Season | Manganji pepper

Manganji peppers as models

I was fascinated by the Manganji peppers that were shown to me in the greenhouse and asked, "Isn't it sexy?" The shoulders were tightly tapered, the body was bright green and the skin was firm and shiny.

Not only are they feminine and glamorous, but they are also tall, measuring 13 to 23cm , and are selected for their excellent or superior size. If they were people, they would be like models walking down the runway at a fashion show. Among them, there are some that are not harvested until they reach 23cm or more, further polishing their miraculous bodies without a single blemish, making them supermodel-level peppers worthy of being in the spotlight on the stage of Paris Fashion Week.

The world's largest

Season , located in Miwa-cho, Fukuchiyama City, is the farm that names these peppers that exceed the standards for size and beauty as "Kiwami" (Extreme) and is working to commercialize them as premium Manganji peppers. This farm is the world's largest grower of Manganji peppers, shipping 300 to 400 kg of Manganji peppers a day, and 52 tons of them last year.

The variety they cultivate, both in greenhouses and outdoors, is Manganji Sweet Pepper, which was born in the Taisho era and was brought over from Maizuru City, the same hometown as Manganji peppers. Manganji peppers are now a traditional vegetable that represents Kyoto, but their production is expanded nationwide.

However, Manganji sweet peppers are only grown in Maizuru City, Ayabe City, and parts of Fukuchiyama City, where Season is based. Although it has a short history of about 100 years among Kyoto vegetables, it can be considered a true Kyoto vegetable.

Fulfillment of "ten thousand" wishes

"Isn't it sexy?" said Kubo Yochi ( 42 years old), the representative of Season , introducing the greenhouse-grown Manganji sweet peppers. Kiwami is a "pepper that has grown secretly to fulfill all your wishes," and he wants to promote it as a lucky charm in addition to being edible. Manganji peppers are delicate vegetables that make farmers cry, as their leaves shake and get damaged just by touching them.

As for the Kiwami, which escapes Kubo and his team's eyes, passes the harvest season and grows to a size of over 23 cm without a single blemish, it is no exaggeration to say that its existence is truly a miracle.

From their perspective, the purpose of Manganji peppers is to ripen, fall, sow seeds, and create the next generation.

Growing them is difficult enough, but missing the harvest timing seems like a dilemma for farmers. The Kiwa, which has grown big and beautifully in secret, quietly praying that it will be overlooked, seems to have a sacred power that cannot help but forgive everything, and I couldn't help but want to offer a prayer.

Their Summer

I visited [ Season ] on an August morning. Even though it was morning, it was hot like summer outside, but the girls inside the house looked cool and comfortable.

"Manganji peppers are sensitive to sunlight, so we hang netting with a 50 % shading rate to prevent the fruit from burning. Also, if the room temperature inside the greenhouse and the temperature underground are too high, the calcium cannot be absorbed and this causes the peppers to rot. That's why we use shading netting, and we also turn on the ventilation fan when the temperature exceeds 28 degrees Celsius."

What if the leaves were hair? The women have sensitive skin that becomes irritated just by touching their hair blowing in the wind. Kubo and the other staff at Season also act as their personal hair stylists and makeup artists.

House is a salon

"We leave plenty of space between each plant, at 40 cm. We cut the branches and leaves so they aren't too crowded. If the branches and leaves are crowded together, not only will they get rubbed against each other and damaged, but shadows will be created, causing the fruit to become unevenly colored or even turn white."

If you listen carefully to the rustling of the leaves, you can almost hear the girls chattering away as they relax in the waiting room before the show of harvesting and shipping. And for Manganji peppers, moisture is essential for skin and body care.

The source of beauty is water

"It is said that each Manganji pepper stalk requires six liters of water per day, and in the past, they were watered thoroughly in the morning. However, I began to think that this was not the case, and after sharing information with other producers, I realized this.

"It's important to keep the soil moisture constant. Currently, we automatically switch to low-volume, high-volume watering once every 40 minutes. If there is too much or too little moisture in the soil, the Manganji peppers become stressed and the fruit becomes extremely bent, or may not produce any fruit at all."

Healthy and sweet

Their bodyguards are thorough, taking into consideration not only pests and bacteria, but also accidents that could put an end to Kiwami's path to becoming a supermodel.

"If the branches break, the fruit cannot obtain enough moisture and becomes wrinkled, so it is important to guide the branches well." The taste of Manganji sweet peppers, which are grown with the utmost care to be large, beautiful, and healthy from the inside, is...

Despite its impressive size, it is by no means bulky, and the sweet flavor fills your mouth with an exceptional taste. You might think that the texture would be tough if the meat was thick, but it is juicy and soft, with a supple texture no matter where you bite into it.

Their existence

[ Season ] is committed to a stable supply and also grows its produce outdoors. Just like the women, I was fascinated by the Manganji peppers that were shown to me in the field next to the greenhouse. The Manganji sweet peppers grown outdoors have a sturdy, muscular, masculine appearance.

The flavor, texture, and aroma are all impressive, and you can enjoy a taste that you can't get from greenhouse-grown peppers, so it would be interesting to try them at different harvest times. "Given my nature, I'm not suited to growing a wide variety of peppers in small quantities. So I thought, let's grow them on a larger scale! I started growing Manganji peppers nine years ago, and gradually expanded the scale.

"I want people to think, 'I'll buy it because they're the ones making it!' So, since last year, we've been promoting our farming through our own services and crowdfunding," says Kubo, whose passion is embodied in the Season website. If you can experience their passion and use your five senses to appreciate the deliciousness of their produce, you're sure to become a fan in no time.

Photo by: Takashi Kuroyanagi

Writer: socko

Farmer: Season

Produced by OYAOYA