A year and a half and only one crop!

The first time I saw “butsuchikan” (bush kan) was at the plant hunter Kiyoshun Nishibatake [Ultra Plant Expo] that I produced on July 8, 2015.

A rare citrus plant that brings happiness, introduced to Japan from India as “the rare fruit of immortality.” When viewed up close, the peel has the bumpy feel of a citrus fruit, but the shape resembles a small banana.” The name comes from the fact that it looks like a “Buddha’s hand.

In fact, bushcan is a plant that came into Japan in the first half of the Edo period via Okinawa (“Zensho of Agriculture,” published in 1697).

Since the Edo period (1603-1867), it has been used for ikebana (flower arrangement) and tea ceremonies, and favored by artists as a motif for their paintings, and is depicted in many sculptures and picture plates. Recently, it has been used in a wide range of applications, including non-sweet jams, healthy teas, alcoholic drinks, and throat lozenges.

Bushcan also contains “hesperidin,” which protects capillaries from bacteria and viruses. It has the effect of improving blood flow, preventing hyperlipidemia, etc.

It was planted for the first time at Speedy Farm Okinawa on May 18, 2021. The following year, on June 26, 2022, it bore its first fruit. Another six months passed from that point, and they were harvested this week as they matured.

…. But alas, only one harvest in a year and a half. What a disappointment!

At any rate, the trees and leaves are healthy and I will continue to nurture them. I guess farming shouldn’t be so easy. Also, Mr. Seijun has told me about taking in plants that were thought to be dead in his office and making them healthy again, so I think I will be patient.