Thursday Snapshot: Little Statues Bundled Up

Bundled up against the cold of the mountains.

These two little statues can be found along a favorite hiking trail near my home. A round-trip visit to them takes roughly 90 minutes, and a bench for taking in the view and catching your breath is nearby. I've paused here countless times with friends, husband, and alone to offer a greeting to these two and their companions. I don't know their story just yet, but hope to one day soon. Meanwhile, I'll just keep enjoying my quiet companions in the mountains.

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Finding Heirloom Seeds in Japan

Drying pods of heirloom Hutterite Soup Beans. Since moving to Japan eight years ago, one of my greatest challenges as a farmer-gardener has been to find heirloom or open-pollinated seeds. The majority of seeds available are not GMO (genetically modified organisms) as Japan, at this point, doesn't accept this material. Most seeds, though, are nearly all F1 varieties. Heirloom and F1 Varieties In plant breeding, F1 is the name given to the first generation of a cross between two true breeding parents. For example, if I decide to cross an Amish Paste Tomato with another heirloom variety tomato such as Emmy, in hopes of getting a gold paste tomato, the resulting generation of fruit is F1. In order to get that tomato of my culinary dreams, I'll need to choose members of that first generation that are headed in a direction I like - early ripening, medium-sized fruit, good taste - and save their seeds. I'll plant them and repeat the process again and again over time unti

Kamakura Farmers Market: Giant Buddhas and Good Vegetables

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Satoimo: One of Japan's Favorite Slimy Things

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Japan Farmers Markets

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