NisECO Markets

NisECO Markets

On October 3rd we got treated to the 2nd coldest and earliest frost on record. It didn’t mean much good to our butternut squash that was still ripening in the field,  ready for harvest. While harvesting the next day these amazing rainbows came out, so hopefully it brings some good luck, or at least some better weather for next season.   Share on Facebook

The Sapporo Autumn Fest is on again. Niseko Green Fram is selling organic veggies and hopefully some bbq-ed corn soon when the rains stop. Come by for some Autumn goodness or a glass of organic wine. Share on Facebook

Back in July we hosted Dennis and a group of 11 including Kaoru Ohsumi from Herb & Natural Room KINA.  The group first enjoyed a tour of the Niseko Green Farm, before arriving at J-Sekka to enjoy a 6 course lunch prepared with a whole range of the Farm’s Summer vegetables.

Lunch started out with some yellow & green zucchinis, that were lightly grilled and then marinated with olive oil, lemon zest, sea salt & pepper and served on a slice of toasted baguette with smashed edamame.

Next up, a Summer salad with local watermelon, a range of mini heirloom tomatoes, celery, hidaka mozzarella & fresh herbs.  This dish went down so well on the day, that we had to put it on the Summer menu at in the Cafe.

Carpaccio…. of zucchini.  The beautiful colors of green and yellow, sliced super thin and dressed with a little olive oil & lemon and topped with roasted pine nuts and very finely shaved Shin Sapporo blue cheese.

Niseko Green Farm is growing some really interesting lettuces this year, including the usual romaine, or cos lettuce, but also a stunning red variety of the romaine family.  We used both red & green lettuce and made a ceasar salad.  A house-made dressing with parmesan, lemon & anchovies lightly coated each leaf and there were crispy croutons, fried bacon, an onsen egg & parmesan cheese wafer.

The Omega3 for the day was found in the form of beautiful flaked Hokkaido salmon.  The salmon flakes were dressed with a spicy soy dressing with NGF herbs and green & red onion.  Nestled on top, a couple of pieces of soft tofu pillows from the Makkari spring water tofu shop, dusted in a salt & szechaun pepper and crispy fried.

The last dish for the day was a hand-made Niseko Green Farm Danshyaku potato gnocchi, with cured lamb bacon, dried mini tomatoes, edamame & mint.  Another dish so good it featured on a Summer menu for a few weeks..

A great day was had by all, and it was a pleasure having you all at J-Sekka!  See you again soon ….

A nice shot of the group, just a shame Dennis didn’t manage to keep his eyes open for the shot;)

With late summer in full swing, the count down till the first snow begins.  Veggies galore now, the best time of the year, really. Everything ripens to their seasonal best and with the nights cooling down a bit as well, plants get some rest at night and get to bring out their best. Our veggie boxes are loaded now with all the fruits of the field. All grown for their right season and not artificially created in green houses. Some very tasty melons and watermelons coming up too.  We got some seed for the French Charentais melons, and we grew a bunch. Apparently the tastiest melon on the planet, but who are we to decide. But we will add it to your veggie box so you can decide. Let us know as well, we like to hear you feedback. Share on Facebook

On Thursday the 11th of August, Niseko Green Farm’s vegetables and Mick Nippard’s A-wines will merge into a wine dinner at The Life Stock in Sapporo. Mick will bring some Australian and New Zealand organic wines that match well with our organic produce. How about a blended Moonvine, Hedonist rosé, or Terravin sauvignon blanc to name some.   Terasawa san, chef of the Life  Stock  has put a menu to these wines that will definitely bring out the best of each other.       ●野菜のキッシュ                                                         vegetable quiche ●バーニャ・フレッダ                                                 bagna fredda ●様々な野菜のエトフェ                                             sama zama vegetable etouffee ●ハーブでマリネした鮮魚のカルパッチョ             herb marinated fresh fish carpaccio ●フジッリ　スーゴ・フィント                                 fussili sugo finto ●チキンのロースト　野菜のソースをディップで roast chicken with a vegetable dip sauce ●フロマージュブラン　トマトのマルメラータ     fromage blanc with tomato marmalade Mick, Goto san and I will tell all about these gastronomic delights, but not too much to spoil your appetites.  Come and join us for a fun night with good food and good wine. That’s all we really need in life! There are still a few seats available. first come first serve. The Life Stock. Sapporo. Odori west 23. TEL: 011-631-1233　Fax: 011-631-1232 ¥5000 p.p. en vino veritas   Share on Facebook

Here is a time lapse of the process of planting tomatoes in a green house. YOu can also watch it in HD.

