Allowing the fruit to ripen on the tree
Entering a narrow road that runs through a residential area, it opens up into a field and at the end is the direct retail store of ”Sakurai Farm”.
In the 2007 ”Chiba Pear Tasting Contest”, Sakurai Farm won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award (first place), the first for Yachiyo city.
This shop is like a hideaway, yet many customers gather, hearing of their reputation.
We spoke to Masahiro Sakurai of Sakurai Farm.
”Being sweet isn’t good enough for a pear to be considered declisious, right? What is important?”
”Sweetness is an important factor, but the timing of harvest is also important. They have to be ripe before they’re picked. Most often the fruit is picked when they are still green, and when they arrive at the grocery stores 3 days later, they have some color, but they don’t taste good. So recently, most of our pears are direct retail..”
They allow the fruit to become ripe on the tree, then harvest them to be boxed, and the pears arrive at the customer’s home the next day. That is the best timing to eat delicious pears.
The important thing is the color of the fruit when it’s picked.”
Being attentive to the timing
Sakurai who places importance on the peak of the fruit prefers to pick in the morning.
”Once it passes noon, the sunlight is high in the sky and hits the pears directly. It makes the color of the pear too dark. So we try to pick between 6 am to noon.”
”So there is an optimal time for picking.”
”Timing is important. Timing for picking, timing to add fertilizer. Everything is about timing.”
He also says that there is a good timing to pick delicious pears.
”The tree itself can live 100 years or even 200 years, but there is a prime period for every tree, and usually after 25 to 30 years, the tree gradually starts to decline. Beyond that, the tree starts to lose energy. It might not bear large fruit, or the color of the fruit can become dull.”
Many of the pear trees at Sakurai Farm were planted by his father, and since those trees are about 30 years old now, they started to replace the trees when they were about 25 years old.
Enjoying the different tastes from different regions and farms
We went to several pear farmers in Chiba with this project, and surprisingly, even pears of the same variety did not taste the same.
Acidity, sweetness, texture, smell….. Even if they are the same Kosui variety, they taste completely different.
Sakurai Farm’s pear is soft and has a strong sweet taste.
According to Sakurai, pears taste different by farm and region.
Chiba Prefecture is the largest pear production area.
We recommend visiting several pear farms, compare the taste, and discover your favorite.
