Beautiful day - planning for harvest

Great day just to walk around the village and see all the hustle bustle as folks prepare for the harvest. A few farmers are already getting started. We are slated for Oct. 14th.

We are all required to belong to the JA in this area. I guess some people are independent of the government agency but it's more risky: JA guarantees that you will get some money and they provide crop loss insurance (but they also require us to purchase and apply certain pesticides and herbicides). Some JA groups are more helpful than others. A lot of farmers complain about our group just collecting dues and not doing anything to educate farmers or improve yields.

We each draw up a contract before the season as to how much we will sell to the government, then officials come around and estimate the yield. They put a bamboo stick in front of the field with a little paper note attached which you need to read before it rains or gets blown away. The officials make sure we give the proper amount - if we fall short, we must pay a penalty. My husband agreed to sell 1/3 of our crop this year; the rest we give away or eat. What a business - so glad he isn't running a company. We give away most of the rice to various extended family members who are consistently too busy to help, too poor to pay but never too busy to pick up their share. The problem this year was that the local rep used last year's contract (which was for half the crop) so JA is expecting more rice from us.

The rice that we keep needs to be milled privately and that has to be arranged in advance. My husband also forgot to order the bags from the private mill (you can't use old bags) and didn't inform them of the change of harvest date until yesterday and they aren't sure they can handle our load on that day. Sigh. It will all get sorted out. I'm no help - I just wish dear husband would write down the dates of things so we don't need to scramble at the last minute or pay penalties.

The kaki or persimmon are turning orange and some have already been harvested. They taste like autumn. Mikan (tangerines) are just coming into season as well and they are a welcome addition to the fruit bowl. Our mikan are grown locally on the hillsides overlooking the sea. They don't do well down here in the inland valley but thrive on the steep terrain of terraced hills where they have ample drainage and cool breezes. The rainfall gave a quick jolt to the veggie garden and everything is growing rapidly, enjoying the warm sunny days and cool evenings.