Spring is coming and we've had a bit of rain. Not enough to get us out of our drought, but enough to turn the island green for a few weeks and send the grasses, wildflowers and Ekoa into seed production. If we are lucky, very soon we will have another good dose of rain that will start some of the new seed.

 

We have plenty of Ekoa on the ranch and I will be watching closely for just the right time to harvest the seed. If I wait too long the bugs find them and they are ruined.
 

 

 

After gathering, the seeds are boiled in water with a dash of oil to soften them. This makes the needle and thread pass easily through them for stringing.

I string mine together with seeds from Ali'ipoe for earrings.

 

 

Even after boiling and stringing they must be properly cared for. I keep them in a sealed plastic bag together with bay leaves to keep the bugs away. I currently have these in stock as well as my Job's tear earrings in my Etsy store Makamae O Molokai

 

One of my favorite parts of this time of year is to watch the beautiful grasses blowing in the pasture. I shot this video the other day when I was on my way home from getting the mail in Maunaloa. The trade winds were blowing. The clouds were moving very fast leaving shadows running on the hills. I love the way the grass moves much like the waves of the ocean. Enjoy !