Bringing out the sweet taste of negi
Gunma is famous for its ”Shimonita Negi”(Japanese chive). When cooked, they taste soft and sweet. Kyoichi Yoshida grows organic ”Shimonita Negi”. Organically grown Japanese chives are stronger and have an even sweeter flavor, which is why his products are so popular.
Yoshida told us he ”wanted to grow the crop without using any fertilizer”. His friendly smile belies the enormous work and effort.
Organic farming requires more labor than a farm using agrochemical and herbicide.
Nakata commented ”Gunma is so hot! That’s something about Gunma that I’ll never forget.” And yet, Yoshida has to pull out weeds, one by one, under the hot summer sun.
What makes it even more laborious is that after planting the ”negi” in the spring, he has to pull out the roots, trim them, and put them back into the soil. He says this extra work is necessary to produce strong crop.
The peak season of ”Shimonita Negi” is from the end of December to January. The crops in the field were still small when Nakata visited, but when winter comes around, there will be soft and sweet tasting ”Shimonita Negi” for Japanese people to enjoy.
