Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 8, 1 August 2009 — An alternative source of protein [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

An alternative source of protein

At Kalalau Ranch and Victory Gardens, we began raising rabbits in 2004. During that time period, the avian flu virus was making its way around the world, causing a pandemic scare. If the virus were to affect these islands, there would be a likelihood that all fowl species, including ducks, chickens, turkeys, pheasants.

sparrows, mejiro, cardinals, doves, any species not endemic or indigenous would be eliminated/eradicated, in order to save and protect the endangered and threatened (fowl) species populahon. I was inspired by Ke Akua to introduce rabbit as the new source of protein for our people - henee the "New Chicken." We raise our rabbits with alfalfa pellets mixed with rolled corn, oats and molasses - and naturally, Cahfornia grass. We'll soon plant alfalfa with help from John McHugh of Crop Care Hawai'i

LLC, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NRCS (NaturalResourcesConservation Service), who have been beneficial in demonstrating methods for soil and water eonservation. We've implemented other strategies for disease- and pestscontrol besides the use

of synthetics and other petroleumbased products. The concept here being to forward organic methods of producing safe and healthy foods, epecially for our children and their posterity's sake. Rabbit meat is celebrated in many European communities. Compared to ehieken, the rabbit is dense and dry due to less fat; but substitutes well in ehieken recipes. It's tender and juicy and the tlavor isn't as strong as ehieken, but more comparable to eating turkey. A younger rabbit is tender, yet the older ones have a lot more

flavor. And because the rabbit is white meat and very low in fat it offers good heahh, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and reduces other ailments attributable to heart disease and diabetes and possibly cancer. Fried "extra crispy" rabbit isn't the only way to prepare this wonderāil food source; I have 1 ,00 1 ways to prepare it from recipes the entire world over. I'll bet that the man in the moon has a recipe, rabbit a la cheese, as httle green men on Mars have their rabbit in green creme. So, as you consider rabbit

instead of ehieken, here's food for thought: Enjoy ! And fergit about it! That is, the ball of fluffy fur, pink eyes and cute wriggly nose - meat is meat, and it's better for you. Now, if we ean only figure out how to have our rabbits lay eggs, we'll have it made; genetic engineering, anyone? ■ Jeno Enoeeneio writes about the many hats he wears. This is the fiftli in the Surviving the Enemy seri.es about overcoming adversity. Contact him at pointman_ jeno@msn.com.

NĀ PĀPALE - MANY HATS

By Jimmy F. "Jeiiū'' Enneenein

KūIūIūu Ronch ond Victory Gordens promotes robbit ūs ū source of protein Kololou Ahupua'a 4-H Club Cloverleaf member Geronimo Enoeeneio holds Heidi, a New Zealand "White" rabbit. - Photo: CourtesyofJeno Enoeeneio

Nutritional values of edible meats Rabbit 20.8 4.5 795 (Takenote Chicken 20.0 17.9 810 of rabbit's Turkey 20.1 20 1,190 h'gh. Duck 16.0 28.6 1,015 S Veal 19.1 12 840 level.): Lamb 15.7 27.7 1,420 Beef 16.3 28.0 1,440 Pork 11.9 45 2,050 Source: "Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits" and "Backyard Production of Meat Rabbits in Jexas"