Naturally grown navel oranges

Naturally grown navel oranges by Yuji Fukushima in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture 

Minamata City is located in the southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture.

The mountain slopes extend directly from the sea, allowing the area to be bathed in plenty of sunlight.

Fukushima Yuji's orchard is located in this area, where citrus fruits have long been cultivated.

Mr. Fukushima grows a wide variety of citrus fruits at a citrus farm that has been in operation for generations.

Fukushima has been growing navel oranges using natural cultivation for 20 years, and what makes them distinctive is that the indentation at the bottom resembles a belly button, or navel orange .

It is a satisfying citrus fruit that feels heavy in the hand and has a good sweetness and acidity. Navel oranges grown naturally without fertilizer or pesticides are very rare and extremely valuable.

"I live in Minamata, Kumamoto, and a long time ago, Minamata disease caused concern to people all over the country. Environmental pollution in particular must never be allowed to happen again. We are well aware of the horror of environmental pollution, so there are many organizations that are enthusiastic about organic farming, and Minamata is a place where there is a particularly large amount of information available to each other."

Minamata City in Kumamoto Prefecture has a history of the Minamata disease problem, which was officially recognized in 1956, but it is also an environmentally friendly city that has faced the problem as a whole region and achieved recovery.

As a result, many farmers have been working on environmentally friendly agriculture in recent years, and Fukushima is leading the way among them as a pioneer.

[Characteristics of Navel Orange]

Navel oranges are a citrus fruit that are characterized by their sweetness and fragrance.
Compared to citrus fruits native to Japan, it has a stronger sweetness, so it is popular with small children. The outer skin is hard and needs to be cut with a knife, but the thin skin inside is not so noticeable, so you can cut it into wedges and eat it while peeling the outer skin.
Great for bento boxes and fruit salads.