The sunny weather that had continued for a while has suddenly changed, with more rainy and cloudy days. With the humidity and temperature, it feels like the rainy weather of early spring. However, the temperature has definitely dropped since last week, and the autumn and winter vegetables that had stopped growing due to the heat are finally starting to thrive. The autumn leaves are finally starting to change color here and there in the mountains, and when you look up at the top of the mountains, you can feel that, alas, it's autumn.

Last week, even though the weather was still warm, I made dried persimmons. There are many persimmon trees called Koshu Hyakunagaki that were planted long ago in this area, and they are bearing large fruits. The old persimmon trees have grown so large that they cannot be reached with pole shears. I used every trick in the book to harvest the persimmons, climbing ladders, trees, and roofs, and using pole shears.

We were able to harvest about 200 persimmons in about two hours.

The Koshu Hyakumegaki persimmon variety is so bitter that it cannot be eaten raw, so it has long been dried and treasured as a preserved food for winter. The bitter components turn sweet when dried, making it suitable for drying.

The harvested persimmons were stored in the refrigerator until the day of making dried persimmons.

Mothers interested in agricultural living gathered with their children on rented land at Pitara Village, an eco-village in Hakushu Town, Hokuto City.

First, remove the calyx from the stem of the persimmon.

Next, use a peeler to remove the skin.

Use a knife to peel the part closest to the stem cleanly right up to the stem.

Once the skin is peeled, tie it to each end of a piece of string cut to about 30cm.

I used this blog post as a reference for how to tie the string: https://blog.goo.ne.jp/yuki_konkon_/e/0e3c7120c719f29ada01f81e532839ea.

Once you've tied all the persimmons to string, you're ready to hang them up, but there's one more step you need to take: sterilize the surface of the persimmons. There can be invisible mold on the surface of persimmons, and mold can grow while they're drying, leading to disappointing results.

As far as I know, there are three ways to sterilize.

1. Boiling water sterilization This may be the most popular method. Dip the fish in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then fry it.

② Disinfect with alcohol: Soak in high-proof alcohol such as white liquor.

③ Fumigation: This method is used by professional dried persimmon farmers who produce thousands of persimmons. Sulfur powder is baked in a frying pan and the resulting smoke is applied to the persimmons, alkalizing the surface.

Once sterilized, hang them up immediately.

It's best to hang them in a place with good ventilation. As shown in the photo, hang the two persimmons so that they are staggered. If they stick together, they will get moldy.

Hanging them on the eaves or veranda will create an old-fashioned, pastoral scene.

Persimmons turn black when exposed to sunlight, so professional farmers dry them in the shade, but I don't think it makes much difference to the taste.

For those of us who live near the mountains, drying persimmons is quite a challenge.

Because it's a monkey's favorite food.

The monkeys are always there scouting the area, eagerly waiting for an opportunity to eat the dried persimmons. They are thieves, really. If you leave the persimmons drying and leave them out for a few days, they will come in droves and devour every last one.

This is a very sad situation, so we never hang them out to dry in conspicuous places like the eaves. We use creative methods, such as hanging them in an inconspicuous place and blowing a fan over them.

After about a week of drying, the surface of the persimmon will begin to wrinkle.

Once this is done, knead the persimmon once. Do it gently so as not to crush it. This will loosen the fibers of the persimmon, giving it a soft texture and helping it dry faster.

Let it hang for about two weeks until it has dried to your desired firmness, then take it in.

You can store it as is, but it will taste even better if you add one more step.

Place a stand in a well-ventilated place, spread straw on it, arrange the dried persimmons, and sandwich them together with the straw on top. Leave it for a few days, and when a white powder appears, it's ready. This is the sugars that come out onto the surface of the persimmons and turn into powder, which makes them sweeter and looks delicious.

Once completed, store in an airtight container such as a storage jar and keep it dry.

Dried persimmons are dried fruits, so in addition to eating them as they are, they can also be used to make sweets and cook. I have a friend who makes and sells raw chocolate with dried persimmons, so if you contact me I'll introduce it to you.

At this time of year, astringent persimmons are often sold at farm shops and roadside stations, so be sure to give them a try.

Making dried persimmons is also an important craft that transforms the bounty of nature into nourishment. We would like to create a place where parents can take the craft seriously and show their children how to make dried persimmons.

Now, here is the content of this week's vegetable set. Summer vegetables are finally coming to an end, and autumn and winter vegetables are starting to arrive.

This week's vegetable set

Contains 8 to 9 of the following vegetables:

Wasabi greens It is a leafy vegetable with a beautiful frilly leaf shape and a tangy spiciness and elegant fragrance. It can be eaten raw in salads or as a side dish, or it can be quickly boiled for just one minute and drizzled with soy sauce to bring out its spiciness and make it very delicious.

