Plums and peaches — juicy and delicious.
The usual plums we see in supermarkets are a little larger than ping-pong balls. However, the plums in Norimichi Tsukuma’s orchard are the size of a baseball, and are quite heavy.
After being shown around the orchard, the first thing we were given to taste was this freshly picked plum. Nakata was very surprised by its size, but it wasn’t until we ate them that we were astonished by its sweetness.
However, the main product in Tsukuma’s orchard are peaches, and he makes over a dozen kinds, considering the harvesting time. When tasting a peach, there wasn’t a knife at hand, so we split the peach in half by hand. As soon as the fingers were pressed into the fruit, juice flowed out endlessly. According to Tsukuma, the average sugar content is 14 to 15, very sweet and exquisite peaches.
Overcoming many obstacles — only a few percent reach the customers!
”What are the things you keep in mind to make delicious peaches?” asked Nakata. ”It’s difficult,” said Tsukuma. ”It’s a question of how much trouble you put into it. The peaches that reach the customers are only a few percent of what would have been fruits on one tree. More than 90% are picked early.”
Already, when they are still buds, they are selected down to one third. After that, they are selected at each stage, when they blossom, when they are young fruits and at bagging, and so on.
”Isn’t that a huge amount of trouble?”
”Yes, it is. Some people say, why not select them all when they are buds. But, the nutrition balance doesn’t go right. So we just have to select in each stages. And in the end remain that most delicious peaches.”
The choicest of peaches, made by Tsukuma.
”So the peaches reach us after so many hurdles, don’t they,” said Nakata.
”Yes, they are actually more elite than Tokyo University students!”
