Kapaa activities in Kapaa.

Visit Something Off the Beaten Path in Kapaa If you are looking for something that is off the beaten path and is entertaining and interesting you may want to go to Steelgrass Farm and take the Chocolate Tour. Hawaii, and in particular Kauai, is the only state in the United States where chocolate trees grow. Steelgrass Farm is where you can experience a live chocolate tree orchard. Also on the eight-acre farm you will find vanilla, bamboo along with the chocolate tree theobroma cacao. The tour is titled Chocolate From Branch to Bar and is a guided exploration of everything there is to know about how to grow, harvest and turn the chocolate fruit into home-made chocolate. This is a tour that will delight all of your senses. You will see some wonderful and unusual plants, the smells will be delightful and earthy, you will get to taste some delicious chocolate and tropical fruits, feel the difference in bamboo trunks and some of the products from bamboo and on the tour you will hear will be both interesting and educational. Truly a sensory experience, one you wont soon forget. If youve never seen bamboo you are in for a rare treat. One of the philosophies this farm is to focus on sustainable diversified agriculture on Kauai. Bamboo is one of those remarkable plants that is far more interesting than can be explained in this article. For instance, Steelgrass Farm is named after a nickname for bamboo. Some varieties of bamboo can be as strong or stronger than steel when used correctly. If youve ever been to the Far East you may have seen scaffolding beside skyscrapers made of bamboo. It is also used for flooring and is often times harder than Oak flooring yet its fibers can be woven like cotton and has many wonderful properties. For one, it does not carry odors and its exceptionally soft. All of this doesnt mean much except that bamboo doesnt have to be cut down to provide all of this. They can be cut and will continue to grow from the same plant, many of which grows fast and can be cut and used again and again. Chocolate is another wonderful sustainable plant. The seeds can be used to make one of the most flavorful favorites of many people. They can also be sun-dryed and eaten in a stage prior to making chocolate and provides many wonderful health benefits such as being an antioxidant. The most wonderful product of course is the rich deep chocolate made from the little seeds grown on cacao trees. Youll get a chance to enjoy a ten-course dark chocolate tasting after youve worked up a little appetite walking around stimulating your senses on this wonderful little farm. .