Naturally grown carrots from Kawagoe, Miyazaki Prefecture New naturally grown carrots from Kawagoe Shunsaku of Miyazaki Prefecture, one of Kyushu's leading naturally grown farmers, will be arriving soon.
Above all else, Kawagoe values creating soil that is easy for crops to grow, and he continues to pursue what conditions are natural for each crop.
The carrots they have been growing for the past seven years are grown in a field where the soil has been repeatedly improved, and they do not rely on fertilizer or pesticides, but they have now gotten to the point where they can be said to "just sow the seeds and they will grow."
Every year, we receive more and more wonderful carrots; "Kawagoe's Carrots" are so beautiful and have a delicious carrot-like flavor that it's hard to believe they are grown without any fertilizer or pesticides.
The ones introduced on this page are a little smaller in size.
Just like people, it is natural for crops to have different personalities, such as large and small, or slightly darker and lighter in color.
However, there are actually many things that are not generally shipped because they are considered "non-standard," so this time we decided to have those sizes available as well.
Although it is small, the taste is no less delicious.
The skin is delicious with the skin on, so you can cut it in half and eat it with summer vegetables to make grilled vegetables or pickles, slice it into rings to use as a soup ingredient, or make juice as is, as it saves you the trouble of cutting it.
The sweetness is not the only thing that stands out, and the carrot flavor is delicious.
Kawagoe boasts some of the best soil in Kyushu Toshisaku Kawagoe is a representative natural farmer in Miyazaki Prefecture.
At Purely, we are grateful to this farmer for providing us with taro, ginger, radishes, garlic, and shallots.
Kawagoe is the organizer of the Yaezakura-kai, an association of young natural cultivation producers, and while he leads the natural cultivation farmers, he also puts his efforts into nurturing young farmers.
Mr. Kawagoe talks about the future of agriculture in Japan. He is always thinking about the future of agriculture not only in Miyazaki, but throughout Japan.
Clay-formed soil from a naturally grown field.
"With vegetables, the important thing is the result and the foundation."
Thankfully, the number of new farmers who are able to start natural farming 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 organic farming producers in Miyazaki led by Kawagoe Shunsaku. "First, we prepare the soil using grass and wheat, which cannot be converted into cash. Vegetables are the result. The foundation is important," he says. The first step is to create an environment that is conducive to growing vegetables.
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 plant roots, and then humus is mixed in, stimulating microbial activity.
The timing of incorporating the humus is crucial; because this is natural cultivation, ideally the humus should be incorporated once the plants have completed their life cycle (and have died), but to create soil that will prevent weeds from growing, the plants are first cut when they are still green, and then plowed in once they have completely died. This is done about three times a year. "This can only be described as an unnatural farming method, but by repeating this 'continuous' process and watching the condition of the soil, we space out the time between incorporating the humus, and finally, when the plants have completed their life cycle, when they have completely died out, we incorporate the humus." It is this process that creates the 'natural cultivation soil', which has formed granules and is weed-free.
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.
"What Kawagoe wants to convey"
We had the opportunity to visit Kawagoe-san's farm, where he has been working hard on this "Yaezakura-kai soil creation" project, and, of course, there were no weeds growing and the soil was well-formed into aggregates.
It was so soft and warm that you could dig in with a shovel forever, and it was such a beautiful field that just standing on it was like your mind was purified. I picked it up and took a bite, and it was tasteless and odorless. There was nothing extraneous in it at all.
Everyone present felt that this was the kind of "soil preparation for natural farming" that Kawagoe wanted to convey.
However, Kawagoe says, "I did not create this soil condition. Nature itself has created this state. Humans are just helping it." This humble attitude is precisely the way of thinking and acting that is in line with the principle of natural cultivation, which holds that humans are part of the natural world, and I was reminded of just 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, the Yaezakura Association is steadily making progress in cultivating the soil, seeds, and people.
Miyazaki and Kyushu are set to get even hotter from now on.
