The Haleiwa Farmers Market takes place every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. here at the corner of Kam Highway and Joseph P. Leong Highway on the North Shore of Oahu. The market is small, but boasts a great variety of local foods and goods. The promenade is packed with locals and tourists enjoying everything the market and the North Shore have to offer. It’s a unique experience to Hawaii, and one I would highly recommend to support local farmers, craftsmen, charities and causes.

There are several delicious vegan and vegetarian friendly food options, free range eggs and chicken, raw Hawaiian honey and even healthy organic Hawaiian flavored dog treats available for purchase. In fact, the Haleiwa Farmers Market is striving to become Oahu’s first entirely “Green” market — relying on solar power and boasting a plastic free and zero-waste campaign. The market supports local campaigns and causes such as the “Keep the Country COUNTRY!” campaign to save the North Shore of Oahu from over-development and commercialization of the Turtle Bay and Kawela resorts and condominiums. To donate and learn more about the cause check out the website, www.defendoahucoalition.org.

The market is a little slice of the North Shore all rolled in to about 40 tents and vendors. Each vendor is very friendly with something unique to offer. It’s nothing like the massive Aloha Stadium market that tends to be flooded with cheap cookie-cutter factory manufactured “Hawaiian” products. The Haleiwa market is the real deal. I never felt that I was being scammed or making a bad purchase. All the food I tasted was amazing. It only takes about 30 minutes to see everything, but I would recommend spending a little more time to get the full experience. I greatly preferred the small scale of the market over wasting several hours walking around a huge market with vendors selling the exact same products at every other tent.

Delicious raw North Shore Hawaiian honey from Nalo Meli, www.nalo-meli.com

The Haleiwa Farmers Market is a great way to start your adventure on the North Shore of Oahu. I would recommend getting there early because it can be blazing hot mid-day and the vendors may start running out of products if you’re too late. Just remember to respect the aina and keep the country COUNTRY! For more information regarding the market and vendors visit the website www.haleiwafarmersmarket.com.