Richard Ha writes:

Kindergarteners from Kaumana School came to our farm on an excursion Friday. Tracy took them on a tour to see what we do here on the farm.

First, she asked them, “Does anyone know which way bananas face when they are hanging on the tree? Up or down?”

Some of the children answered “UP!” enthusiastically and an equal amount shouted “DOWN!” Some just yelled.

There were maybe 70 children, in several groups, each with an adult teacher or volunteer in charge. They were well behaved, walking in double lines and holding hands.

Tracy showed them how a worker removes the hands of banana from the stalk with a special air tool. And they got to see how the bananas are trimmed, washed and then weighed and put in trays of forty pounds each.

After learning how the bananas are carefully packed into a box, being careful not to bruise them, the children got a banana break. Each child received a banana.

This was the most enthusiastic bunch of banana eaters I have ever seen. One kid ate three bananas. I wondered out loud, Are they always this hungry? Kris, my daughter-in-law and one of their teachers, told me that they do get hungry around mid-morning.

All of us on the farm were flattered that they liked our bananas so much. But I’m pretty sure any food at all would have been just fine for these little bundles of energy.

Our workers like when we have schoolchildren visit and they make a point of having the farm in top shape, looking clean and neat. They should be proud of the good image they present to the kids. I know that I am proud of the farm at these times.

After their banana break, the young children went into the coolers to look at the tomatoes that were ready to be sent to market.

They saw small, medium, large, red, and yellow tomatoes. They saw loose tomatoes, tomatoes attached to the vine as well as tomatoes packed in plastic clamshells. But, most of all, they liked getting to stand around in the cooler getting cool.

From there they walked to the tomato packing house, where they saw how the tomatoes that are harvested into plastic trays are brought up to be washed and disinfected and then packed into the containers that are sold in the supermarkets.

While they were looking at the tomatoes being packed, the lettuce came in and everyone went over to see how that was done. Tracy explained that the Chef Select has three different lettuces, so that Mom can make a colorful salad with just one container of lettuce.

It reminds me of when Tracy took her first group of first graders on a farm tour more than 10 years ago.

We were wondering if farm tours would help us market our bananas. So she explained all about bananas and how Kea‘au Bananas (our name at the time) were the best.

And at the end of the day, hoping that her message had gotten across, she asked the children: “Now children, when your mommy goes to buy bananas at the market, which ones will you tell her to buy?”

They all replied in unison, “YELLOW BANANAS!!!” I am still laughing at that one. We no longer try to sell bananas to kindergarten and first grade kids, but we still love to have them visit.