Still a very young company, Marine AgriFuture offers Kahuku sea asparagus tips, a tender and crispy sea vegetable. (It also goes by the names pickleweed, glasswort, sea bean, sea pickle and marsh samphire.) Sea asparagus is packed with phytochemicals that may help to protect the liver, heart and cellular DNA. It is also rich in vitamins A, C, B2 and B15; amino acids; and minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium.

Perhaps its healthful properties are one reason behind sea asparagus being called the “it” crop of 2006, when Marine AgriFuture began offering it on Oahu. The company reports that this vegetable may aid weight loss, boost energy, enhance the immune system, make certain vaccines more effective and destroy some types of tumor cells, particularly lung and blood cancers.

Upon its launch in 2006, sea asparagus began showing up on the menus of several Oahu restaurants. Among them was Alan Wong’s Restaurant. Chef Wong says, “I like the crunch and burst of saltiness.” There, sea asparagus was served with moi carpaccio and fresh truffle soy vinaigrette.

Grown hydroponically on Oahu’s North Shore, sea asparagus is cultivated in salt water ponds that are inspected frequently for quality control. The region’s weather is good for year-round production.

Marine AgriFuture’s sea asparagus can be purchased at Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation farmers’ markets, R. Field Wine Co., Marukai Wholesale Mart, Times Supermarket and Tamashiro Market.