Tag Archives: 無花果

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Naitoh Fig Orchard in Okitsu

October 22, 2010 dragonlife 8 Comments

“With the present changes in climate my neighbors are joking that we might have to think of growing pineapples soon!” Mr. Yoshihiko Naitoh told me while driving me from Okitsu Station to his orchard up in the mountains.

I had called him te day before after my good friend Yasushi Imaizumi, a gastronome and real connoisseur, has introduced me to this great farmer.
He had gracefully agreed to pick me up as his farm is noteasy to find, but had warned me he had some work on the way.

Which suited me fine as it gave me the occasion to visit Okitsu JA Farmers Market where he delivered some of the morning’s crop.
Mr. Naitoh is a fourth generation farmer as far as tea and mikan/madarine oranges are concerned, but as for figs he is a first generation farmer and has grown them for 22 years.

The first that struck me in his orchard is that he uses almost no pesticides or herbicides as proved by the grasses growing freely between the rows of fig trees.
As for fertilizer he mainly uses pig’s manure from a neighboring farmer that he mixes with only a minimum of artificial fertilizer, mainly calcium and potassium.

This particular fig, in spite of its green/-yellow skin is ripe!
It is a “banané fig/バナネ無花果”, a French variety. Beautiful and succulent!

Mr. Naitoh grows three types of figs which don’t need any help for pollination: Banané Fig/バナネ無花果, Common Fig/普通無花果, and

and Violet Figs/ヴィオレ無花果, another French variety which turns to a striking black/purple color when ripe!

One cannot replant a fig tree in the same spot from where another fig tree has been rooted out. Mr. Naitoh therefore keeps experimenting even using discarded polysterene boxes!

Mr. Naitoh also grows fig trees in pots to sell to homes and gardeners!

I wouldn’t mind one of those on my balcony!

For a closer look!
Taking care of a fig tree is not so difficult. Don’t forget to cut the fruit-bearing branches at their base in winter. Don’t worry they will grow fast again and produce two crops in July and Ocotober in warm conditions!

As Mr. Naitoh uses no pesticides, in the afternoon he turns hunter and kill the little critters by hand!

Mr. Naitoh is not only a grower but a fine chef!
I bought this succulent-looking fig compote!
I also got his fig jam!

These figs will be delivered as far as Chiba Prefecture on the other side of Tokyo!

Apart of oranges and tea on pieces of land dispersed in the mountains, Mr. Naitoh also cultivates Roselle/ロセル, a variety of hibiscus.
Now, why is he growing flowers in the middle of his orchards?

For food!

The flowers are picked before they open at all.
The core will be discarded and only the red sepal will be kept to be turned into jam!
I got a full bag of them and made my own jam, reminiscent of acid pomegranates. Absolutely beautiful (in taste as well as in looks!)!

Mr. Naitoh accepts private orders of his three types of figs, fig compote, fig jam, roselle, so do not hesitate to call him!

NAITOH ORCHARD/内藤農園
Yoshihiko Naitoh/内藤好彦
Mobile: 09029465250
Tel.: 054-369-1679

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Uncategorized

French Dessert: Roasted Figs, Vanilla Ice Cream & Blue Cheese Sauce at Pissenlit

September 16, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
entirely non-smoking!

We are about to enter the best season to savour figs and there are plenty available in our Prefecture and City as the climate is particularly propitious for grwoing ll kinds of fruit here.

Figs come in many gusise from small and black to enormous and violet (there also green ones here. I mean green and ripe!).

Tooru Arima at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City came up with an interesting concept in this seasonal dessert.

He first siced the large figs chosen amon still a little green spcimen and roasted them.

He served them with a spoon of vanilla sauce and Roquefort Blue Cheese sauce. There werestill small intact pieces of blue chees inside the sauce.
The combination of sweet, sugared, salty, sweet and sour and others was incredible, especially in regards to the apparent simplicty of the dish!
Too many taste and nusaces to describe, but certainly heaven for sweet teeth woorying about one’s health!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Uncategorized

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Mrs. Toshiko Otsuka’s Fig Orchard

August 23, 2010 dragonlife 13 Comments

Mrs. Toshika Otsuka/大塚敏子

Figs have been very popular in Japan for eons.
They were introduced in Japan at the beginning of the Edo Era (17th Century) in Nagasaki (Kyushu Island) from Persia through China.
Interestingly enough the Japanese consume only a little quantity of dry figs that they mainly use in cakes. They prefer their fruit fresh and eat them either as appetizers (with sesame dressing/gomadare) or as dessertfruit.

They are grown inside greenhouses or in open air, depending on the variety and growing method.
Mrs. Otsuka grows hers exclusively inside greenhouses on a total area of 240 tsubo/~750 square meters.

Once again my good friend, Natsuko Koyanagi/小柳奈津子 was on hand to help with introductions.
It was quite a distance away from her usual area as figs are grown only on the right bank of the Abe River due to the needed sun exposure whereas Natsuko lives on the left bank. We knew we had arrived before we discovered the greenhouses as the cloying smell of the figs had wafting around us into our car very quickly!

Mrs. Otsuko grows a single variety called Masui Dofin/マスイドフィン, a Japanese hybrid.
Do you know how the Japanese write “ichijiku” for fig? 無花果/No flower fruit! At least knowing the kanji characters meant I was not going to make the mistake asking when flowers were supposed to bloom!

Her trees are pretty old by Japanese standards (these can live a long time indeed!) as she first planted them 27 years ago. Her orchard is her own supply of cash to the homestead as her husband has his own job. Nevertheless, he gives a hand before leaving to work and after coming back from work. Either he is a tough guy or a loving one! (or both? LOL).

Watering is done through a pipe system snaking over the whole grenhouses.
As for fertilizer, she told me in with almost naive honesty that she asks a specialist every year to check on her orchard and decide what’s best!

I saw quite a few figs I would lay my hands on!
Actually, Mrs. Otsuka explained me that Summer is not so much the right season to really savor them. Although she harvests them everyday and “ship” them to the Cooperative, the best season is the Fall when figs are at their best and do not spoil easily.
As she accepte personal orders, you can be sure I will visit her again in a couple of months!

Aluminum foil sheets are spread on the soil along each row of fig trees not so much to protect the soil but to reflect the sun and provide more exposure and heat. And I can tell you this is sweat work!

Trees are trimmed completely of their branches around January and you can count each year going along the scars left on them!
Fruit bearing branches do have to be supported and are tied with twine to the roof to keep them erect and give as much as vital space as possible to the fruit.

Harvesting is always done in the morning when the temperature is lower. The fruit will keep their umami/balance then. Fruit are calibrated and carefully put into boxes before delivery.

Mrs. Otsuka pointed out an interesting detail: when harvesting one has cto cover herself/himself completely, especially arms an legs as fig leaves are really tough and their rims can cut through your skin if you are not careful!
And one has to constantly clean the soil of fallen leaves as they rot easily!