[Purely Original] Izumi-produced roasted seaweed "Hana" 10 sheets

"Purely's acid-free roasted seaweed"

□ Flower (full size) 10 sheets

Variety: A common cultivated variety, the Susabi variety.

"Hana" is the first picking of the year, and is the top grade with a beautiful color, a rich fragrance, and a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture. It is also a perfect gift.

We also have gift boxes available (for a fee), so please feel free to ask.

Acid-free, dried seaweed from Izumi

Izumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, is a fishing port with a long history where seaweed farming began in the Meiji era.

Izumi's roasted seaweed is the southernmost seaweed producing area in Japan.

Izumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

It boasts a history dating back to the Meiji era as the southernmost seaweed farming site in Japan.

Seaweed grows using the nutrients from seawater and sunlight.

Just like plants grow using nutrients from the soil and sunlight through photosynthesis.

However, the ocean is so vast that it cannot be fertilized like agriculture.

Therefore, they need nutrients that are carried to the sea by rivers and other sources.

The Izumi beach where the aquaculture takes place has underground water from the broadleaf forest mountains behind it, and the shallow sea is suitable for drying out (exposing to sunlight).

Nori seaweed naturally grows slowly thanks to the ebb and flow of the tides, being submerged in seawater at high tide and exposed to the sunlight and wind at low tide.

Hanging it high and drying it at low tide so that it is exposed directly to sunlight and wind prevents disease and produces high-quality seaweed that is healthy, soft, and flavorful.
With its nostalgic, traditional taste and the aroma of the seashore, it is truly a "gift from the sun and the sea."

Freshly harvested raw seaweed. The smell of the seashore is irresistible.

During the interview, we had the opportunity to try out hand-making nori seaweed. We poured raw nori seaweed into a special wooden box and hand-made it.

Thinly spread raw seaweed.

Nori is made by drying each sheet in the sun on the beach.

A beach where the marine pesticide "acid treatment" is not used <br>The Izumi fishing grounds do not use the acid treatment that has become common in modern seaweed cultivation.

Currently, 99% of seaweed farming is done using the "non-drying method," in which the seaweed is left submerged in the ocean.

The "non-dried" method allows for the cultivation of larger quantities of seaweed more quickly and is a method developed for mass production.
However, "non-dried" seaweed is never exposed to sunlight and grows in the unnatural environment of being stuck in the ocean, which increases the risk of disease and reduces the quality.

This is where acid treatment, known as the "pesticide of the sea," becomes necessary.

The acid treatment involves immersing the seaweed net in an ark containing an acid treating agent such as citric acid or hydrochloric acid to sterilize the seaweed.

Acid treatment has the effect of suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria and other algae, reducing the amount of work required by producers and increasing production efficiency.
However, there are concerns that acid treatment agents may kill beneficial marine microorganisms and slow the decomposition of organic nutrients.

In addition, after use, acid treating agents must be brought back to land, neutralized with a neutralizing agent, and then discharged into the sewer.

However, it is said that many producers dump the remaining acid treatment agent into the sea.

Dumping acid treating agents into alkaline seawater will destroy the marine environment and have a detrimental effect on fish and shellfish.

Additionally, the effects of acid-treated seaweed on the human body are not well understood.

In addition, the acid treatment kills even beneficial microorganisms, preventing the decomposition of organic nutrients and resulting in a shortage of inorganic nutrients essential for seaweed growth.

So, the chemical fertilizer ammonium sulfate was then used to promote seaweed growth.

This can truly be called "fertilizer for the sea."

Modern seaweed cultivation can be said to be soaked in "marine pesticides" and "marine fertilizers."

It is said that in some years, as much as 2,000 tons of this acid treating agent and ammonium sulfate are discharged into the Ariake Sea, causing serious marine pollution.

"If it's not delicious, it's pointless"

Yoshio Shimanaka, the representative producer, spares no effort in his pursuit of deliciousness.

The producers in Izumi are committed to "not using anything that pollutes the ocean and growing it in an environment close to nature," and they continue to make seaweed using the traditional "acid-free processing and drying method."

Producing seaweed using the "acid-free processing/drying method" takes a lot of time and effort.

Even so, producers spare no effort and grow the seaweed with love.

The rich environment that is ideal for growing nori and the deep love of the producers are the source of the deliciousness of Izumi nori.

The dried seaweed is crisp and shiny after being dried in the sun.

This acid-free seaweed from Izumi is so delicious you can almost smell the ocean.

The colder the winter, the more suitable the environment for seaweed to grow. This year's seaweed is "the best we've ever had.

"There is no more delicious seaweed," he said with confidence. Please try it for your home or as a gift.

It was lightly grilled over charcoal along with some freshly caught seafood. It was absolutely delicious!

The seaweed producers in Izumi have been protecting the beautiful acid-free sea for many years.