After attending the Maui Swap Meet last Saturday, the Upcountry Farmer’s Market, near the Long’s in Pukalani, was quite literally, a refreshing experience (and by this, I mean it’s cooler. It’s also smaller, so it’s easier to quickly get in and out with two kids). While it’s not exactly fair to compare a ‘swap meet’ and a ‘farmers market’, here are my unscientific, rushing through with two kids comparisons.
The Maui Swap Meet, located in Kahului at the UH Maui College, is large, with a bit of everything, from produce stands to soaps, jams and jellies, shave ice, food trucks, art, clothes and trinkets. There’s pretty much something for everyone, whether it’s 2/$5 necklaces for your 5 year old daughter, or really nice jewelry for your mother’s birthday. There are some excellent crafters and items, if you have time to peruse all the booths. The admission fee is reasonable (50 cents), and there’s ample parking, but it can be quite hot and sunny (bring a hat and water – or, you can buy them of course!)
We attended Upcountry Farmer’s Market yesterday, on the market’s third anniversary, which was our first experience, so while the regulars found it a bit busy, we didn’t have a hard time finding parking, and the crowds weren’t too bad to easily peruse all the items and chat with the sellers. Its a much smaller market (i have no idea how many were at either, but I’d estimate 30-ish upcountry, with over 100 at the swap meet) with a nice variety of produce (each seemed clearly labeled with ‘organic, pesticide-free or conventional), herbs, plants and flowers, food, fresh fish (whole and filleted- sold by the actual fisherman), and a limited selection of gifts and crafts. It was much also cooler upcountry, with just enough cloud cover and a light breeze to keep it very comfortable. Here were some of the day’s finds:
A Farm Stand by Roots + Wings
A Selection of baked goods, including gluten-free options and some truly delicious bakalava by Lilia Biniaris
Vegan Cupcakes by Baked by Amy, who alternates between the two Saturday Markets, so check out her Facebook page to find these yummy treats:
Cupcakes by Baked by Amy – vegan with gluten-free options
and a whole host of other fun stuff:
One more delicious find was the fruit candies by Maui Fruit Jewels, which has a great website and online shop, and an interesting enough story that they may get one of their own posts! Check it out and let me know what you think.
Maui Fruit Jewels
Maui Made 
Comments on: "Upcountry Farmers Market – Pukalani, Maui" (6)
What a tremendous disservice to the maui swap meet. There’s 10x the amount of produce and fresh made food there then the Pukalani farmers market. And if you’re blog is truly about “Maui Made” then the swap has more Maui made items then anywhere else on this island.
A lot of the people you’ve profiled as individuals have either started there or have booths there. Half the products currently in stores were either incubated there or can still be bought there.
Imported items don’t detract from the swap meet but add to options available and offer a point of comparison. It’s not difficult at all to figure out how to tell local from imported. The biggest clue is volume. If you see 20 of the same item or double stalls packed to the brim…that would be imported.
Please seriously consider taking the time to truly see the amount of locally made items there and talk to the artists.
Wow! I’ve rewritten the blog a bit, since I certainly don’t want to offend anyone. I was just trying to share my honest opinion, but since you found it negative towards the swap meet I’ve edited a few sentences. I have certainly tried to reach out to vendors at the swap meet, yourself included, but I’ve only heard back from Wicked Ono – her post is coming up soon!
You should share info about your blog in our next Message From Maui Nui (October ʻ13). I will send info in September.
Aloha, keliʻi
Thanks Keli’i, I would love to be in the Message from Maui newsletter! This is a fun project so far!
I was excited to read your blog as I just moved from the Big Island and was unable to find a Farmer’s Market and didn’t know anyone to ask. I will be happy to check them both out. Mahalo.
Glad you found my blog then! Also, make sure you check out the Facebook page – if you have any more questions about Maui, the page fans are full of great answers!