The summer of sweltering heat is finally showing signs of coming to an end, and the wind has started to feel cool in the mornings and evenings. The weather is finally starting to feel like “autumn.”
What comes to mind when you hear “autumn”?
As someone who loves food, I can’t help thinking of seasonal treats: chestnuts, sweet potatoes, Pacific saury…
When “grapes” were the first autumn fruit that came to mind, I contacted Kobayashi Nousan in Tamashima and was told, “Come at the end of September.”
Grapes in Kurashiki are in season in early September. I experienced grape picking firsthand and reported on what it was like, as well as why Kobayashi Nousan held a grape-picking event in late September.
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is “Taste Nature’s Bounty! The Last Grape Harvesting Experience of the Season”?
“Taste Nature’s Bounty! The Last Grape Harvesting Experience of the Season” is a grape-picking event hosted by Kobayashi Katsuhiro of Kobayashi Nousan, located in Tamashima, Kurashiki City. It was held on Sunday, September 22, 2024, starting at 10 a.m. and lasting about two hours.
The grapes available for picking that day were a variety called Pione, which are purple and almost seedless. It’s a familiar variety to Kurashiki City residents, as it is grown at many grape farms in the city.
This was a generous plan that let participants not only eat the grapes they picked on the spot, but also take some home.
What the day was like
When I arrived at Kobayashi Nousan at 10 a.m., about seven participants had gathered, wearing long sleeves, long pants, and rubber boots. This clothing helps protect them, as there may be venomous snakes and other hazards in the vineyard.
After brief introductions, it was finally time to head to the vineyard.
Tamashima is a hilly area. The path to Kobayashi Nousan’s vineyard was steep, but I was excited at the thought of seeing lots of Pione grapes, and climbed up easily with a spring in my step.
Let’s go grape picking
As soon as we arrived at the vineyard, grape picking began.
The grapes available for picking were covered with white paper bags to protect them from pests and disease, so we chose which grapes to harvest from among them.
That day was two weeks past the “peak season,” when grapes are said to taste best. Some grapes were overripe or had lost most of their contents, so we chose which ones to pick by checking their size from outside the bags and looking inside them.
The grapes we picked could be eaten on the spot or taken home.
I ate the smaller bunches there and decided to take the larger ones home.
For the grapes to take home, Mr. Kobayashi separates the edible parts from the inedible ones, puts them in bags, and then packs them in a box.
How to tell the colorful grapes apart
What I found interesting was that although all the grapes in the vineyard were the same variety, “Pione,” they came in a range of colors, from yellow-green to pale purple to deep purple. Mr. Kobayashi explained the differences in color and how best to eat them.
So even grapes of the same “Pione” variety come in all sorts of colors.
Kobayashi (name omitted)
That’s right. The sugar content of Pione grapes varies depending on their color. The lighter the color, the lower the sugar content and the more tart they are; the darker the color, the higher the sugar content and the sweeter they tend to be. So lighter-colored grapes are suited to processed products such as jam and compote, while darker ones are best eaten as they are.
Why do grapes grow in different colors?
Kobayashi
Because we didn’t thin the berries enough. Photosynthesis is needed for all the berries to develop an even, deep color, so we thin out the berries in each bunch to let sunlight reach them all. But if you thin them too much, the bunches end up small.
That also makes them look less appealing, and they won’t fit properly in the standard boxes. So it’s not good to thin them too much.
Normally, there’s an opportunity in August to ship grapes for processing to the agricultural cooperative. But this year, I wanted to see how the lighter-colored grapes would turn out without shipping them, so I left them on the vines until now.
Why plan a grape-picking event at the end of the season?
Was there a reason you held a grape-harvesting experience after the season had ended, rather than in the middle of it?
Kobayashi
When grape season ends, we harvest all the grapes and either eat them or use them for processing.
If we’re not going to use them right away, we freeze them for storage.
When I thought about how to harvest and make use of all the grapes still on the vines, I thought, “Since we have the chance, let’s invite everyone to come and enjoy them,” and planned this grape-picking event.
The season may have passed, but there were still plenty of grapes to eat.
I want everyone to enjoy them, since they’re grapes I’ve grown with great care.
Of course, since the season has passed, they’ll spoil if you don’t eat them soon. For that reason, I’m grateful to have people come who can eat them here or take them home right after picking.
Enjoy colorful grapes at the end of the season by connecting local growers and consumers directly
I moved to Kurashiki from the Kanto region in December 2023, and this was my first time grape picking since arriving in Kurashiki.
In Kanto, I’d often seen neatly shaped grapes on supermarket shelves and grapes at orchards set up for grape picking. But enjoying the last grapes of the season alongside the grower and choosing how to eat them based on the color and size of each individual grape was a very interesting experience.
The prices are also easier on the wallet than in Kanto, and although the grapes may be uneven in shape, they can all be enjoyed in different ways.
I’d like to keep enjoying Kurashiki’s fruit, meeting growers face to face and learning how to make even irregularly shaped fruit taste delicious.
Kobayashi Nousan plans to stay open through the winter. I hear that mandarin orange picking is planned next.
Kobayashi Nousan details
| Name | Kobayashi Nousan |
|---|---|
| Date held | Sunday, September 22, 2024, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. |
| Location | 1184 Kurosaki, Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | 2,000 yen |
| Website | Kobayashi Nousan |
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