Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are the spices we love at this time of year for pumpkin pie, eggnog, mulled wine, cookies and a multitude of holiday treats. All three come from tropical evergreen trees.

In recent years island farmers have started to grow some of these spices, and a few are available to consumers (many restaurants and hotels are already using them).

The inner bark of a tree is harvested to produce cinnamon. There are two varieties: Ceylon, light-colored and sweet; and cassia, darker and bittersweet. The bark is harvested when it is pliable, and as it dries, it curls into what we know as cinnamon sticks. Or, it is ground into powder.

In Kona, Tane and Maureen Datta of Adaptations have been growing Ceylon cinnamon for several years. It is now available as ground cinnamon under the Ocean Fire label at Whole Foods stores.

Nutmeg was one of the spices Columbus was searching for when he sailed from Spain. When the fruit is picked, it is opened to reveal a lacy membrane around the nutmeg seed; the membrane is dried and ground as mace.

Cloves are the unopened flower buds of another tree; the lovely pink buds are harvested and dried and become reddish-brown and nail-shaped.

Nutmeg and cloves are being harvested by Lesley Hill and Michael Crowell at Wai­lea Ag Group on the Hama­kua Coast of Hawaii island.

While not readily available in consumer-sized packages, these two spices can be ordered directly from the farm in 1-pound bags: wag@waileaag.com.

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown.