Safe, secure and delicious vegetables in Noto
A 90-minute drive from Kanazawa City. Notojima is a small island with a population of only 2,500, located in the middle of the Noto Peninsula. The island is known as a nearby tourist destination for Noto residents because of the bridge between the island and the Noto Peninsula, and the scenery is so peaceful and scenic that even Nakata couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s wonderful.”
Mr. Toshimitsu Takatoshi, who produces organic vegetables, moved to Notojima about 20 years ago and started natural farming. Originally from Kanazawa, but working as a salesman in Fukuoka at the time, Mr. Taka and his wife Hiroko from Kagoshima were fascinated by the nature and “soil” of the island, and left their jobs to start their own farming business.
“We came to Notojima because we wanted to grow safe, secure, and delicious vegetables. But for the first five years, I had almost no income, so I worked part-time as a fisherman and mailman while cultivating the fields.” (Mr. Taka) Notojima, a quiet and scenic island, is known as a familiar tourist destination for people in Ishikawa Prefecture, partly because a bridge connects it with the Noto Peninsula. The soil of Notojima is red soil rich in iron and minerals. However, it is not suitable for vegetable cultivation as it is. Mr. Taka has gradually improved the soil’s strength by repeatedly testing the soil, planting grass and green manure, and using the power of microorganisms. His efforts paid off, and the vegetables from Noto Taka Farm gradually became popular, with orders now coming in from more than 120 chefs in Tokyo, Kanazawa, Osaka, Kobe, and other cities throughout Japan.
“My wife and I both love to eat, so we would go to various restaurants and ask them to tell us about their cuisine and what kind of vegetables would go well with our plates and cutlery. Eventually, we began to receive requests from chefs asking if we would try to produce vegetables that were not yet available in Japan” (Mr. Taka).
Chef-approved vegetables available for purchase.
Chefs from famous restaurants often visit the farm and directly request the vegetables they want. In response to such requests, the number of varieties has increased rapidly, and now there are more than 300 varieties, including traditional vegetables, western vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. The turnips alone include more than 15 varieties, ranging from traditional to western varieties. In addition, the farm, which started with 2 ha, has expanded to 20 ha. This is an unprecedentedly large area for a vegetable farmer.
When I was told that no one else in Japan was growing vegetables, I decided to give it a try (laughs). (laughs). As I kept repeating this, the number of varieties kept increasing. We don’t grow the same vegetables on the same piece of land continuously, but rotate them,” says Mr. Taka
The vegetables grown here have a strong aroma and taste. Because they have a strong flavor, they require minimal seasoning. These vegetables are truly the stars of the show, and it is no wonder that chefs are ordering them all the time.
Last year, in conjunction with the introduction of a new lifestyle, Taka-no-en began selling “Grand Chef’s Gourmet Vegetable Sets” to individuals. While orders from clients were decreasing, the chefs were encouraged by the chefs to “keep up the good work and continue to produce vegetables from Taka-no-en, because they want them as soon as the restaurant reopens.
After eating vegetables from Taka Farm, the supermarket vegetables they usually buy would not be enough. We hope you will try their special vegetables nurtured by the red soil and the sun.
