The shipping season for Yodo Daikon, a winter delicacy, has arrived in the Oguraike reclamation area that straddles Kumiyama Town and Kyoto City's Fushimi Ward. Farmers are busy shipping the radishes from the chilly early morning, piling up the plump radishes in the washing area.
Yodo Daikon is a traditional Kyoto vegetable called Shogoin Daikon, and is a brand grown by about 10 farmers in a cooperative in the Higashi-imoarai area. This year, the harvest was delayed compared to normal due to the extreme heat and light rain, and shipping began about a month ago.
At the workshop of a 67-year-old farmer who produces the radishes on 5 tan of farmland, shipping work began around 5:30 a.m. The mud from the radishes, which had been soaked in groundwater since the day before, is washed off and they are piled up in several layers. By the time they are all washed, their pure white form is illuminated by the morning sun.
After cutting off excess leaves and roots to give them a neat appearance, they are packed into boxes and shipped to Kyoto City Central Market. A male farmer said, "The colder it gets, the sweeter it gets. It doesn't fall apart easily when cooked, so you can eat it in oden or stews."
Shipments will continue until the end of February.
