I love growing food, and have been actively doing so for over 20 years. Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, our community always enjoyed a mild climate, a wide diversity of crops grown year round, and an enthusiastic community of farmers and gardeners. I worked on my first small organic farm at age 16, and from then on I've had a continuous passion to be involved with sustainable food production. I have been educated through the excellent programs at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, as well as the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I am deeply grateful for all the wonderful mentors both in California and Hawai'i. I enjoy all facets of growing food, having experienced working at a yoga retreat center growing vegetables for guests; engaging in a leadership role at a community garden; co-creating websites for a local farm organization; sharing seeds, cuttings, plants and food with people in my community; and producing a majority of my own fruits and vegetables since 2001. I am blessed to live on an acre of land on the Northshore of Maui, which I lovingly refer to as Mohala Aina. I joyfully respond both to my name Ashlie, given to me by parents, and my name Lehua, given to me by my Hawaiian teacher, who requests to remain unnamed. I balance my outdoor living lifestyle with my work as a massage therapist and life coach. I share life with my husband Henry, a small menagerie of animals, and an abundance of life giving plants. I live simply, off the grid, and close to the earth. Aloha!
