Before my first ever trip to Hawaii, certain local culinary products were nearly inevitable, including poke, malasadas and shaved ice. Those experiences all came to fruition, but it was some of the unexpected stops that were most surprising and rewarding.

Olakai Hawaii is the only farm to commercially grow Sea Asparagus in the entire United States. It is the largest grower of ogo or limu in Hawaii as well and both grow in Saltwater Ponds, a place that owner Wenhao Sun says usually kills vegetable crops.

Underneath a series of awnings amid an old lava flow along the Kona Coast, dozens of long troughs are organized in neat rows. Each is constantly refreshed by bubbling streams of water—close your eyes and listen, and you’d think you were standing in front of a soothing fountain.