[Purely Original] Kawagoe's pickled takuan

<Famous for its radish! Introducing "Takuan Pickles" made by Kawagoe, Tano-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture!!!>

Tano Town in Miyazaki Prefecture boasts the largest production of pickled radishes (dried radishes) in Japan.
In winter, the "daikon towers" where radishes are dried are lined up all at once, becoming a seasonal winter sight in the area.
The radishes are carefully hung by hand one by one and then left to dry out in the winter sun and dry northwest wind for around two weeks, resulting in high-quality dried radishes.
This dried radish is pickled in solar lake salt and rice bran and left to sit, making it into takuan (pickled radish) using the traditional method.
The "bran" used in pickled vegetables is also naturally grown. It has a nice aroma and a firm yet gentle flavor. It's so delicious that you won't be able to stop eating it when you have tea.

<Beauty that takes your breath away>
Shunsaku Kawagoe is engaged in natural cultivation in Tano Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, and grows radishes that are so beautiful that they will take your breath away.
The soft, fluffy soil allows radishes to grow straight and to a height of over 50 centimeters.
If the soil isn't soft, it won't grow to this size.
And how fresh the cut surface is.
With one bite, the umami and sweetness of the daikon is condensed, and you can eat as much as you want raw. Of course, it can also be cooked, and is melt-in-your-mouth soft. It is so delicious that it becomes a luxurious dish just by cooking it with kelp stock.
We highly recommend "Kawagoe's naturally grown radish." Please give it a try.

Radishes ready for harvest "With vegetables, the important thing is the results and the foundation" Thankfully, the number of new farmers taking up natural cultivation has been increasing in recent years.
However, this group is determined to "just focus on improving the soil."
As he repeatedly mentioned this, I sensed his strong passion for natural farming and deep respect for nature.
Yaezakura-kai is a group of natural farming producers in Miyazaki led by Kawagoe Shunsaku. Taking their soil preparation skills as a model, the group works hard every day to promote natural farming.

"Firstly, we will develop the soil by using grass and wheat, which cannot be converted into cash.
"Vegetables are the result. The foundation is important," he says, and the first step is to create an environment that is conducive to vegetable growth.
This soil preparation is carried out intensively for two to three years before crops are grown.
The ideal soil would be one that is in a state of "clumpiness" and where "no weeds can grow," and Kawagoe has established the process for creating such soil in Miyazaki from his own experience, which he generously shares with the other members of his group.

In this process, the soil is first broken down by the roots of the plants, and the humus is then worked into the soil to stimulate microbial activity. The timing of working in the humus is crucial; since this is natural cultivation, ideally the humus would be worked in after the plants have completed their life cycle (and died), but to create soil that will not allow weeds to grow, the plants are first cut when they are still green, and then worked in after they have completely died. This is done at a rate of about three times a year.

"One has to call this an unnatural farming method, but this 'repeated' process is repeated, and while watching the condition of the soil, the humus is worked in at intervals, and finally, when it reaches a state of 'healthy life,' where the plants have completely died out, it is worked in." It is this process that creates the 'miraculous soil for natural cultivation', where the soil has formed into granules and no weeds can grow.

I realized that the crops grown there take firm roots, thrive through the power of nature, and grow into crops that are truly delicious, with a clean, pure aftertaste and no impurities.
Mr. Kawagoe's radish field. "What Mr. Kawagoe wants to convey" We had the opportunity to see Mr. Kawagoe's field, where he has been diligently working on this "Yaezakura-kai soil making" project, and there were, of course, no weeds growing and the soil was well-formed into aggregates.
It was a beautiful field, so soft and warm that you could dig in with a shovel as far as you wanted, and just standing there seemed to purify your spirit.

Everyone present felt that this was the kind of "soil preparation for natural farming" that Kawagoe wanted to convey.
However, Kawagoe says:
"I didn't create this state of the soil. Nature itself has created this state. Humans are just helping it." This humble attitude is a way of thinking and acting that is in line with the principle of natural farming, which holds that humans are part of the natural world, and I was once again reminded of how great Kawagoe is as a farmer.

Of course, the more years you spend cultivating the soil, the more problems you will encounter, but at those times, you need to think about things from a natural perspective, and your firm determination to "continue to practice natural farming" no matter what the situation is becomes even stronger.

With Kawagoe at the center, Yaezakura-kai is steadily cultivating soil, seeds, and people. It looks like things will get even more exciting in Miyazaki and Kyushu from now on.



After harvesting, they are washed thoroughly and shipped.