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Corn, a gift from the sun
Mrs Ishizaki smiling in front of her sun dried corn. 99.09.27/ Temperature: 10C/ Weather: Partly Cloudy/ Wind Direction: NE
Start: Intersection of highway 240 and 241/Latitude: 43 26 30 N/Longitude: 144 01 30 E
Destination: Intersection of highway 240 and 241
Latitude: Kami Ashioro/Latitude: 43 18 19 N /Longitude: 143 42 40 E
Distance Traveled: 26 kmThe changing of the leaves has begun in the deep forest of Akan National Park.Maple and mountain ash have already turned a rich red; othertrees dot the roadside with the first yellow of fall. Leaving Akanbehind I entered Ashioro where the forest has been cut back to the foothills and space created for large fields, barns and houses.
With Mt. Meiakan towering behind me, I came upon a small farm. Corn hung drying from a link chain, firewood was piled neatly along the wall of an aluminum shed, and I could hear someone rustling around in an old wooden garage. An elderly woman emerged out a small opening in the garage hunched over with a thin towel rapped around her head.
I hesitantly called out to this woman, "Excuse me." Still hunched over, she glanced up smiling. "Yes?" Curious about the drying corn, I inquired about it. "The corn is overripe. When it's overripe it is no good for people to eat so I'm drying it." I asked what it would be used for. "Since the sun has been so kind to bless us with the corn, it should go to some use. Once it's dry, it crumbles very easily and I'll give it to the cows or horses. In the old days we used everything to its fullest," she said, obviously adjusting her local dialect to suit my standard Japanese ears.
A small rambling stream located off of route 241. Mrs Ishizaki introduced herself to me with no hesitation. Her parents came to Hokkaido from Aomori before she was born and started farming. In addition to corn, Mrs. Ishizaki has succeeded her parents growing beets, beans, red beans and potatoes. Wondering if it is tough working on the farm, I asked Mrs Ishizaki about it. She told me, "I was born here. The beauty of the place is great, but there are some tough things. I can't go to town easily. It's not so bad though. Living justtakes a little bit of planning"
This short run-in with Mrs. Ishizaki reminded me of the trout backbone and head miso that I had in Hinode (See Wisdom Report #006). Not a single part of the trout was wasted. No trash was created and a very healthy dish made. Here too, every last ear of corn is used for something. I wondered what Mrs. Ishizaki would think about all the carrots and potatoes that I have seen on the roadside which have fallen off of farm trucks, or about all of the garbage that gets put out weekly in front of my apartment in Tokyo.
Greg
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