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It's not just winter! Nagano Challenge of "Summer and Autumn Strawberry" from the prefecture
Strawberry is loved by people of all ages and genders for its bright red fruit and sweet and sour taste. Cultivation is thought of as winter, but did you know that it is actually produced even in the hot summer months? Summer and autumn strawberries, which can be harvested from summer to autumn, were relied on imports until a few years ago, but in recent years, cultivation has spread mainly in cool regions in Japan, and here, Nagano It's also increasing in the prefecture. We would like to introduce you to a summer and autumn strawberry farmer who has become more delicious thanks to the improved variety.
Making summer and autumn strawberries that will remain in the hearts of people in Azumino
At its peak, work continues without a break from early in the morning until the evening, but Kazuki (right) and Natsuko (left) say, "Life in Azumino is the best."
NAT's Berry field / Nuts Berry Field (Azumino City）
Yoshitake Kazuki, Natsuko
I decided to move to grow summer and autumn strawberries.
It has clean water flowing from the majestic Northern Alps and rich soilAzumino City. Taking advantage of its blessed environment, it is famous as a major wasabi production area, but it is actually one of Japan's leading summer and autumn strawberries.
Yoshitake Kazuki and Natsuko moved to this area four years ago to grow summer and autumn strawberries.
"I was looking for a place to move to, focusing on a place where summer and autumn strawberries could be grown, and I came across a "Summer Princess" in Azumino, and decided to move to make these strawberries with a good balance of sweetness and sourness," says Kazuki. As agriculture is aging, many young people in their 30s and 40s are now in their farming, and the environment where they can learn about summer and autumn strawberry cultivation was also a deciding factor in moving.
After training for a year under a farmer who has been growing "Summer Princess" for many years, he launched "Nuts Berry Field" three years ago. It's now a house of 15 R. Nagano We grow five varieties, including "Summer Princess", "Summer Lyrical", and "Shindai BS8-9 (nuts berry)" (※), which were born in the prefecture, plus "Suzu Akane" and "Petica Ever".
Thoughts on the Summer Princess
With the desire to "make Azumino's summer and autumn strawberries feel more familiar," we are now selling "home strawberries" that can be enjoyed at home. It can be purchased from the farm and online shop "haguhand".
Azumino CityWhile most farmers who are starting to grow summer and autumn strawberries started cultivating at Suzu Akane, which has a high yield and is able to produce stable production, the Yoshitake couple began cultivating at Summer Princess, and in their first year they only produced this one variety.
Among the summer and autumn strawberries that are less sweet than winter strawberries and are said to be light in flavor, Summer Princess is known as a variety with a relatively high sugar content and a good balance of sourness. On the other hand, it is difficult to cultivate and supply stable. Summer and autumn strawberries peak at the peak of harvesting in June to July and September to October, but in the Azumino region, due to climatic conditions, it is difficult to harvest the autumn "Summer Princess" and, if rain continues, it is likely that the "white berries" are left behind, and if there is a long period of rain, the very white part remains and does not turn red.
Still, the Yoshitake couple said, "Although there are difficulties in terms of cultivation, I would like to continue making "Summer Princess," which has the opportunity to move and has a strong attachment to them," and they continue to make it in the future.
Azumino's summer and autumn strawberries are made into branded strawberries
The mountains of the Northern Alps are viewed from the fields. There are about 50 summer and autumn strawberry farms in the city, and the number of them is increasing year by year.
The summer and autumn strawberry harvest season coincides with the wedding season, and there is a high demand in particular from September to October, and is usually shipped for commercial use, such as in hotels, confectionery shops and bakeries. Strawberries from "Kuts Berry Field" are shipped mainly to the Kansai market through JA Azumi. Any items that look unapproached are processed into jams for each variety and sold by our company. You can enjoy the different flavors of each variety.
"In the future, we would like to share the information widely, such as delivering Azumino's summer and autumn strawberries into a brand known nationwide strawberries, to the end-user consumers. And, one day, I hope to contribute to Azumino at least a little with the strawberries from Nuts Berry Field," says Natsuko. In addition to cultivating new varieties, we can't take our eyes off the future developments of the Yoshitake couple, who dream of opening their own shop on the farm someday.
Some of the processed products Ginza NAGANO But for sale! "Adult Jam" is also perfect for meat dishes.
40% of each of "Suzu Akane" and "Petica Ever" are grown, and 20% of "Summer Princess", "Summer Lyrical" and "Nuts Berry" are grown.
The "Summer Lyrical" variety, which has overcome the weaknesses of the "Summer Princess", is scheduled to increase production to 20 bottles last year, 200 bottles this year, and one building next year.
*Shindai BS8-9 is produced under various brand names, and by Nuts Berry Field it is produced under the name "Nuts Berry."
