A good opportunity to think about "food".
The crops to be harvested that day are eggplants , white eggplants , bell peppers and pumpkins. Upon arrival at the field, Mr. Irokawa gave us a briefing and we immediately started harvesting.
. This is a view of the harvest of eggplant and white eggplant. To see them grow into such large and fresh eggplants in just two months is a reminder of the life force of plants and the strength of the earth's bounty. The children also learned how to use scissors and helped with the harvest.
And the peppers are the size of an adult's fist. The bright green color is a testament to their freshness. Of course they look delicious stir-fried or in salads, but you will want to just gobble them up.
Mr. Irokawa happily watches as the vegetables he grew are harvested. The soil at Kangoo Farm seems to be a good match for the vegetables to be harvested this time, and he smiles broadly as he says, "They grew well.
There are various factors in the environment, such as weather, climate, microorganisms and insects in the soil, and these factors combine to create a field. There are vegetables that are compatible with such soil and vegetables that are not, and it is interesting to grow them by exploring them. It is also nice to be able to harvest as much as you do. That is the main reason I got into farming. It's a lot of fun.
Unlike eggplants and peppers, which are relatively easy to find, pumpkins are hidden among the overgrown leaves, making them somewhat interesting in a treasure hunt sense. Among the various sizes of pumpkins, large and small, I had to wade through the leaves to find a large pumpkin.
Everyone seemed pleased to be able to harvest the small but richly flavored Bo-chan pumpkins. Some of them harvested so many vegetables. With such a large amount to eat, the summer fatigue seems to have flown away.
We were also lucky enough to harvest cucumbers that day. Cucumbers grow overnight, and they were this size. A girl picked a cucumber and bit into it. When I asked her how it tasted, she replied, "It tastes like apple juice! She said, "It tastes like apple juice! Everyone present was smiling and eating their vegetables, and everyone was smitten. The freshly picked vegetables must have tasted delicious.
After everyone finished harvesting, we all divided up the many seedlings on the back of the "Kangoo" and planted them for the next harvest. This time, we prepared seedlings of mizu-nasu and eggplant.
It was very funny to see adults and children working hand in hand to plant the seedlings together . The process from harvesting to planting the seedlings is a good opportunity for children to learn how the vegetables they usually eat without thinking about it are born. It was an opportunity not only for the children, but also for us as adults to think about "food.
Incidentally, this is Kangoo Farm's original composting bag, which was created under Mr. Shikigawa's supervision. . It is designed to decompose and mature household garbage to produce compost. Since the Corona disaster, a new lifestyle has emerged, and more and more people are devoting themselves to vegetable gardening. Instead of throwing garbage away as trash, why not reuse it as compost and grow vegetables and plants? There, a new cycle will be born again, and we will be able to live in a way that is kind to the earth.
. "Since it is a bag, I recommend taking it camping with you," said Mr. Irokawa. It would also be a good idea to put the bag in the back of the "Kangoo" and go camping to compost food scraps as they are.
