Roadside fruit and vegetable vendors pop up every so often around the island. When I used to live in another part of town, there was a vendor that sold Kahuku Sweet Corn from the back of his pickup truck for $5/bag. He would park alongside the road on my way home, so I would often stop and buy a bag or two almost as often as he was there. But then he disappeared and in his place were people hawking their homemade pasteles. Or mango seed. Or fresh caught fish. It was always interesting to see what would be for sale at that spot on any given day.
I have been passing by this roadside vendor for a few weeks now.They are stationed on Ka Uka Boulevard in a little driveway that leads into a farming field, directly across from Costco and Starbucks Waipio.
Their setup was much more elaborate than the guy selling bottles of pickled mango from his cooler. This vendor had two large pop-up tents and tables of many different varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables. It was like a mini farmer’s market.
I thought I saw a sign up the road that said they were from Aloun Farms and judging by the logo on the boxes, I would guess that is right.
I bought a bunch of apple bananas, a bag of Okinawan purple sweet potato, 2 bags of long beans, Ewa sweet onions, and carrots for $12. They also had papayas, cantaloupe, honeydew melons, Thai watermelon, long eggplant, green onions, garlic, zucchini, squash, broccoli, corn, kabocha, 2 types of sweet potatoes, and a variety of leafy vegetables.
I didn’t ask for their hours of operation, but I have seen this vendor open for business almost every time I passed by in the late afternoons — I’m assuming to cater to the pau hana traffic.
It’s nice to have the option to buy local farm fresh produce on any day of the week. I often miss the Sunday farmer’s market in my neighborhood because we are getting the family ready for church at that time. And let’s face it, as awesome as the Kapiolani Community College farmer’s market is, driving 1-1/2 hours (to and from) is a bit much to do on a weekly basis. I’ll likely be visiting this vendor again in the future.
Hope to see you at the bon dances, the schedule for Hawaii (all islands) is below. Be sure to say “hi” if you see us!
This is a cause that is dear to my heart. My mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor. When I saw that Renee at 
