No sooner had we packed away the Christmas lights when we discovered yet another gift under our tree, or make that the giant shade tree near the Sugar Cane Pu`ukoli`i Train Station in Kaanapali.  The Aquino Family has launched a new farmer’s market with a splendid selection of fresh produce offered at fabulous prices every Tues-Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. On Saturday mornings you can find Joseph Aquino at the Maui Swap Meet, in case you miss the grand array of high quality seasonal veggies at Lahaina Produce’s farm tables in West Maui.

Joseph Acquino of Lahaina Produce

It’s a family venture, with all seven Aquino offspring pitching in for the effort while mom, Lisa, manages the business aspect of the company. “We are committed to providing access for  all people to quality fresh fruits and veggies. We get our produce from our farm, other local farms, and fresh off the plane domestic farms. Quality is our number one priority,” explains Lisa on the company website. In Lisa’s own words, her motivation for starting the business was her “personal quest to improve my overall health, I found that the grocery stores on Maui did not provide suitable access to fruits and veggies, in either quality or price. I was simply unable to afford providing my family with daily fruits and veggies. If it was affordable the quality was horrible.” So she took matters into her own hands and voila! We all benefit.

We stopped by the Farm Stand twice last week and netted shiny eggplant, red bell peppers, Maui onions, snapping fresh green beans, and the world’s largest and sweetest potato I’ve ever seen. That night we grilled it all up for supper and finished it off with mango, banana and pineapple medley also procured from Joseph’s produce stand. We felt so healthy the next day I played tennis for the first time in a decade. So there you go! There’s magic in them thar home grown vegetables.

Lahaina Produce Selection

Our second shopping trip netted sweet corn, butternut squash, rambutan, a beautiful perfectly ripe mango, locally grown jicama (rare to find on Maui), silver white perfect mushrooms, baby bok choy, surprisingly crispy snow peas and beautiful tomatoes. Oh, and a package of fresh mint for our juleps. All that came to only $10.25! Besides having easily procured the essentials for a healthy stir-fry dinner (and then some!), I avoided the parking lot madness and temptations of impulse purchases at the grocery store.

To ensure that every man woman and child on Maui has access to Lahaina Produce’s nutritious selection of produce, Lahaina Produce also offers a convenient delivery service! Here’s how it works – log on to www.lahainaproduce.com.

1. Fill out order form on ORDER HERE page.

2. Decide if you would like to have your produce delivered or pick it up.

3. Decide on which produce package you to order.

4. Order by Sunday 10:00 p.m. for the following Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.

5. Enjoy the benefits of eating fresh fruits and veggies.

6. Repeat weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly.

7. They accept credit cards via paypal–  all packages must be prepaid before delivery.

(Be sure to tell them What’s Cooking Maui sent you!)

Lahaina Produce Veggies

Ordering online and enjoying front door delivery makes it so easy to eat well, you have no choice but to keep your New Year’s Resolution — the one where you promised to eat better and spend less money on anything that’s bad for you.

For added incentive and to make good use of that gorgeous Butternut Squash currently available currently at Lahaina Produce, here is a recipe from the Oregon Bounty Cookbook for Squash Soup. Perfect for those gloriously cooler nights we are being graced with on Maui lately.

Dine well; be hearty!

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 carrot, diced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup cubed acorn squash
• 1/2 yellow potato, peeled and diced
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions

Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent, 5-6 minutes.

Add the broth, squashes and potato. Bring the broth to a simmer and cook until the squashes are tender enough to mash easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Strain the soup through a sieve, reserving the liquid. Puree the solids and return them to the pot. Add enough of the reserved liquid to achieve a soup consistency. Blend well. Return and simmer. Add the cream and seasonings to taste.