[Odawara, Kanagawa] Limited to 2 days! Northern Pole tangerines and rare domestic kiwi harvesting experience 🍊🥝

Most of the kiwis lined up in supermarkets have been brought across the ocean. There aren't many opportunities to encounter domestically produced kiwis. Moreover, they can be harvested for about 2 weeks out of 1 year. I don't usually do this harvesting experience, This time, a special event will be held in collaboration with Mr. Akisawaen.

■ Things to do on the day The fields are on the slopes of the mountains. It is mixed with gravel, has good drainage, and is a place where sea breezes pass from Shonan. Kiwis hang 140 to 150 centimeters from the ground, so that even small children can pick them with their own hands. How to identify delicious kiwis and tangerines, and how does the terrain relate to the taste of the fruit. We go around the fields while talking about that. You can take home up to 5 kiwis you have picked and up to 1 kilogram of tangerines. Locally, you can eat mandarin oranges as much as you want. Mandarin oranges are harvested when they are in season at that time, such as extremely early maturing Wenzhou and early maturing satsuma.

■ Kiwis brought back are ripe at home Kiwis don't get sweet on the tree. Those that have just been picked remain hard and sour. When you take it home, put it in a plastic bag with an apple or banana and leave it at room temperature. Ethylene gas from apples etc. promotes maturing. It will be ready to eat in a few days to a week. Gently push around the shaft with your finger, and when you feel a slight elasticity, it's ready to eat. If you move it to the refrigerator, it will stop maturing, so you can keep it ready to eat. The interesting thing about freshly picked kiwis is that you can decide for yourself when to eat them. On the day of the event, be sure to ask for tips directly.

■ Participation by adults only is also welcome Of course, parents and children can participate, but adults alone are also welcome. You can also talk in depth about how to make fruit trees and devise ways to reduce pesticides. For those who want to start farming, we can also discuss it in a short time. For kids, it's time to take home fruit picked with their own hands. I hope it will be one of those exciting experiences.

■ About Akisawa Garden and this land Odawara is a production area known as the northern limit of unshu mandarin orange cultivation. The sea breeze from Sagami Bay softens the cold in winter, so citrus trees grow in this area. As for the landscape with tangerine trees, it is the northernmost part of Japan. Akisawa Garden has continued farming for generations in Numashiro, Odawara City. Mandarin oranges have been cultivated for about 300 years, and there are still trees over 300 years old. Since the 1970s, they have also been growing kiwifruit and blueberries. We aim for agriculture that does not use pesticides as much as possible and does not go against natural mechanisms. The starting point is that we want to make fruits that children can eat with peace of mind. Other than working in the fields, I also cultivated rough land with university students, We are working on utilizing bamboo that has grown too much.

■ BEFORE PARTICIPATION ・Walk the mountain path one way to the field for about 20 minutes. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. ・Local meetings only (no transfers). ・Preschool children can participate for free. In order to know the number of people, please enter it when making a reservation.

We look forward to your participation!