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As part of an exchange between the workers involved in creating Fujinokuni Food Capital and the producers, we visited the producers' fields.

This was the first time that chefs and producers had directly exchanged opinions with each other, and in response to requests from both the craftsmen and producers to visit farm fields, an exchange of opinions was held in fiscal year 10, XNUMX, between XNUMX producers and craftsmen. The craftsmen who participated were Aoki Kazutoshi, head chef of Hotel Quest Shimizu in Shimizu Ward, and Ichikawa Iwao, representative of Fuchu Kashiwade in Aoi Ward. At Aoki's request, they decided to visit the fields of local Orido eggplant, Red Ole, and edamame.

With the cooperation of the JA Shimizu Miho sales office, we decided on the locations to visit, and taking into consideration the harvest season, we visited each farm in early October and exchanged opinions with the producers about "production" and "distribution/consumption."

[Orido eggplant]

Originally, there were few producers and production volumes, and they mainly shipped to Tokyo, with only about 30% being sold in Shizuoka. Non-standard products are also shipped in bags of about 3-4 pieces, and if you want them, you can purchase them through JA.

He was highly motivated to produce, and was working to reuse resources by cutting down the branches and leaves after the harvest for the next sowing and using them as fertilizer, as well as improving his cultivation techniques.However, he said that the lack of successors was still an issue.

The craftsmen pointed out that the general public does not know the difference between regular eggplants and Orido eggplants, and suggested that efforts be made to raise awareness of Orido eggplants, such as holding events such as agricultural experience sessions for children and people who do not know much about agriculture, and that the fact that Orido eggplants were a local ingredient loved by Tokugawa Ieyasu should also be a selling point.

[Red Ole]

According to producers, the shipping season is generally between September and June, with seeds sown in February and harvesting from August onwards.

red oleis characterised by its strong sweetness, but the variety is a normal medium-sized tomato, and to bring out its sweetness, they adjust the amount of water by squeezing it out. Because the soil is sandy, there are many challenges with the amount of water, and in 5, the yield was low due to the extreme heat. Another feature is that they are shipped when fully ripe, which is a big difference from large tomatoes that are shipped before they are ripe. They are shipped through the JA and are also sold individually, but there are strict standards that state that they must be just under XNUMXcm in size for shipping, and anything larger or smaller is not acceptable.

Apparently 70-80% of the shipments are to Tokyo, and the self-sold products are sold at Shizutetsu Store, Max Value, etc. The craftsman asked about the handling of the products that cannot be shipped, and the producers said that the products that cannot be shipped because they have cracked due to water damage are sold cheaply to acquaintances.

[Edamame]

Generally, it is grown year-round and prices are higher in winter than in summer, but in 30, there were difficulties with mass insect outbreaks due to the extreme heat of summer, and in winter, the rising fuel costs required to keep the temperature inside the greenhouse at XNUMX degrees at all times make it unprofitable, so we heard some harsh opinions that they are considering stopping production in the winter.

The workers asked questions about the number of beans that can be produced in one pod and the types of edamame that are planted, and they answered that the higher the temperature, the more beans there are, and that currently, tea beans (style) are popular because of their strong bean flavor.

Apparently 70% of the shipments are to Tokyo, with some also being sent to Nagoya.

We also learned that the biggest challenge for producers is production costs. Home-run businesses do not incur labor costs, but those that have expanded their operations and hired part-time workers face unstable incomes due to fluctuations in market prices, which can sometimes be a heavy financial burden. As a result, they would prefer to have their produce employed steadily in their local area.

In the future, we would like to continue exploring systems that will enable local ingredients to be consumed locally, while also contributing to further developing the prefecture's food culture and promoting the local area.