“Lokelani Ranch” is a 2.37 acre homestead on the island of Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, located just behind the Sleeping Giant near the town of Kapaʻa. This land was originally purchased by my grandparents Kay and Vernon Barker in 1969. At the time there were a few houses around, but mostly it was surrounded by pineapple fields and pastures. My grandmother started calling it the “Ranch House” because of it’s long, low shape and the name stuck. Now it lies within a neighborhood called Wailua Homesteads, a bit of an anomaly in it’s generous lot. It is the home of Roland Barker, Lisa Parker, Joanna Faso, Wiki “The Rat Patrol” and the calico cat Kea.
On this site we present the ongoing story of this land and our activities on it. “The Story” starts with a brief photo history then a chronological series of articles, to which we will add as the story unfolds.
The “Reference” section contains some articles and resources related to our activities here: permaculture, subtropical agriculture, natural foods, medicinals and nutrition, energy and resource conservation, self-sufficiency—stuff like that. It is being expanded and added to as time permits.
“Dinner at the Ranch” is all about food: recipes, interesting ingredients, techniques, and a running log of dinners we’ve had.