Stacy Sproat-Beck grew up in Kalihiwai, just 20 minutes from Waipa, a 1,600-acre ahupuaa (ancient land division) in lush, rural Hanalei in north Kauai. Her family fished and farmed papayas and vegetables commercially and for subsistence, so from the time she was young she has nurtured a strong affinity for the earth.

“The land has influenced my entire life,” said Sproat-Beck, now the executive director and co-­garden manager of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Waipa Foundation, caretaker and manager of the ahu- puaa. “I would much rather be in the fields than in the office.”

Waipa’s story is about courage, vision, perseverance and a strong commitment to malama aina (care for the land). In the early 1980s, landowner Kamehameha Schools was considering building a resort and golf course in the area. Sproat-Beck’s dad was one of the leaders of the movement that organized in 1982 to stop the development and instead transform Waipa into a center for cultural preservation; education about Hawaiian values and traditions; and social, economic and environmental sustainability.

From the beginning, the community was encouraged to participate in the stewardship and restoration of Waipa’s land and resources. When Sproat-Beck returned to Kauai in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from USC, she began managing her family’s papaya farm and became involved with Waipa, initially as a volunteer. Today, she heads a staff of 20 employees.

Waipa has welcomed school and community groups for 30 years. Pili Au, a three-hour tour for visitors, was launched in March 2016. It spotlights a variety of foods grown in Hawaii, a stroll through one of four gardens in the ahupuaa, and a cooking demonstration and generous tastings of dishes prepared with produce grown on site. Guests also enjoy browsing at Waipa’s weekly farmers market, which begins when the tour ends.

“Pili Au means ‘to embrace the changing times,’ and we discuss the history and cultural significance of local foods from ancient times through today,” Sproat-Beck said. “Our diet has evolved over the years; it now includes things our ancestors ate, ethnic dishes that were introduced during the plantation era (mid 1800s to the mid 1900s) and produce grown in Hawaii today such as kale and lettuce.”

The first Polynesian settlers sailed to the islands from the Marquesas between A.D. 800 and 1000, navigating 2,300 miles by the wind, currents and stars. It was about a 30-day journey in 50-foot double-­hulled canoes that were filled with some two dozen “canoe plants” chosen for food, clothing, shelter, medicine and more.

Kalo (taro) was one of them. Pili Au participants see kalo growing beside the pavilion where the tour begins and discover why it was a staple long ago. Legend says kalo is the older brother of the Hawaiian people. It is prolific (offshoots from one plant can grow into 10 more plants). It is hypoallergenic and full of nutrients, including fiber, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium. It supposedly can lower blood pressure, increase circulation and strengthen the immune system. In ancient times Hawaii was the only place where kalo’s cooked root was made into poi.

Tourgoers taste kalo cubes and paiai (pounded, undiluted kalo) and learn about the plant’s versatility.

“You can do pretty much anything with kalo that you would do with a potato,” Sproat-Beck said. “You can make hash browns with it and use it in stews, soups and salads. We eat poi and paiai with flavorful foods such as salted fish or meat.”

She also introduces and shares samples of the small but tasty apple banana, which was brought to Hawaii by Chinese plantation workers; coconut, whose rich meat is high in fiber, iron, potassium and magnesium; and carambola, native to Sri Lanka and the Moluccas, an archipelago in Indonesia. It got its common name, starfruit, because slices cut cross-section resemble stars.

More than 21 acres are in production at Waipa; about half of them are kalo patches. Also flourishing are cultural plantings, landscaping edibles and field and orchard crops — from beets, breadfruit and basil to chili pepper, cherry tomatoes and Chinese cabbage. Heading outdoors to see such bounty up-close is an eye-opening experience for most visitors, both children and adults.

“Many of them haven’t seen a carrot outside of the supermarket, and they think of snacks as packaged products from the store,” Sproat-Beck said. “It really blows their minds when they can pick a fresh snack in the orchard — an orange, tangerine or mountain apple — and eat it right there.”

Pili Au’s cooking demonstration shows visitors how to prepare simple, delicious and nutritious dishes using some of the crops they’ve seen: Kale Salad, Summer Rolls, Stir-Fried Kalo and Wing Beans, and Banana and Sweet Potato Lumpia with Coconut Glaze. According to Sproat-Beck, the goal is to connect them with the earth that feeds them.

“If people viewed the land as the source of their food rather than primarily for recreation, they would take better care of it,” she said. “Our hope is that they apply the lessons they’ve learned at Waipa where they live. For example, they can start a garden at home, make their own compost and volunteer for an environmental group. If everyone did something small, that could have a huge impact.”

NOTES

Wear comfortable clothing, a hat or visor, good walking shoes and sunscreen.

In addition to Pili Au, Waipa welcomes school, special interest and extracurricular groups for hands-on eco-cultural field trips. It also offers a farmers market on Tuesdays from 2 to 4 p.m.; volunteer opportunities, including a workday on the fourth Saturday of every month; and meeting spaces and a certified kitchen for use by the community. Special events include the Music & Mango Festival, coming up Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Donations to the Waipa Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Contributions can be made online or mailed to the foundation at P.O. Box 1189, Hanalei, HI 96714.

The Westin Prince-ville Ocean Resort Villas offers He Aina Ola (A Nourishing Feast) at Waipa beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. Open to the public, it includes a walking tour followed by a three-course dinner with wine pairings prepared by the hotels culinary team.

Menus change weekly, featuring whats in season at Waipa. Cost is $135 per person. Reservations are required; call 827-8808.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.