September 15th is “Respect-for-the-aged” day in Japan.
It became a national holiday in Japan in 1966, but why September 15th? It is based on this legend:
There was a dedicated son who lived with his ailing father. Every day, he went to the mountains to gather firewood to sell and make a living. One day, he went too far and couldn’t go back home. Next morning he smelled something sweet, followed it, and fell into the basin of a waterfall. The sweet smell was from the water. He had a sip and felt his body warmed up and filled with energy. He thought it might do good to his bedridden father and took some home. His father drank it and said “this is sake”. From that moment, the father gradually recovered from illness and became healthy again in a few months. The Emperor at the time was impressed by the story of this devoting son, and went to see the waterfall himself. The date of his visit is said to be September 15th, 717.
The Emperor named the fall “Yoro (nourishing the aged) Waterfall” and it still exists in Gifu prefecture. Next time you visit Japan, it can be an interesting destination.
In our garden, shishito peppers are thriving. One of our customers told us that they are almost identical to the Spanish peppers cooked in Tapas, Pimientos de Padrón. We researched online and did our best to recreate the Tapas recipe. We also did not want to forget our Japanese origin and cooked them in our way. Click here for the recipe of both dishes.
For our farm gate sale this Wednesday, we have salad mix(6), Romaine lettuce(4), green leaf lettuce(4), komatsuna(4), radicchio(5), parsley(4), shishito peppers(5), cherry tomatoes(5), heirloom tomatoes(5), German butter potatoes(6), cucumber(2), zucchini(3), kale(4), collard(4), chard(4), eggplant(2)(Prices are in bracket). Please place an order by the end of Tuesday through sorafarmveggie@gmail.com, or just drop by and let us pick what you would like. Hours are 10am-1pm, address is 1820 Seymour road, Gabriola Island.
You can also place an order and pick it up at the Wednesday market, which runs at 4pm – 6pm at AGI hall. We will also have wholegrain spelt sourdough bread for Wednesday market.
Our market schedule is as follows:
- Wednesdays 4pm – 6pm
- Saturdays 10am – 2pm
For pre-order of our sourdough bread and koji bread for Saturday, please click below and fill in the form, or send us an email to sorafarmveggie@gmail.com.
Enjoy a cooler but still summer week!
Sora Farm 