Organically grown celery (Mr. Morita)

Morita's celery has a sturdy stalk that is just the right amount of crunchy and delicious all the way to the root.

Combine with tomatoes and potatoes to make minestrone or pot-au-feu.
Combine with chrysanthemum and prosciutto for a fragrant salad.
It's also delicious stir-fried with shredded carrots to make kinpira.

Organically grown ginger by Yoshimitsu and Kayoko Morita of Ogawacho, Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Yoshimitsu and Kayoko Morita, a married couple from Ogawamachi, Uki City, are veterans with 45 years of organic farming experience. They hold many important positions, including the Kumamoto Organic Agriculture Research Association, JAS organic certification, and the Agricultural Committee, making them an indispensable presence in Kumamoto. They do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. They grow their own rice by returning the bran and husks from the rice they grow to their fields. They use only the produce from their own fields and rice paddies, and recycle it.

I went to visit Morita's farm.
They showed us the main areas of their 4ha mountain farm. "Health comes from food," so "no pesticides are a given." Even before they got married, they both had a strong awareness of this, and their beliefs have not changed in the 45 years since. They told us about the history of their farm.
Starting in the 1960s, when Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth, children born in the 1970s were already eating foods that contained pesticides, chemical fertilizers, food additives, and were far removed from nature.

"If we eat only food like this, we'll definitely get sick!" This made the two of them want to do agriculture that protects lives. They studied diligently and continued their activities.

Looking back on those days, Kayoko says, in that kind of environment, her husband Yoshimitsu, who was "not a doctor or a researcher but just a farmer," would each time include a letter expressing his belief that "health comes from food" in the boxes of vegetables that he carefully grew and delivered to consumers.

Of course, at first, he was treated as an eccentric and there were many difficulties, even in the area, when the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers was the norm. However, he has continued for 45 years, "without wavering" and "with conviction," and now he has firmly established his name as "When it comes to organic ginger in Kumamoto, Morita Yoshimitsu is the name to go for."

Although they said that they had their difficulties, they never talked about the details. Instead, they remained positive, taking a positive attitude towards everything that happened and using it as motivation to get to where they are today. Their kind and lovely smiles were very impressive.