Crown chrysanthemum This year, the unusually hot and dry weather has made it difficult for the shungiku to grow, but as always, they are soft and not bitter, and are delicious enough to eat in salads. Please enjoy them raw. They are also great in miso soup, or boiled briefly and dressed with white or sesame sauce.

Mizuna Mizuna, a staple in autumn and winter, has thin white stems and a crunchy texture. If you boil it briefly, you can enjoy its spicy flavor and unique texture. On cold days, it is great in a chicken bone-based hot pot.

Red Rias Mustard Greens This mustard greens has finely cut leaves and is characterized by its pungent spiciness. The beautiful leaves are soft and add a vibrant color to salads. It is similar to mizuna, so it can also be used in stir-fries and hotpots.

sweet potato You've all been waiting for this! It's that time of year again. We're bringing you the deliciously sweet Beni Haruka. We send you sweet potatoes that have been aged for two weeks after digging. They're absolutely delicious when baked, so we recommend them. You can also make them into a paste and use them to make sweets. They also go well with coconut milk stews and miso soup.

Japanese white radish The daikon radish, which had completely stopped growing during the long summer heat, has finally started to grow. It's still small, but the flavor is coming through. Slice it into rounds and use it in stews or roasts, or boil it and then brown it in a frying pan to make juicy steaks. Slice it thinly and use it in salads or hot pots.

Yacon Although it looks very similar to a sweet potato, it is a root vegetable native to the mountainous regions of South America. Since it is freshly dug, please leave it wrapped in newspaper for about a week before eating. Just like sweet potatoes, it will develop a sweet flavor. Its subtle sweetness and crunchy texture are almost like a pear. We recommend peeling it, soaking it in vinegar water, and eating it raw in a salad. It is also delicious in tempura!

taro The taste of autumn. Introducing freshly dug taro! Boiled taro is sticky, and deep-fried taro is fluffy and sweet. The skin of freshly dug taro is soft, so you can enjoy its deep flavor by deep-frying or steaming it with the skin on.

Turnip We deliver beautifully grown turnips! The skin is soft, so cut them in half and enjoy them in a stew or saute. The leaves are also highly nutritious, and you can get a lot of vitamins and minerals from them in salads, mixed dishes, blanched dishes, or stir-fries. They're perfect for this time of year when colds are more likely to occur!

green onions As the temperature drops, the sweetness increases. Matsumoto Ippon Leek is a native variety of Nagano Prefecture that is suitable for cooking. Enjoy it in hot pots, simmered dishes, or roasted dishes. It can also be eaten raw as a condiment.

bok choy A classic Chinese vegetable, bok choy is best known for its thick, soft stems. Even though it's thick, it cooks well with just a quick sear, leaving you with a soft yet crisp texture. For stir-fries and soups.

Shandong mustard This year, all of our Chinese cabbages were attacked by insects, but our Shandong cabbage, which doesn't form a head, grew well! It doesn't keep as long as Chinese cabbage, but it has thick white stems and light green leaves, and tastes just like Chinese cabbage. It can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, such as in light pickles, hotpots, and stir-fries. It's also delicious when coated with potato starch and used in shogayaki (ginger pork)♪

Bonus: Apple mint It has an apple-like scent and a refreshing coolness. Mix it into salads, steep it in water to make mint water, or boil it to make apple mint tea. The scent will last even if you hang it up to dry.

The state of the fields

We harvested taro. After cutting the above-ground parts, we dug them up with a multi-purpose hoe (three-pronged hoe). Taro potatoes are all attached to the parent and baby tubers, so with one swing of the hoe, we can dig up one plant at a time.

After digging up the taro, holes are dug in the field and buried for storage. The parent and baby taro are left attached and lined upside down with the top where the stems grew in the hole. Once they are lined up in several layers, gas vent pipes or straw are set up and the soil is covered. Taro is prone to rotting and releasing gas during storage, so it is necessary to vent the gas to prevent it from building up. This time we tried using sunflower stems.

In this region, about 20cm of the ground freezes during the coldest seasons. Therefore, it is necessary to cover the soil with more than 20cm, and by installing a roof to protect from the rain, it will be less likely to freeze. If you take care of this, you can enjoy fresh taro until March if all goes well.

The leafy vegetables are doing well, so I'll post some photos.

notice

We are now accepting new orders for our vegetable set subscription.

We still have spaces available for our popular vegetable set subscription, so please share it with your friends, family, and colleagues.

・We plan to start accepting orders for the New Year's special vegetable set and smooth rice cakes from mid-November!