04/24/2026
💡Let's learn new stuff together! 🤗
Weds 4/29 6pm
🧡🧡🧡
E Kanu Kākou: Growing, Using, and Sharing ʻŌlena
Presentation Description:
ʻŌlena (turmeric) has deep roots in Hawaiʻi as a canoe crop valued for food, medicine, and cultural practice. This interactive session draws on CTAHR production guidance to explore varieties, growing conditions, and practical tips for cultivating ʻŌlena in Hawaiʻi, from planting material and soils to harvest and use. Participants will see and compare multiple types of ʻŌlena, learn how to select and prepare planting pieces, and pot their own plants to take home and continue growing.
Speaker Bio:
Born and raised on Oʻahu, Ted Radovich is a professor and extension specialist in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at the University of Hawaiʻi. With over 30 years experience in tropical vegetable and specialty crop production, his work focuses on strengthening local food systems through sustainable and organic farming practices, including traditional crops such as ʻōlena. An alumn of Kailua High School, UH Mānoa, the Peace Corps and The Ohio State University, Ted conducts hands-on research and collaborates with farmers and community partners across Hawaiʻi. He lives in his hometown of Waimānalo with his wife and four children and looks forward to sharing and learning together.