 2024 are as follows:

Desserts

First Place Paty Fujimoto with her Ka‘u Coffee Layer Cake

Second Place: Brittany Zagoria with Ka‘u Coffee Sponge Cake in a Chocolate Bowl

Third Place: Cosette Paseka with Ka‘u Coffee Cupcakes with Ka‘u Coffee Buttercream Frosting with Coffee and Cayenne Candied Bacon

Pupus

First Place went to Paty Fujimoto with Tita Taquitos with Aikane Braised Kuahiwi Ranch Beef

Second Place to Kristin Davis with Goat Cheese with Ka‘u Lehua Honey

Third Place to Zane Monteleone with Burrata Salad with Ka‘u Balsamic Reduction

Entree

First Place to Keone Grace with Ka‘u Coffee Blackened Opakapaka

Second Place to Zane Monteleone with Maui Nui Venison Pastrami Dip with Ka‘u Au Ju

Third Place to Paul Eddy with Roasted Ka‘u Coffee Chicken

Here’s the recipe for the Ka‘u Coffee Cupcakes with Ka‘u Coffee Buttercream Frosting with Coffee and Cayenne Candied Bacon:

Ka‘u Coffee Cupcakes with Ka‘u Coffee Buttercream Frosting Topped with Ka‘u Coffee and Cayenne Rubbed Candied Bacon

Cake:

1-1/2 cups organic flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups Ka‘u Coffee Mill Black Honey Coffee Grounds

1/2 cup butter

1 cup organic sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup Ka‘u Coffee Mill Black Honey Coffee brewed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients. In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Mix buttermilk and coffee in a cup. Add dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately, do not overmix. Fill 15 cupcake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

4-1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons or more Ka‘u Coffee Mill Honey Coffee

Beat the butter until creamy, add salt. Add 1 cup sugar at a time until gone. Add coffee until it has blended into the right consistency and flavor. Frost cupcakes.

Bacon:

8 slices bacon

6 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoon Ka‘u Coffee Mill Black Honey coffee ground

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Place the bacon on a rack. Mix other ingredients together until blended. Sprinkle half over your bacon and cook at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Flip over and sprinkle remainder and cook until crispy.

Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.