Announcement of the 2nd Umi Freai Farm Event in the new fiscal year

The event will be held on the 1^st of May. The onions, which we planted in last year’s autumn, have finally reached their time to be harvested. After performing the field activities in the first hour, we will make a cultivation plan about which vegetables we are going to plant this year at the meeting place in Shoujidake. Afterwards, we will have lunch together where we are going to make use of our freshly harvested onions. Please sign up in advance if you want to participate.

 Overview

        Date and Time: Sunday 1^st of May 2016 from approximately 10:00 to 13:00 o´clock.                                         The event will take place regardless of the weather.

        Location:     Umi Freai Farm (Kasuya District Umi-town Shoujidake south 2-chome,15)

        Fee:               300 Yen (children are free) – includes food and organizational expenses

        Subjects:     harvesting onions                                                                                                                                           taking care of other vegetables (covering with earth, removing buds)                                                making a ridge and planting summer vegetables                                                                                     creating a cultivation calendar for the upcoming year

 

Intern Report: Event in Asakura

On Saturday 9^th of April, Groundwork Fukuoka held for the third time a spring event in the Miyazono district of Asakura Kurokawa. The meaning behind this event is to bring people from the local and urban area together by harvesting, cooking and eating wild edible plants together.

The city is about a 1 hour car ride away from Fukuoka, so we left the city quite early in the morning. We arrived about 9:00 am at the event´s place to prepare and set everything in place before the first people arrived. We all were really looking forward to this event because the sun was already smiling at us which showed promising to be a beautiful, sunny and warm day.

At around 10.00 am about 30 people in total gathered to participate in today’s activities. After welcoming everybody we separated into two groups to do different tasks. The first group was leaving to look for wild edible plants around the local area. The second group stayed at the venue and was helping, under the guidance of the professional cooking coordinator Ai Kanetaka, to prepare the Italian dishes.

I took part in Group A to explore the countryside in Japan. We collected wild edible plants like such as bamboo shoots, cod, parsley, aralia, bracken, butterbur and more. It was interesting to see how rich of wild edible plants the Japanese countryside is. After returning back we handed over our harvest and prepared everything for lunch. Since the sun was shining we sat outside to enjoy the warm weather.

Around 1:30 the food was ready and we ate together. Group B prepared several different dishes with wild boar and dear and as well with the wild edible plants Group A harvested. I tried as many as possible and I have to say that the food was very delicious. During lunch everybody enjoyed the meal and was proud of the work we accomplished together. At around 3:00 pm we started cleaning up the place. Due to the help of each other we were done pretty fast and were back in Fukuoka around 6:00 pm.

The day was quite long and exhausting and I felt immediately asleep when I got back home. Nevertheless, it was an awesome experience I was able to make and I had a really great time by exploring the countryside and talking to the people.

Written by Marcel

Announcement of the Umi Freai Farm Event in April

This week on Sunday, Groundwork Fukuoka will hold the first Umi Freia Farm Event of this year’s fiscal year. This event is a place where it gives you an opportunity for a multigenerational exchange (from children to adults) through various farm activities. While learning from each other we grow vegetables with organic pesticide and non-chemical fertilizer. Why aren´t you coming and enjoying the field activities together with us?

Date and Time:        Sunday 3^rd of April

Location:                   Umi Freai Farm (Kasuya District Umi-town Shoujidake south 2-chome, 15)

Access:                        Just a few steps from the Nishitetsu “Shoujidake” bus stop

Subject:                      planting of spring vegetables

To bring with:           towel, something to drink and motivation to work

Enjoy and eat wild edible spring vegetables in Asakura Kurokawa!

Spring has arrived! Plenty of wild edible vegetables such as bamboo shoots, cod, parsley, aralia, bracken, butterbur, etc. start budding on the hills and fields. We look forward to exchange experiences with local people in the Miyazono district of Asakura Kurokawa via picking and cooking wild vegetables together. Under the guidance of the local people we will explore the beautiful countryside. Also in the third realization of this event, we will make again Italian dishes like wild boar and dear with the harvested plants with the food coordinator Kanetaka Aishi. Please feel free to join us

• Time:                                Saturday 9^th of April  2016 (even by light rain)
• Entrance fee:
  • Adult 2000 ¥ (including meal)
  • Junior High School Student or lower 1000 ¥ (including meal)
  • Children below 3 years are free of charge
• Meeting place:              Miyazono contact center (Asakura City Kurokawa 1144)
• Clothing:                        Please wear long sleeves, long pants and comfortable shoes                                         (Suitable clothes for outdoor activities in the nature)
• Schedule:
  • 9:45       Gathering at the local meeting place
  • 10:00     Opening
    •                 searching and digging for wild vegetable and bamboo shoots
    •                 preparation for lunch
  • 12:30     Lunch
  • 14:00     End of event (after cleaning up)

 

Notification of the 17th Flowerpot planting Activity

From 1996 until 2010 the non-profit organization Groundwork Fukuoka conducted the “Harmonious Relationship between Nature and People – Flowerpot planting Activity”. After the reopening of this specific event in autumn 2015, it was decided to hold the activity this year on Sunday the 16^th of April.  Together with several volunteers among the organization/community and the help from some schools, we will raise seedlings of flowers which will be spread and planted around the town afterwards to brightly decorate the area. Through this activity we give you an opportunity to spread and share the same feeling for a barrier-free society among the community by creating a human-nature relationship.

Date and time:  Sunday the 16^th of April 2016

Reception: 9:30 a.m.          Start: 10:00 a.m.              End: 12:30 p.m.

Please be aware that the activity might take longer than anticipated.

Location:             Western parking lot at the flower gardening park

(Fukuoka Kashiwabara 7-chome 571-1)

Please refer to the flyer below for more information.

Organizer:          NPO Groundwork Fukuoka

Co-Host:             NPO Green Caravan

Support:             Panasonic System Network Co., LTD