Lo'i Kalo Kalo was planted, harvested, cooked and served by men. The construction of a lo'i kalo or taro patch required the knowledge and labor of practicing engineers. Ancient Hawaiian planters cultivated kalo to a higher degree thatn was known anywhere else in the world. They built walls of earth that were structured with stone to enclose the pond field. Situated in rich lands of valleys they were located in areas where fresh cold water could flow from the upper to the lower patches.

  
   

Planting The time for planting kalo coincided with phases of the moon. The huli, or planting material, consisted of a 1/2 inch thick slice from the top of corm attached to 6-10 inches of the leaf stem. When all the huli were planted water was let into the patch so that it just covered to the base of the leaf stem. Once green leaves sprouted the water was drained from the patch for two weeks after which it was replaced and maintained at a level to keep the corm covered.
 

 

Maintenance The lo'i must always have flowing water going through the patch. All of the waterways connected to the lo'i must be kept clean of debris and growth to keep the water flowing. Often fish and crayfish were placed in the lo'i to feed on the bacteria and bugs that would otherwise cause the corm to rot. The lo'i also had to be kept weed free.

  
   

Harvest In ancient Hawaii no wars were to be fought during the harvesting of kalo. It would take anywhere from 6-12 months for the kalo to be ready but it could be harvested all year around if the planting was done in cycles so that there would always be a crop to harvest. Kalo is ready to be harvested when the corm or large tuber is big and round and the leaves start to turn yellow.

 

Preparation The kalo plant has needle-like calcium oxalate crystals in the leaves, stem and corm, and therefore all parts of the plant must be cooked before it can be eaten as all parts were edible.