Young Ginger in Season in Hokkaido

Hokkaido-grown young ginger is now at the peak of its harvest season.

Currently, young ginger is being cultivated in several towns across Hokkaido.
One of these is Kuriyama Town, where this is the third year of cultivation, with six local farmers growing young ginger.

We spoke with Hisae Yoshida of Yoshida Farm.

Mr. Yoshida is a farmer who primarily grows onions, with fields in both Kuriyama Town and Iwamizawa City. For the past two years, he has also been working with the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) to cultivate young ginger.

What it Takes to Grow Young Ginger in Hokkaido

Many people might be surprised to hear that young ginger is grown in Hokkaido.

When you think of ginger production in Japan, Kochi Prefecture is famous. Most of the ginger you see in supermarkets is likely from Kochi.
Globally, major ginger-producing regions include warm countries like India and Nigeria.
That's right—ginger cultivation is best suited to warm climates, as the crop dislikes the cold.

So, how was it possible to grow a warm-weather crop like ginger in Hokkaido, where mornings and evenings are relatively cool even in summer?

"It's all about thorough temperature control until the seed ginger (old ginger root) sprouts, and then growing it inside a warm greenhouse," he explains.

Mr. Yoshida uses the greenhouses that become available after he's finished raising onion seedlings. Other farmers, he says, use greenhouses freed up after raising rice seedlings.

The cultivation schedule for young ginger is roughly as follows.

First, the seed ginger (old ginger root) is planted in early April to sprout. Ginger is very sensitive to cold and will rot if the temperature drops below 14°C. Therefore, they use heating cables to maintain a constant temperature, growing it at 20°C for 35 days until the accumulated temperature (*) reaches 700 degrees and it sprouts.

*Accumulated temperature: A measure of the heat required for the growth of plants, especially agricultural crops. It is expressed as the cumulative value of the average daily temperature over the growing period. (From Shogakukan's Japan Encyclopedia (Nipponica))

In mid-May, after the onion seedling cultivation is finished and the greenhouses are free, the sprouted seed ginger is transplanted into the greenhouses. The timing is slightly different, but ginger is similarly planted in greenhouses after the rice seedling cultivation is complete.

From then on, he says, they ensure the ginger gets plenty of water and sunlight inside the greenhouse.

"The key is to never let it dry out. Ginger is resistant to diseases, so we don't use any pesticides at all. That means both the leaves and the ginger are safe and secure."
The greenish parts on the soil are moss, a sign that the ground is kept constantly moist. The clay-like soil at Yoshida Farm also has good water retention, which is suitable for ginger cultivation.

From late September to mid-October, when the young ginger is ready for harvest, it is dug up.

This is the second year Yoshida Farm has cultivated young ginger. They are working hard, experimenting with new methods like starting pot seedlings in April this year, all while collaborating with the JA representative.

Wow, it looks like that? The True Form of Young Ginger

When we visited in mid-September, Mr. Yoshida dug up some young ginger for us.
These are the leaves. They look a bit like bamboo leaves.

He carefully inserts a shovel to avoid damaging the ginger and digs it up.

And out comes such a large clump of young ginger...! I was shocked to see that young ginger grows underground like this and that it's originally such a big cluster.

The whitish part on top is the young ginger, and the small piece attached at the bottom is the seed ginger (old ginger root) used for sprouting.
It's amazing to think that such a large young ginger and its lush leaves can grow from such a small piece of seed ginger. The vitality of ginger is truly impressive.

After being harvested, the young ginger is washed clean, the leaves are cut off, and it's shipped out.
It's so fresh and has such a beautiful color, doesn't it?

Mr. Yoshida's favorite ways to eat it are pickled in sweet vinegar or simmered as tsukudani!

Using this ginger, culinary expert Ms. Matsuda created young ginger recipes that pair perfectly with sake from Kobayashi Sake Brewery, also in Kuriyama Town: "Hokuto Zuiso" and "Maruta"!

Left: Beef Shigure-ni with Plenty of Ginger Right: Young Ginger and Nori Seaweed Sandwich

Be sure to use these recipes to enjoy plenty of this seasonal young ginger.

Where Can I Get This Young Ginger?

Yoshida Farm's young ginger is shipped to Hokuren.
You can purchase it at Hokuren and A-COOP stores within Hokkaido, and some is also shipped to Tokyo.
If you're nearby, be sure to check for it when you go shopping.

Mr. Yoshida's Vision for the Future of Young Ginger

"I'd be happy if people in Hokkaido try the young ginger grown in Kuriyama and become fans. I want to establish a culture of eating young ginger more firmly in Hokkaido and, as a farmer, grow even more of it."

This year marks the third year of young ginger cultivation in Kuriyama Town. Currently, it's still in an experimental phase, with farmers working together in a "study group" format.

He mentioned that they have been searching for better cultivation methods by exchanging opinions with farmers and JA representatives from Bibai City, which started growing young ginger earlier in Hokkaido.

The current challenge is the limited number of buyers. Now that stable cultivation is becoming possible, he hopes that Hokkaido residents will learn that young ginger is grown locally and that a culture of enjoying it more casually will take root.

If you find Hokkaido-grown young ginger at the supermarket, please pick it up and enjoy not only pickled ginger but also Ms. Matsuda's shigure-ni and nori sandwich recipes.