Reuben Remedios holds the rich soil.
Reuben Remedios, 50, one of the field workers at Nalo Farms in Waimanalo, came to Hawai'i from the Philippines seven years ago.

Reuben Remedios' day starts before the crack of dawn. He commutes from his home in Honolulu to the base of the Ko'olau Mountains in Waimanalo, where he works as one member of a small team of planters and harvesters for Nalo Farms.

The workday begins at 7 a.m. On this morning, Remedios harvests lettuce — some 16 different varieties line the farm’s meticulous, multicolored rows. From this array come the “Nalo greens” used by noted Island chefs such as Alan Wong, Roy Yamaguchi and Peter Merriman.

Remedios, a quiet, gentle man of 50, came to Hawai'i from the Philippines seven years ago. He’s on the job six or seven days a week, rain or shine, always happy-go-lucky. Sometimes he’s called on to harvest parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme or any of the numerous herbs grown at the farm. Although harvesting lettuce is what interests him most, he doesn't complain, whatever task he's assigned.

(Above) Meliza Escalante, 20, a worker from Kalihi, holds corn sprouts near Nalo Farms’ hothouse, which is used to breed whole head lettuce.
(Below) Farm hands prepare the soil for lettuce.

"Les, how much green lettuce to cut?" he asks crew boss Leslie Hanawahine. "I cut 20 pounds green lettuce?"

Hanawahine nods.

Delicately but swiftly, Remedios reaches down and cuts the base of each lettuce head with a knife to remove it from the soil.

"He's our best and quickest harvester," says Hanawahine.

After the morning harvest, Remedios moves to the farm's small dining room where he joins his co-workers and eats the lunch he brought from home. This time his meal is rice, fish and vegetables. But sometimes he purchases saimin for a dollar from Mr. Loo, the manapua salesman who drops by each day.

The lunch room is a 30-by-20-foot fiberglass hut with a picnic table, microwave oven and coffee maker. After he has finished eating, Remedios pulls a pair of white work gloves over his weathered hands and dons his straw hat.

Soon, he’s lost again in his duties in the fields. For the next few hours he uses the edge of his rake to smooth soil into long furrows that will be used for planting.

At 3 p.m. his work is done. Time to head home and tend to his chickens. Time to relax for the evening with his wife of 23 years. Time to catch up on his sleep.

Bright and early the next day, it all begins again.