Have you ever wondered what you are putting in your mouth when the label says "dried fruit"? Well..... I did. My name is Mike Stewart, aka Uncle Mikey, and I started a journey making dried Hawaiian fruit here on the island of Kauai, Hawaii that has become a lot more than I thought it would be, a lot more! I moved to Kauai from San Francisco, Ca., in 1970, on a 1-way ticket from my Dad, a graduation present actually. I fell in love with the Kauai, her people and the Hawaiian lifestyle... surfing in warm water and great waves wasn't bad either! My younger brother David, aka Captain Dave, moved over as soon as he got out of High School and we got "adopted" by some great Hawaiian families in Ha'ena, on Kauai's North Shore and we lived and worked on a taro farm for many years, taro or kalo is the hawaiian staple that is used to make poi. I could write a book about the adventure that is living on Kauai but not here.
In 1986, I met a Vietnamese lady in San Clemente, Ca. that made an incredible line of dried fruits. I was not a big fan at the time but this was different, and I was intrigued. Well, nearly 18 years later, I was helping a good friend make a Hawaiian Noni Juice in his certified kitchen. One day I asked about making dried bananas there.... that was the start. I started fooling around on my little home dehydrator and decided to make a dream into reality. I searched and found a commercial dehydrator, secured a commercial kitchen at the Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea, Kauai. Big Mahalo to good friend and owner, Matt Ernsdorf for believing in my dream and giving me a chance. Getting certified by the Health Dept. and working with the FDA on Oahu for labeling guidance, I was ready to start drying fruit only there was no real manual for the process. I knew I didn't want to use sugar or preservatives or food coloring so I just started cutting fruit and drying it. Gotta tell you, the first results weren't the Uncle Mikey's of today!
For that reason, I am starting this Blog to really talk about dried fruit, what is and what isn't!
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