Before the typhoon, “Shikwasa” grown at a farm in Nanjo City, Okinawa Prefecture, was harvested in a great hurry.

Completely pesticide-free and herbicide-free “Aogiri” Shikwasa grown vigorously in the scorching sun.

*”Aokiri” refers to fruits harvested while they are still green, before they are ripe. The reason why they are harvested before they are ripe is because they contain abundant nutritional value. Citric acid is about twice that of lemons!

The bitter blue peel contains nobiletin, which is expected to suppress increases in blood sugar and blood pressure and burn fat. This “nobiletin” is also expected to suppress the production of melanin, which causes blemishes.

There are many ways to use Shikwasa as an accent for water, juice, alcohol, and cooking. It is recommended to be poured over fried or grilled fish, on salads instead of vinegar, or drizzled over soy sauce as “Shikwasa soy sauce” for sashimi or dumplings.

We did not sell them this time, but distributed all of them to the people concerned. However, in the Okinawan market, the selling price is 10 yen per piece, and wholesale to JA is 3 yen. That means that even if we could harvest 300 per tree, it would still cost us 900 yen! And since they are all not up to their standards, they don’t amount to much.

If they were mail-ordered through “Eat Choku,” the take-home pay would be 7 yen per piece, but considering the shipping costs from Okinawa, it would not be profitable. Agriculture, like other industries, must have brand value-added products to be viable as a business.

That’s all for now, from the field!