Near the tranquil onsen (hot spring) town of Yufuin, Oita Prefecture, chef Tashi Gyamtso walks among Enowa Farm's rows of vibrant vegetables and edible flowers. The air is rich with the scent of freshly turned soil and flowering herbs, and Gyamtso’s tall, lithe frame and sun-bronzed skin hint at the years he’s spent tending these fields, looking right at home with his shovel and muddy gumboots.
Behind him rise the twin peaks of Mount Yufu, the source of the rich volcanic minerals that make the soil here so fertile. He pauses to pluck a peapod from its vine and offers me a taste. As the sweet peas burst in my mouth, I’m transported back to my childhood, eating just-picked peas in my grandma’s garden and discovering the joy of fresh vegetables.
“Good, right?” Gyamtso says with a smile as we head to the hothouse where he’s cultivating dozens of herbs and micro-vegetables.
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