[NAT's Berry Field]
Azumino CityMisato Akimori 3864 TEL 0263-75-3097
Aiming to cultivate strawberries through agricultural and welfare cooperation
Shindai BS8-9, which has a red colour of the fruit, is also perfect as a topping for cakes.
Kotobuki Farm Depot Co., Ltd. (Komoro City)
Ishizaka Yasushi, Head of the Business Promotion Division
Komoro City's first Shindai BS8-9
Komoro City is said to be the "birthplace of strawberry production" by one theory. Around 1908, a cluster of wild strawberries were found in Mimakigahara, the city's city, and the addition of strawberry jam from the West led to the spotlight as a jam-based strawberry, and cultivation became established.
Kotobuki Farm Depot Co., Ltd. was established in June 2019 in Komoro City. Through agriculture, we aim to "make delicious and create a richer, more positive everyday life." We mainly cultivate summer and autumn strawberries and blueberries. It has 10 R houses in two buildings, and in March of this year, we began planting and cultivating approximately 5,000 Shindai BS8-9, the first in Komoro City.
Bees are flying around the house, pollinating them in a natural way.
"Shindai BS8-9"ShinshuSummer and Autumn Strawberry was researched and developed by Oi Michio, a specially appointed professor at the University Faculty of Engineering, from the early Heisei era, and was registered as a variety in 2011. It maintains high sugar content even under high temperatures in the summer, has a good balance of sweetness and sourness, and is well-shaped, making it a highly demand for commercial use, and is also popular among pastry chefs.
Cultivation under the guidance of Professor Oi
"I want to grow strawberries that are said to be "this strawberry in Komoro." Ishizaka said. I hope that locals will learn about the goodness of these strawberries," he said.
Since last year, Kotobuki Farm Depot has been preparing for cultivation, learning the know-how of growing Shindai BS8-9. Currently, only three people involved in cultivation are Ishizaka, the president, executive director, and field manager, and no one had any experience in agriculture until last year. Although he has no experience, he has been thoroughly controlled, and he emailed Professor Oi, the creator of Shindai BS8-9, 365 days of the day, including the production status and hydrogen ion index (pH). If there is even a slight abnormality in the numbers, Professor Oi will immediately rush to the field. Even so, the shape is not even and the taste is unstable, so there are constant struggles, but Ishizaka says, "Professor Oi gives us thorough and thorough guidance, saying, "It can also be used to research my own research," which really helps me."
While groping, the harvest of Shindai BS8-9 began in June. Ishizaka goes to work every morning at around 4am and harvests approximately 30-40kg of strawberries per day until around 6am.
Supporting the independence of the elderly through agriculture and welfare cooperation
圃場は小諸市の小高いエリアに位置し、八ヶ岳や天気のよい日は富士山も望めます。
Kotobuki Farm Depot is mainly shipped to Komoro City and nearby areas.Karuizawa Town、Saku CityWestern confectionery shops, Japanese confectionery shops, hotels, etc. "Currently Nagano Development of semi-dried fruits through joint research with the Prefectural Industrial Technology Center,Nagano CityWe are also working on developing ice cream and gelato in collaboration with businesses, and we would like to make sales of processed products possible," says Ishizaka.
In the future, they plan to work with Kotobuki Co., Ltd., which operates paid elderly care facilities and other facilities, to promote production through the "Agriculture and Welfare Collaboration," an initiative that will enable elderly people to participate in society with purpose in life, through the development of their lives. "As part of supporting day service users with independence, we hope that people will be able to handle planting, daily management, harvesting and sales, and feel a sense of purpose in life through work and earning a salary." That's what I feel.
Kotobuki Farm Depot's challenge to "realize agricultural and welfare collaboration through the development of delicious strawberries" has just begun.
The concentration of fertilizer and timing of fertilization are controlled by a machine, and liquid fertilizer is applied three to four times a day through the pipe. (Left photo)
Strawberries from the "Four Seasonal Varieties" are lit by sunlight.TimesThe longer the flower buds will promote differentiation and the yield will increase, so the house will be lighted with slight electricity even at night. (Photo right)
>[Kotobuki Farm Depot Co., Ltd.]
790-15 Oaza City, Komoro City TEL 0267-23-1510
Strawberries can be broadly divided into "seasonal varieties" that reach the harvest season from winter to spring, and "seasonal varieties" that can be grown throughout the year, and "seasonal varieties" that are produced from June to November, among the "seasonal varieties", "summer and autumn strawberries."
Nagano The prefecture began cultivating summer and autumn strawberries around 2001, and in 2003, the development of the "Summer Princess" was gradually expanded. Nagano The "Summer Lyrical" was developed in 2018 by the Prefectural Vegetable Flower Experiment Center as a successor to "Summer Princess."ShinshuNew varieties are also being developed by both the public, private and academic fields, including the university's development of Shindai BS8-9.
This article is information as of September 2020.
Please note that the products we carry may have changed.
