Kyoto bamboo shoots told by the soil spun by parents and children

Kyoto bamboo shoots are organically grown by hand. The harvest season is from mid-March to early May, but according to Mr. Sakutoji Yamada of Yamada Farm, who does business with many famous restaurants including two-star Michelin restaurants, ``In the Nishiyama District, Uchinagaokakyo City, the Yoshino cherry trees have just begun to fall. The peak season is from early April to mid-April, when the double cherry blossoms are in their third bloom. These days, every morning around 5 a.m., three generations of farmers, along with their 93-year-old father, Nagasaku, and his son, Masaya, dig out bamboo shoots using a special hoe called a hori. Masaya says, ``I start by imitating. I hold the hole straight, feel the bamboo shoot move to the left or right, and then cut and dig the roots.'' Masaya says that this profession is influenced by sense, so it's important to gain experience, and he explains the importance of gaining experience. He says he can feel the weight of the soil.

When asked what is most important for delicious Kyoto bamboo shoots, Sakutoji immediately replies, "Soil." Once the Kyoto bamboo shoots have been harvested, they begin managing the bamboo, cutting weeds without sowing herbicides, and removing stones by hand. In autumn, all the bamboo bushes are covered with straw and covered with soil, which is a very laborious process for about a month. Kyoto bamboo shoots require careful and careful management for a year. When you go to that bamboo thicket and walk on the soil, it feels fluffy. This is what allows the bamboo shoots to grow while being supplied with adequate moisture, and to grow in the soil until they are dug up. Mr. Sakutoji says, ``The climate of the Nishiyama area and the [soil] that our ancestors grew are essential to making delicious Kyoto bamboo shoots.Kyoto bamboo shoots that are freshly dug in the morning are soft with little harshness, so... It can be boiled in a short time without using rice bran."

What's surprising is that when freshly dug, it's so fresh that you can eat it thinly sliced and raw, and it's sweet. The remnants will be there in time now, but I can't wait for next year.