洋食と喫茶「コスタ(升金の蔵)」
横駐車場
Unzen City in Nagasaki Prefecture , where we farm, has a warm climate and is rich in volcanic ash soil. Traces of human life can be seen since the Jomon period, nourished by mineral-rich waters flowing between the sea and mountains, and energized by the surrounding volcanoes.
We don’t use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and we mainly grow native and heirloom varieties that can produce their own seeds. In addition to vegetables, we also grow rice, mochi(sticky) rice, black rice, and seed potatoes. Everyone can eat our vegetables with peace of mind. We aim to practice agriculture that can increase the lives of the creatures that live on this land, in our rivers, and in the sea.
The beauty, diversity, and vitality that vegetables show us are truly huge works of life. We wish to be a part of their life cycle, nurturing them with care, with love, and sending them out into the world.
Seeds
We focus on growing traditional vegetables, harvesting seeds from those crops, and planting them again to grow new ones. By saving the seeds, they learn and adapt to the local climate, making them better suited to this land. These seeds have survived through all kinds of weather conditions over a long history, and it is nothing short of a miracle that they are in our hands today.
Traditional Vegetables
In Nagasaki, where we live, we have some beautiful traditional vegetables like the Nagasaki Red Turnip and the Unzen turnip mustard greens. These vegetables have been carefully preserved and treasured by our ancestors to be inherited. In fact, it used to be said in Nagasaki City that “you can’t have New Year’s without Nagasaki Red Turnips,” since it was a gorgeous addition to Nagasaki city’s New Year’s dish “Osechi”. However, in recent years, traditional vegetables have become rare in supermarkets. Instead, vegetables from F1 seed varieties, which are a one generation type of vegetables with uniform shape and color, are lined up in stores nationwide. Traditional vegetables now make up less than 1% of what’s available on the market. This is part of a bigger trend worldwide, where traditional vegetables are disappearing—reportedly, 94% of heirloom varieties were lost in the 20th century.
Seed potatoes
These potatoes are a natural variety that was developed by the late Masahiko Tawara in Nagasaki, where potatoes were first introduced to Japan. To create a disease-resistant variety, he deliberately grew them in infected fields, selecting and cultivating only the potatoes that remained disease free. It took Mr.Tawara around ten years to cultivate a single variety of seed potatoes.
At our farm, we continue to grow the same seed potatoes inherited from Mr.Tawara and sell them to farmers and home gardeners across the country.
Offering
Tours and Events
We run tours and events several times a year!
One of our key events is the Vegetable Harvest Festival, where participants can enjoy harvesting winter vegetables, including traditional varieties from Nagasaki.
The event starts with seed collection, followed by harvesting vegetables that have grown strong with the blessings of nature. Participants have the unique opportunity to work in the fields, harvest the vegetables themselves, and take them home. During the harvest, we provide guidance on proper harvesting techniques and offer detailed explanations about the vegetables.
We encourage you to taste the vegetables you’ve personally harvested. The experience offers valuable lessons that can only be learned in the field, and it’s an excellent opportunity to learn about children’s food education, making it a popular event for families too.
The vegetables we harvest differ depending on the season, and we also have events such as seed gathering experiences throughout the year.
For more details, please check out our Instagram page "Takeda Katatsumuri Farm" or feel free to contact us.