After successfully completing the planting of summer vegetables, we at Amedojin hosted a two-day "farm horse event" this weekend. Blessed with beautiful weather and a total of 16 lovely volunteers, we embarked on a journey with many participants to explore what it means to "live with horses," something that was once commonplace. The event took place in Pitara Village, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. On the first day, we enjoyed a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and a ride on the back of a horse, exploring a course in the scenic Yokote area of Hakushu Town, where traditional rural scenery remains.
On the second day, we experienced working in the rice fields with horses, a traditional way of working in the fields, in which horses pulled agricultural equipment in a flooded rice field before rice planting, and participants followed behind, covered in mud and supporting the equipment. The sight of adults and children alike, completely covered in mud, enthusiastically following the horses, was a true example of the "original Japanese landscape." The rice paddies quickly became mushy at a speed that would never be possible with human power alone.
Lunch was made with Amedori vegetables and pitara rice, prepared by the volunteers. They were all excellent cooks, so it was sumptuous! In the evening, we had a lively social gathering, enjoying food brought by everyone and fine sake.
We invited the family from Umaya Shichifuku in Takato, Ina City, Nagano Prefecture, who have always been very kind to us. The Yokoyama family live a self-sufficient life with their horses. They cultivate fields together with their horses, building strong bonds with them, and are a loving people who work to create a place where all children can feel comfortable in their home with horses.
In the days before machines, it was impossible to feed many people without the power of large animals such as horses. Thanks to horses, people can enjoy satisfying meals with many companions and live a spiritually enriching life. Perhaps it is because of such times that even today, the mere presence of a horse can lighten the atmosphere, draw people together naturally, and enable people who meet for the first time to quickly become friends.
Many of the old houses that remain today have rooms for keeping horses. They were assigned rooms facing southeast, where the sun came in first thing in the morning, were warm in the winter, and were shaded from the intense western sun in the summer. They were always kept under the watchful eye of the family and were cherished as if they were family members. If people respect the pace of horses, which are kind and considerate, rather than using them like machines, they can build a relationship of trust with each other. Every day, both people and horses work hard together, growing and becoming better able to work together. Such wonderful partners. We will continue to enthusiastically support the smiling Yokoyama family, who live with horses and preserve the skills of working with them. We want to keep a horse in Pitara Village too!
You can find out more about Umaya Shichifuku's activities on the following page. Please take a look.
Umaya Shichifuku Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071532235098
Takato Minna no Rakuko Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089654581024
Well, this week we have a wide variety of early summer vegetables. This spring was also unstable, with cold weather in March and scorching heat in April, but we managed to gather vegetables that we can deliver to you all. Please enjoy!
This week's vegetable set
Contains 8 to 9 of the following vegetables:
This spring was hit by unseasonably low and high temperatures, which caused the vegetables to not grow well. Please note that we may not be able to deliver some vegetables to all customers.
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snap peas These sweet and flavorful snow peas are great in salads or blanched dishes. They're also delicious in stir-fries and tempura! |
New onions For some reason, all of the plants bolted (sprout flower buds) this year. As a result , some of the cores have become hard . Please remove the hard center part. The rest of the plant is soft and fresh, making it perfect for salads. Simply pickling them in salt and vinegar is delicious and helps preserve them. |
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kale Kale, said to be the ancestor of cabbage and an ingredient in green juice, is a superfood rich in vitamins and minerals. Just like cabbage, you can chop it up and use it in a wide variety of dishes, including salads, stir-fries, and stews. Enjoy its unique texture. |
Misaki cabbage This bamboo shoot-shaped, pointed cabbage is a springtime dish that is soft, fluffy, and sweet. Stir-frying or steaming it brings out the sweetness and makes it incredibly delicious. The shredded cabbage that goes with the dish is just as delicious as the main dish. |
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kohlrabi This unusual vegetable is said to be a cross between kohl (cabbage) and rabi (turnip). The skin is tough, so if you peel it thickly, the inside is soft and juicy. You can enjoy the aroma of cabbage and the texture of turnip. |
This Kyoto vegetable is characterized by its thin stems and crunchy texture. Because the fibers are firm, you can soften it a little by salting it and use it in salads. It can also add a touch of color and texture to soups and simmered dishes. |
Mizuna|
Sweet and fresh turnips♪ Both the fruit and the leaves are delicious. Thinly slice them and rub them with salt to make them soft, while slice them a little thicker and bake them slowly in a frying pan to make them juicy and juicy. The leaves are also delicious just rubbed with salt. |
Zucchini is gaining momentum. You can sauté it in round slices, slice it thinly in salads, or simply rub it with salt for a delicious dish. You can also grate it and mix it into pancake batter. |
Turnip
zucchini|
I'm enjoying growing radishes by thinning them out little by little. The final thinning is now when the radishes have started to get a little thicker. The leaves are still soft, so you can rub them with salt, or chop them up and fry them in sesame oil to use as a topping. |
Sunny lettuce This lettuce is characterized by its soft texture and beautiful color. It's perfect for salads. I also like to cook it, and it's delicious when stir-fried in Chinese stir-fries, soups, or as the finishing touch to fried rice, as the oil coats it. |
Radish pickles
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Broccoli sticks Broccoli is a convenient vegetable that allows you to harvest the flower buds one after another as they grow. The long, slender stalks are soft and have a crunchy texture. The sticks are great for steaming with a little salt and dipping in mayonnaise or sauce. They also make a great side dish. |
chives Naturally grown chives have a strong fragrance and a firm texture. They have a strong presence. They are great for adding flavor to stir-fries. Chopping them and soaking them in soy sauce helps preserve them, making a convenient chive soy sauce that can be enjoyed with rice or in other dishes. |
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Crown chrysanthemum Shungiku is popular because it has little bitterness even when eaten raw! Simply tear it into pieces and pour a simple dressing over it to create a delicious dish with a rich aroma. It also tastes great in Shiraae (sweet sesame sauce) and miso soup. |
Okanori Oka-nori is written as "land seaweed." As the name suggests, it is a vegetable with a faint seaweed scent. When chopped raw, it becomes sticky and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Tempura is also recommended. |
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Bonus: Beautiful lavender purple color and a relaxing scent. Enjoy it in the bath or hang it on the wall as a dried flower. After drying, you can add it to potpourri or store it in your wardrobe to enjoy the scent for a long time. |
The state of the fields
Since planting summer vegetables in the hot late May, the weather has changed dramatically, with cooler days now almost chilly. The eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers were a little hunched over, but the temperature is finally gradually rising and they are starting to grow larger branches and leaves. Tomatoes and zucchini, which prefer cooler climates, are doing well. The tomatoes have started to produce small fruits, and we are looking forward to harvesting them. We are supporting the growth of cucumbers and tomatoes by using hemp twine to support them on stakes and nets. The grass sown in the paths between the vegetable rows has grown large, replacing the weeds, and an environment is being created in which a diverse range of organisms can live. Next, we will proceed with the topping off of summer leafy vegetables such as water spinach and morning glory.
The onion leaves have started to fall over, so it's time to harvest. After harvesting, they will be hung up to dry and stored until winter. The potatoes have started to flower. I'm growing four types of potatoes, so I can enjoy the different colors of the flowers.