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Our broccoli has grown to gigantic proportions this year. This specimen weighs 1085 grams! Saturday and Sunday we will be bringing lots of these monsters to the farmers market next to Hokkaido jingu in Sapporo. Better wake up early as the market starts at 06.30 in the morning. Share on Facebook

Kaoru Ohsumi from herb & natural room Kina came over to Niseko Green Farm with some herb loving friends for a farm tour and some vegetable picking. Kim and Kat from J-Sekka in Hirafu made us a special lunch with a lot of NGF and local produce. As you can see we more than enjoyed it. Thanks guys! Share on Facebook

  Here is a video of a morning at Niseko Green Farm. This was just before we hit by heavy rains and susuki grass took over and grew about 40 cm in 2 weeks. After that we lost quite a bit of produce that got swallowed up by the raging grass. Having a fertile soil is great for your veggies, but also for the weeds.

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This little pumpkin here is already perfect. Its got a little fruit and some flowers. All it needs now is to grow to supply this halloween pumpkin to grow to about 50kg. That is alot of growing, but there is still a lot of time until the end of September when pumpkin life comes to an end. Share on Facebook

Marche and farmers market season has started again. Tomorrow, Sunday, Marche Sapporo will be at Hokkaido Jingu, in the beautiful Maruyama park. A great location and it looks like we will be there for the whole summer season. Because of the late start of our grow  season we don’t have a lot to sell yet. But we will bring some great fat leeks, oak leaf lettuce, snow preserved carrots, asparagus and potatoes. With some roast pork, it sounds like a great meal to me. Come early, early birds, get it fresh. Share on Facebook

This is a photo of a seed potato about  two weeks after planting. You can see the root system has already developed well and the white bean sprout like shoots are about to come out of the ground. This one is dug up so the shoots are blanched and white like white asparagus, but they will turn green as soon as they see sun light and leafs will form. A good root system is essential for a plant to establish well, so it is the first thing they develop when they grow to absorb water and nutrients for the growth of the plant and new potatoes. Planting vegetables from root cuttings  is a safe way to get the exact same offspring as the mother plant, it’s like a clone. Planting from seed may result in cross pollination, but may create new varieties that could be staple food in the future. Potatoes are almost always grown from a cutting or a piece of potato, but if you want to experiment and play with nature, save the seed of the berries that produce ofter flowering and seed them the year after. they will produce potatoes, but all with a new character. They may become your new favourite. Share on Facebook

We keep our potatoes stored at 4°C until the Hokkaido potato supply starts to run low. To put them on the market they have to be sorted by size and shape. Medium is 80-100 grams, medium-large 101-120 grams, large 121-190 grams, extra large 191-250 grams.  A bit hard to to this by hand, so we have this old potato sorting machine that does it all a lot quicker. Here is a you tube video of how it works. Share on Facebook

21 Days. From flower to harvest. We are counting down the days until we van pick the seasons first fruit. We grow these strawberries for their taste, not for their size. It’s not size that matters after all. Deep red all the way through and juicy, the way they should be. Share on Facebook

garlic.

  A member of the onion family, garlic does well in cold climates and Hokkaido is ideal for growing it. We have gathered some Hokkaido varieties and are working on a large enough supply. Sometimes this takes a few years. This year somewhere early August will harvest our first garlic for sale as well. If you like it, just plant some separate cloves in september and dig them up again the next year in summer. Share on Facebook

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There is so much research being done on the effect of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and cloned food and nobody really knows for sure yet what is good and what is bad for us. One thing that does effect us all, is ourlocal economy and money. We never seem to get a rent reduction from a sympathetic landlord, who smiles and says: go buy some books for your kids, or take them out on a fun day.   We are only as strong as our local economy. Supporting this is essential. By going to major supermarkets, the local grocery shops have all disappeared and with it it’s charm and local flair and the place to pick up the local gossip. Slowly all small businesses are disappearing. A farm is the same thing. If you go local and buy your eggs, vegetables and fruit etc. directly from the farm, you know where the produce comes from and that it is fresh. The farmer gets a better price than if he would dump it on the wholesale market, everybody happy. By going local, ask your farmer if he does or if he can grow organic. Most farmers have a little veggie patch that is organic, just for them selves. When you eat organic you can be 100% sure you are not eating something harmful. If the farmers realize there is market  and better value for them in organics, they will make that shift. If the supermarkets realize people want local and organic, they will make that effort as well.  It makes the world a better place. Below is an article with one reason to be sceptical about eating pesticide rich food. do yourself a favour: go local, go organic. children-exposed-pesticides-before-birth-likely-lower-iq     Share on Facebook

Sign up to Niseko Green Farm and bring the farm to your home. For ¥2500 you get a box with seasonal vegetables and herbs directly from Hokkaido to your home. We will start sometime in June, when the snow is gone and our asparagus will come up. Then from July onward, there will be a steady supply of different organics. We grow lots of heirloom vegetables and it will be great for you to taste the difference in vegetables that have the same name, but look completely different. We will try to add recipes to these, maybe, new varieties as well, so you can start cooking right out of the box. Niseko Green Farm brings the best of Hokkaido, directly to you. Share on Facebook