Desserts using cucumbers, asparagus, tomatoes and watermelons are gaining popularity at a farmers’ shop in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Tanabata, a patisserie of the farmers’ shop run by an agricultural cooperative in Sendai (JA Sendai), offers vegetable-inspired desserts produced under the supervision of Tokyo-based Potager, which is said to be the first shop in the world to specialize in vegetable desserts. 300-yen Cucumber Jelly, a jelly made from cucumbers and grapefruits placed on top of yogurt mousse, offers a refreshing aftertaste. Enjoy the texture of asparagus in 350-yen Asparagus Cheese Tart. Bright-colored, 250-yen Tomato and Watermelon Pudding is pleasant to the eye. The three desserts are available only in the … Continue reading →

  SENDAI, Miyagi Prefecture – An agricultural cooperative in Sendai (JA Sendai) will implement a plan to facilitate the use of farmlands damaged by the March 2011 tsunami by consolidating them and acting as a go-between for farmland owners to lend them to different types of farmers, JA Sendai officials said. JA Sendai hopes to coordinate farmland use so that the land can be used efficiently by large-scale farmers, part-time farmers, small family farmers and self-sufficient farmers, as well as being managed as corporate farms, community farms and allotment gardens, they said. In the coastal region of Sendai city, 1,800 hectares of farmland – 1,600 hectares of which are rice … Continue reading →