On the 1st and 2nd of this month, the "Tohoku Youth Academy Leadership Training Session," organized by the "Aspiration Network" led by Professor Akira Kamiko, was held at our farm.
The Youth Academy is run by Mr. Akira Kamiko, who was the head of the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, carrying on the teachings of Konosuke Matsushita. It has branches throughout Japan. It has also been held several times at our farm in the past.
The theme for this time is my book, "Food is Life," "Dreams," and "Aspirations."
Approximately 30 leaders from not only Tohoku but also from various other regions came and spent a valuable learning experience under the guidance of Professor Jōkō.
We, along with our staff, did our best to cooperate, however little we could, and it was a very meaningful learning experience to be able to talk with so many wonderful people.
We were honored that what we have done so far has been recognized as "high aspirations," and this has reaffirmed our confidence that we can continue to move forward without wavering.
Thank you so much, Professor Kamiko and everyone else.
Well, it's autumn, the season for hearty appetites!
I'm a huge foodie. It's a problem because there's nothing I don't like.
Tohoku has always had an abundance of delicious food. A long time ago, the chef of Restaurant Till's, who came all the way from Yokohama, was always impressed, saying, "Iwate is a treasure trove of ingredients!!" Not to mention the seafood from Sanriku, but the mountains and countryside are also overflowing with delicious food in every season!
That's absolutely true.
This time of year, my absolute favorite is sweet, ripe figs. When I was a child, my father planted various fruit trees and grew them for us children's snacks. Persimmons, peaches, apples, figs, chestnuts, grapes, and even strawberries. That's why I love them all. Thanks to him, I grew up healthy and ate everything. I'm so grateful.
In fact, there are various trees (not just blueberries) quietly growing on our farm.
There used to be sweet persimmon trees here too. Even though the fruit was small, when you bit into it, you'd find lots of sweet, black seeds inside, and it was really sweet. People used to say that sweet persimmons didn't grow in Tohoku, but they did grow here.
Currently, there are two fig trees in the fragrant garden. There's also a quince tree in the corner of the parking lot. Within easy reach under the zelkova tree in the goat pasture, a wild pear tree bears many fruits every year. They were a favorite food of the deer. I've even nibbled on a ripe one myself. I managed to eat a little, but they were so cute that I mostly just displayed them and enjoyed them with my eyes.
Apples, chestnuts, akebi fruit, and walnuts are all readily available. I used to occasionally receive rare matsutake mushrooms, but it seems there are hardly any mushrooms growing around here anymore.
Bright red Cornelian cherry berries, silver vine berries, and small kiwi-like Actinidia arguta (kiwifruit) fruits can be used to make fruit wine, while ripe Cornus kousa berries can be made into jam.
What's interesting is that they have a variety of beneficial properties. They've been used since ancient times. It seems they're also used as ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine.
Nature's bounty is truly wonderful!
Shizu Hashimoto
＜以前開催された青年塾の上甲先生と塾生の皆さん＞
＜身近にあったものを盛り合わせて＞
