'Flying pumpkins' spotted in Japan
According to the Hokkaido prefectural government’s section for the promotion of agricultural production, the extreme differences between night and daytime temperatures in comparison to other prefectures results in delicious pumpkins with a soft and crumbly texture.
Farmers in the town of Naganuma in the prefecture have started cultivating kabocha pumpkins by keeping them suspended above ground. Known as aeroculture, this method ensures the lower half of the squash, which would normally be submerged in soil, receives sunlight as it grows. According to the farmers, this produces well-colored pumpkins.
When pumpkins are grown via the conventional method, the side in contact with the soil tends to become yellow due to a lack of sunlight, or the surface tends to be rough. Suspending pumpkins in the air as they grow helps them develop a nice shape and color because the entire surface is evenly exposed to sunlight.
“This year, our pumpkins have a better texture and quality than on average,” said Shinsei Shoji President Masaei Takada. The company’s pumpkins were trading at about ¥3,000 per 10 kilograms — a higher price than for pumpkins cultivated on soil.
These carefully grown kabocha have come to be known as “flying pumpkins.” Shinsei Shoji and neighboring farmers have established an association for the produce and ship a total of about 7,000 of them each year.
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