Ingredient：Ginger
Place：Shimanto-cho, Takaoka County, Kochi Prefecture
Thought about the ingredient：
We grow rare organic ginger called Ogon Kokuzo II Ginger with special care. Ogon means gold in Japanese so inside is gold! The taste of ginger has sharp, refreshing and spicy.
Specialty：
We harvest the ginger on the best soil located in the 300 meters high where the difference of morning and night temperatures is large, thick fog occurs and rain a lot in summer. JAS-certified organic food.
Ingredient：Lotus roots
Place：Inashiki City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Thought about the ingredient：
Lotus roots are well-known as autumn or winter vegetables, but actually the harvest season continues from the beginning of the summer to spring. At the beginning of the season, new lotus roots are so moist such that you can eat it fresh and the texture is crunchy. Lotus roots grow bigger in autumn and winter and have different soft textures and taste because they contain more starch in them. Enjoy the seasonal taste of lotus roots depending on the seasons.
Specialty：
Two siblings and I learnt the skills from our predecessor regarding rice and lotus roots harvests and then we started our business. Now we manage 12 hectares with 4 new full-time staff and the annual yield of around 15 tons. This area has abundant water for sand due to the location between Lake Kasumigaura and the Tone River with sandy soil. Sandy soil is good for the skin of lotus roots and abundant water is essential for lotus roots. This location is the most suitable for harvesting lotus roots.
Ingredient：Naruto Kintoki (Sweet potato)
Place：Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture
Thought about the ingredient：
Naruto-kintoki sweet potato is made on the sandy soil of Naruto and becomes sweet like chestnuts. By keep it in storage, the sweet potato becomes sweeter and the texture becomes smoother. We use special storage to keep it for at least 50 days to make it sweeter and deliver the best ones to our customers.
Specialty：
We take the time and make some effort to harvest it by using our special fertilizer (original one containing 80 % of organic constituent) on the land of Naruto which is rich in minerals, is air-permeable, and well-drained. We check each field to see the conditions of the land every year. Based on our experiences for over 8 generations on this farm, we adjust the fertilizer according to the weather and growing environment. We supply sufficient minerals in order to have the crop produce the starch which will be the source of sugar for the sweet potatoes. We wish it to grow with healthy roots and leaves to maximize photosynthesis effects.
Ingredient：Curly Kale
Place：Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture
Thought about the ingredient：
Kale is a well-known ingredient for making healthy green juices but is not eaten on a daily basis, so we couldn’t buy it at a normal supermarket. I thought if we cannot buy it at a supermarket, just make it by ourselves! That was the reason I started to grow kale. I wish for more people to enjoy nutritious kale.
For customer to enjoy eating kale itself, we think about our cultivation methods and the timing of harvests and use environment-friendly, secure and safe production methods.
Specialty：
A small farm in a small village. This place is surrounded by mountains with fresh air and water. In spring, snow melts and wild plants and new spouts start growing. In summer, the difference in temperature in the morning and evening is large and the morning dew is shiny. In autumn, the leaves appear. In winter, snow accumulates for a few meters. We grow vegetables and rice in such a wild nature to enjoy the four seasons. I always make an effort to live with nature and grow strong plants. Okachu farm was recognized as an eco-farmer by the governor of Nagano prefecture.
Ingredient：Zucchini, Colinky, Green Soybean, Tomato, Eggplant etc
Place：Shirai City, Chiba Prefecture
Thought about the ingredient：
I want customers to enjoy fresh taste of vegetables so I don’t sell vegetables that is harvested a while ago.
Specialty：
The most important thing to grow vegetables is sand. In order not to waste any, collect vegetable waste, egg shell, and farm waste to ferment them for 1 to 2 years. Then add cow dung and homemade fermented compost to the sand. By putting cow dung, vegetables will be sweeter.
Ingredient：Coriander, Lettuce, Spinach, etc
Place：Uda City, Nara Prefecture
Thought about the ingredient：
Challenge on stable quality and new vegetables
Specialty：
Organic farming. My priority is not to use any chemical fertilizer or compost as well as crops that are genetically modified. In addition, My agricultural products are grown at a firm where soil has been made by using composts for more than 3 years before planting.