TARO PATCHES

A day at the taro patch.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend the day working on a traditional Hawaiian taro patch. It was such a great experience and one I will never forget. At first the mud was a little daunting and with a group of 25+ women (most of whom are medical professionals), we were prepared to stay as clean as possible with boots, gloves and swimwear! However, the guides insisted we throw caution to the wind and jump in barefoot. Eventually, we all caved. What I found most interesting about this experience, minus the crazy creepy crawlies, is that everything here is grown organically and sustainably. The water used for these taro patches are diverted from water sources up in the mountains, filtered through the patches and then eventually returned to a nearby stream. This is definitely an experience every local and visitor to Hawaii should experience and if the mud is still a bit daunting, just think of it as the "Local Mud Special" at a Hawaiian spa.