For the first time in two months I visited the apple field of Takatoshi Shibata in the Tsugaru area of Aomori prefecture, the hometown of Aomori apple. Last time, the apples were only about the size of a fingertip, but what happened after the rainy season? This is the second in the series, along with summer farming work, to follow its growth.

Among the work from late June to early July, when the rainy season is approaching the middle stage, the most time-consuming task is to hang a bag on each one of the apple fruits in the field. Work called ". At first glance, it may seem like a simple task, but it is said that it takes skillful skill to perform bagging quickly and carefully so that it can not be caught by wind or rain.

Mr. Shibata "I'm doing all by hand, but in my field, I'm trying to finish bagging by the end of June-mid July when the sun begins to get stronger. The number of items is about 3,000 to 4,000 per day. "

I was surprised at the tremendous number, but this is the skill of a veteran of more than 40 years like this Mr. Ashida. In the case of an inexperienced young farmer, it will take more time.

Well, do you know why you put a bag in apples? The reason for protecting it from scratches and disease is somewhat imaginable, but in fact there is one more important role! That is to make the apple red. By blocking the sunlight with a bag and degenerating the pigment that is originally produced by the fruit, the color becomes clear and it seems to grow into a bright red apple.
It is a hard work, but you will grow an apple that has such a lot of time and love.

Even in the Tsugaru peninsula located at the northernmost tip of Honshu, the summer months heat up to nearly 30 ° C. It is a time when new branches are likely to grow from July to August when temperatures rise sharply. Unwanted branches that have nothing to do with the growth of fruits are called "long-legged branches", and the farmer finds these branches and cuts them with scissors every day.

Mr. Shibata "When the branches grow, the leaves block the light, so the color and taste of the apples will be affected. And, if it were originally, the branches that had grown the nutrients they really wanted to turn It is necessary to cut off unnecessary branches because

The light of the sun condenses the sweetness and taste of the apple. I did not think that careful care was given to here so that all apples would be well lit.

By the way, it is also about this time that apple fruits grow and it becomes clear to see the difference between bad fruits and good fruits. Even if you have small fruits or bad shapes, even if you try hard and grow them, you can not sell them as raw food, so we will select and pick "pickles". In contrast to "picking" performed in early spring, the picking operation performed at this time is called "finish picking".

In addition, because the branches grow in weight as the fruit gets bigger, we can not finish detailed work such as putting in a column to support it, cutting under grass, spraying drugs, and so on.

First of all, the red color of the apple is the effect of the pigment contained in the skin. In the autumn, when the temperature gradually falls, the pigment will increase in earnest. So when do you start coloring?

Mr. Shibata "If the mountain just in front of the field turns red, the apple on the field is about to begin to color, too. At this time, remove the bag and turn it into a bright red However, it is very important to determine the time, as the timing of removing the bag will be wrong, so it will be very important to know the time, and the heat inside the bag will make it warm. We are paying close attention by removing the bag at noon when the temperature difference with the outside air is small, etc. If the bag is removed in the morning and evening when the temperature is low, the apple will cause burns due to the temperature difference. "

Since the double bag is sunk by removing it all at once, it seems that we are removing the inner bag three days after removing the outer bag. Raising red and beautiful apples is a very time-consuming journey.

The work to redify the apple continues. The apple removed the bag turns red rapidly by being exposed to ultraviolet light, but in order to be able to be more effectively exposed to the sun, a sheet coated with aluminum foil is laid on the ground and reflected light is used.

Mr. Shibata "By laying the sheet, even the parts of the buttocks and the fruits inside can be colored evenly."

The most difficult task for farmers to make apples turn red: “picking leaves”. It is said that in order to evenly apply sunlight to apples and to improve color uniformity evenly, picking leaves one by one blocking light.

Mr. Shibata "If you pick the leaves, turn the vine lightly to turn the apple lightly to" turn around "to finish the main part of the pre-harvest. I just wait for

Speaking of the color of an apple, I think first of all "red", but in order to put out this beautiful "red", there was an extraordinary effort.

By the way, I have told you that there is a great effort to make apples turn red, but on the other hand, attention is now paid to the taste of "leaves and not apples" which do not work on "leaf picking". It has been received.

Mr. Shibata "It is said that the nutrient made from the leaves is stored in the fruit, and the sweetness is increased. Since the leaves are the" plants "that make the taste of apples, by daring not picking the leaves, it is It is possible to make it into a sweet apple.There is color unevenness because it does not pick the leaves, but it is recommended for those who want to prioritize the taste over the appearance. "

It is said that the number of apple farmers is decreasing steadily with the aging of the population, but the reduction of such time-consuming work is very grateful to farmers.

Another thing that attracts attention as a “Savior” of farmers who are suffering from labor shortages is “Toki” and “"Orin"Apples of yellow varieties such as "Shinano Gold". You don't have to color your apples red, so you don't have to do the burdensome tasks of hanging a bag, spreading a reflective sheet, picking leaves, etc.

Mr. Shibata "If you hear it as a yellow apple, you may have a sour image, but there is no such thing. It is not covered with bags or leaf picking, so it's full of sun, and it's rather sweet and delicious. You can make apples, it's easy to grow, it's easy to grow, and it's good to eat as well. Please discard the prejudice that "the apple is red" and try it by all means!

Mr. Shibata's apple, which is grown with a lot of effort and love. Zubari, how about making an apple this year?

Mr. Shibata "This year's apple flowers are growing earlier than usual, so we are growing at a faster pace than usual. A leopard came down once at the end of May, but fortunately there was no major damage, and it grew well. I was worried about the rainy season, but it looks like we can expect average yields in 2017 as well. "

Only a few days until the harvest. I hope that you will be able to make delicious apples safely this year.

By the way, Aomori apple boasts the world's most delicious taste such as crispy texture, sweet and sour smell and richness, but do you know that there is juice that you can enjoy the taste as it is?acureThe 100% straight apple juice "Aomori apple series", which can be purchased from a vending machine, offers a taste of the freshly picked apples as a whole.ekinakaWell, it's nice to enjoy the taste of seasonal apples as it is!

※ "acureDrinks that can be purchased at the vending machine will differ depending on the station and time.

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