Our Planet

Text : Midori Goto

The cold wind began to blow, and swans began to appear in the rice fields. Winter is just around the corner. On the tables of Yamanoko, the number of appearances of root vegetables grown with the power of gentle soil has increased.

In addition to the vegetables harvested in the garden, we also use delicious vegetables carefully grown by local farmers for our daily meals. We will receive seasonal vegetables, so we will make a menu after seeing the vegetables to see how to cook them. Therefore, there were many changes in the monthly menu table, and it was difficult to convey them. Therefore, I changed the menu to a weekly menu. In addition to what kind of vegetables arrived from the farmers, what is happening in the garden now, what kind of vegetables were harvested, the relationship between children and vegetables, are made weekly so that it is possible to share with parents in detail.

 

For example, today O farm brought in malabar spinach that was grown too big for markets. While removing the leaves, which are about the size of a face, from the thick stems, I thought that only young and small tips were sold at supermarkets. “I heard that big leaves are easier to eat than young ones, so let’s make them a marinated dish.
” In that way, it’s a lot of fun to think about cooking methods that make use of the vegetables harvested by the cooking team. What I keep in mind when making rice at Yamanoko is to make the best use of the taste of the ingredients and to eat according to the climate. We can feel the time and effort spent by the farmers through our daily meals.
The food that grows here in Shonai and is rooted in the land has the best shape and way of life that suits the climate.
Food that is in harmony with nature can also be an opportunity to restore the harmony of the body.
Our body is also a mechanism of symbiosis with cells and bacteria, and it is a part of nature. Listen carefully to your body’s voice to find out what to eat. Eat something that pleases your body.

 

Have you seen the seeds sown with children in the spring, overcoming the hot summer and fertilizing the fruits? Growing up with the help of sunlight, water in the soil and microorganisms, the vegetables harvested are truly natural vegetables. We are learning the benefits of the soil where food grows from the garden that connects us with the changing seasons.
In the summer, children were able to harvest the grown cucumbers and bite them all over the garden. In autumn, we harvested a lot of pumpkins, figs, herbs, etc. and held a harvest festival. It was a fun day to soak in the abundance of vegetables and fruits that have been sown and grown together.
The trees planted in June have also grown and the garden has become much richer. The fig tree, which was shorter than the children, now crosses the fence and is out of reach of the top.

After the compost bins were created, collecting vegetable waste and putting it in the compost became a part of children’s lives. Compost baskets have become a must-have item in kitchens and rooms.
We return the vegetable waste to the soil of the field, plant seeds and seedlings, and harvest. Through the hands-on experience of growing seeds, becoming rice, and becoming your own body, you will gradually understand the cycle of life.

 

There is a saying, “You are what you eat.” We live by eating something every day.
If you can feel new discoveries and a big cycle of nature from the act of eating, your meal time will be fun and joyful. It also leads to valuing the structure and environment of our body. By knowing what I am eating, I hope to meet and learn a lot about life.