00:00 [Music]
00:06 In spring and autumn, Japan's forests are ripe with mushrooms.
00:12 Of all the many types, shiitake are perhaps the mushrooms most often used in washoku, or Japanese cuisine.
00:19 Both fresh and dried shiitake are used.
00:22 The dried mushrooms are first rehydrated by soaking in water.
00:27 Shiitake produce the umami flavor that's the basis of all washoku.
00:33 Not only delicious, but also safe and chemical-free, Japanese dried shiitake are growing in popularity abroad.
00:41 Sixteen countries now import major quantities of these delicious meaty mushrooms that are often cooked in the same way as steak.
00:52 Oita, in the southern island of Kyushu, is Japan's largest producer of dried shiitake mushrooms.
01:02 Seventy percent of Oita is forested, and these forests contain many broadleaf trees like oak,
01:08 and especially sawtooth oak that are ideal for shiitake cultivation.
01:15 There are two methods of shiitake cultivation.
01:20 They can be grown indoors on artificial mushroom beds, and on logs out in the forest.
01:30 Shiitake for eating fresh are usually grown indoors, while shiitake for drying are grown outdoors on logs.
01:38 For indoor cultivation, mushroom beds of finely crushed wood with added nutrients are inoculated with shiitake spores.
01:49 Our organic shiitake mushrooms are grown on beds made from freshly cut sawtooth oak, grown right here in Oita.
01:56 To help the mushrooms grow, we infuse the beds with specially selected natural nutrients.
02:03 Temperature, humidity, and light are precisely regulated to ensure uniform results.
02:15 In the outdoor method, logs inoculated with shiitake spores are left stacked up in the forest for the mushrooms to grow naturally.
02:25 The first step is to cut trees to make the logs.
02:29 Sawtooth oak is an evergreen, acorn-bearing tree.
02:35 This is shiitake farmer Kurahashi Kiyoharu and his son, Seizo.
02:43 After felling the trees, they leave them to dry naturally for several months.
02:49 The sawtooth oak is fast growing, and it takes just ten years for a new tree to grow back from the stump.
02:57 After the timber has dried, they cut it into one-metre lengths, then drill holes to implant plugs containing the mushroom spores.
03:07 The inoculated logs are then stacked up deep in the forest. They'll be ready to harvest in about two years.
03:16 See how the sunlight comes through the trees onto the logs?
03:19 That's because we thinned out the forest this year. You need lots of light to get really good shiitake.
03:27 Shiitake cultivation requires careful and regular thinning of the surrounding trees, a process that also helps preserve the forest.
03:37 When a forest becomes too dense, the trees interfere with each other's growth and never develop fully.
03:45 Too thick a canopy of branches and leaves blocks out the sun, preventing plants on the ground from growing and damaging the whole forest ecosystem.
03:57 So shiitake cultivation protects the forests too.
04:02 These are really nice.
04:06 This method results in excellent quality shiitake without the use of artificial chemicals.
04:12 Logs last for four to five years before becoming too decayed for cultivation.
04:19 Nothing goes to waste. We use the old logs for fertiliser.
04:25 After harvesting, the mushrooms are sorted by size and dried for about 24 hours.
04:34 Drying deepens the flavour of the shiitake and gives them a long shelf life.
04:43 Dried shiitake mushrooms, highly nutritious and brimming with umami, are a feature in all washoku, from daily meals to gourmet banquets.
04:55 Healthy and safe, with a true taste of nature, shiitake are a key part of Japan's food culture.
05:04 For more information, visit www.fema.gov/en/shiitake-cultivation.
Comments