{"id":96,"date":"2010-08-12T11:22:41","date_gmt":"2010-08-12T15:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.nightwire.net\/?page_id=96"},"modified":"2010-08-12T11:22:41","modified_gmt":"2010-08-12T15:22:41","slug":"maui-ali%e2%80%99i-kula-lavender-farm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/?page_id=96","title":{"rendered":"Maui – Ali\u2019i Kula Lavender Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ali\u2019i Kula Lavender Farm<\/p>\n

The Nightwire staff were invited to visit a lavender farm for a walking tour and lunch. We were excited to take a ride to upcountry in a jeep, and hey, who wouldn\u2019t love a free lunch? We had no idea it would turn out to be such a magical day.<\/p>\n

On the way up the driveway, we smelled it\u2026\u2026the fresh lavender, sweet and so clear in the upcountry air, far away from the hustle of the coastline highway and everyday traffic. It\u2019s really in upcountry and since the infrastructure of roadways on Maui don\u2019t often connect like driving in the city- we got a little lost – but with the help of the staff we arrived just in time to have some lavender herb tea and really wonderful scones with lavender peach jam. Our hosts gave us an up close look and demo of lavender products as we anticipated our walking tour. We did need light jackets because at the altitude of 4500\u2019 it\u2019s sometimes a little cool. The walking tour is on uneven ground so be mindful to wear sure-footed soles. Our lovely guide Aiyana led a leisurely walk\/tour through the terraced hillside of the lavender farm, along the way she picked us samples to touch and smell of the lavender. Ali\u2019i Kula grows about 45 varieties of lavender, of which 7 bloom all year round. We visited a \u201csecret garden\u201d where you could just imagine having a martini after a hard day\u2019s work. The plants and flowering jasmine were amazing not only to look at but to smell and experience.<\/p>\n

Lavender is not indigenous to Hawaii but originates in different parts of Europe and is native to the Mediterranean area. It is an herb, belonging to the same family as mint and sage. There are several varieties for culinary uses as well as many for aromatherapy and medicinal purposes. Everyone knows that lavender smells good but it\u2019s also very relaxing. We couldn\u2019t wait to get to the gift shop to start buying great lavender products! But we were soon about to find out about \u201cculinary lavender\u201d.<\/p>\n

Following our tour, we returned to the beautiful patio, now set in purple for our lunch. Chef Jahlel Hunter, of Cloud Nine Catering in Makawao, began his preparation on an outdoor platform. The setting was ideal, and we had no idea that we were about to have lunch with the man who created this beautiful experience- Ali\u2019i Chang. We were served lavender lemonade and a beautiful pick-it-up salad consisting of cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and pecans on hearts of Romaine lettuce leaves. The green goddess dressing was a perfect fresh compliment. Our next course was Gourmet Lavender BBQ Chicken served with a buerre blanc sauce and fresh herbs. I felt like we should have been on some cable cooking show- the experience was truly enchanting. Next we were served a Lavender Brownie- wow, delicious! & I was glad someone at my table offered up hers. The lavender infused brownie was so moist it reminded me of a truffle, a truffle fed to me by angels\u2026in heaven. Chocolate and lavender, what a treat!<\/p>\n

We got to talking with Ali\u2019i, who told us about a life as an exotic flower farmer in Hana and wanting to pursue something new. He explained that a friend from the mainland came to visit & brought him some lavender. He began researching the plants, discovered that they were drought tolerant, easy to grow, and would thrive with natural irrigation- he\u2019s been cultivating ever since! Ali\u2019i loves visitors and realizes the connection of people to the earth. \u201cThe gardens bring so much joy to everyone!\u201d Indeed, Ali\u2019i. He shared with us some of his philosophy about \u201cthinking big\u201d- Oprah has just purchased some nearby property and he told us how he thinks she\u2019ll be a good neighbor. Talking with him I could visualize Oprah sitting just were I was, having lunch with Ali\u2019i. I can even see him on her TV show. This place felt truly magical. Maybe it was the lavender in the air, the mystery of the future, or reconnecting with the land. At Ali\u2019i Kula Lavender Farm you will have a highly sensory, seeing, touching, feeling, tasting & hearing experience. We loved this place!<\/p>\n

Ali\u2019i Kula Lavender Farm is another must-do when on Maui! Online at www.aliikulalavender.com.
\nCheck out their fantastic products- we especially love the Lavender Squeeze Bag ($10) for long airplane rides or a stressful day at the office, or the Lavender Body Spritzer ($10) after showering or before bed. I know I\u2019m going to try some culinary products- I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever forget that Lavender Lemonade! And I look forward to grilling some Lavender Chicken this summer. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll love the lovely lavender choices! And thank us for the great online shopping site!! click here for more info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ali\u2019i Kula Lavender Farm The Nightwire staff were invited to visit a lavender farm for a walking tour and lunch. We were excited to take a ride to upcountry in a jeep, and hey, who wouldn\u2019t love a free lunch? We had no idea it would turn out to be such a magical day. On […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-96","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8aPSh-1y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/96","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/96\/revisions\/97"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}