Pulling Together for Our Daikon Harvest
Preschool
November 30, 2018
The daikon seeds planted by Mountain class (age 4) in September had grown large, so we visited the field to harvest them on November 26.
Living in Yokohama brings many opportunities, but chances to handle vegetables growing in a field are less common.
This harvest was possible thanks to the help of a farmer, Fujimata. Having a school bus was another reason we could arrange an outing like this.
Ocean (age 2) and Jungle (age 3) classes went in the morning. The journey of about 40 minutes felt like an exciting excursion to the children.
When we arrived and tried putting on work gloves, they were so large on the two-year-olds’ hands that everyone looked like a little ghost! Some decided not to wear them, and we began harvesting.
These impressive daikon were not easy for two- and three-year-olds to pull out. Like the characters in The Enormous Turnip, they heaved together, calling, “Heave-ho!” They delighted in their harvest: “Look how big it is!” “Yours is red!” “There is a black one!” When a friend struggled, others offered to help and worked together. The children proudly showed us their daikon, but taking photographs was a challenge: roots and leaves together were almost large enough to hide their whole bodies, with little faces peeking through the leaves.
Mountain class came in the afternoon. Unlike the younger classes, they quickly worked together and pulled out one daikon after another. The many radishes soon disappeared from the field, surprising the farmer with the children’s strength. Inspired by The Enormous Turnip, some children even held onto the waist of a friend who was pulling. Experiencing a vegetable harvest themselves, rather than only hearing about it in a story, will surely give them a richer picture the next time they listen.
After harvesting, we asked Mountain class to collect scattered leaves and pull weeds. We wanted them to understand that a field needs preparation before new vegetables can grow, and that we should leave a place tidy after using it.
The children took their harvested daikon home!
These were the varieties we harvested.
We prepared several varieties to make the experience interesting and learned about them beforehand.
・Aokubi daikon: the familiar, commonly sold type.
・Miura daikon: a variety from Kanagawa’s Miura Peninsula, suitable for simmered dishes.
・Shogoin daikon: a round variety, also suitable for simmering.
・Santaro: a short-rooted variety.
・A miniature reddish-purple variety, listed as “あやめっむすみ” in the original activity notes.
・Benigesho: a red daikon suitable for salads and other dishes.
・Kuro-naga daikon: a black European radish with a slightly peppery taste when raw.
The following day, we compared the taste of the daikon varieties.
Read the next article: Tasting Seven Varieties of Freshly Harvested Daikon
Living in Yokohama brings many opportunities, but chances to handle vegetables growing in a field are less common.
This harvest was possible thanks to the help of a farmer, Fujimata. Having a school bus was another reason we could arrange an outing like this.
Ocean (age 2) and Jungle (age 3) classes went in the morning. The journey of about 40 minutes felt like an exciting excursion to the children.
When we arrived and tried putting on work gloves, they were so large on the two-year-olds’ hands that everyone looked like a little ghost! Some decided not to wear them, and we began harvesting.
These impressive daikon were not easy for two- and three-year-olds to pull out. Like the characters in The Enormous Turnip, they heaved together, calling, “Heave-ho!” They delighted in their harvest: “Look how big it is!” “Yours is red!” “There is a black one!” When a friend struggled, others offered to help and worked together. The children proudly showed us their daikon, but taking photographs was a challenge: roots and leaves together were almost large enough to hide their whole bodies, with little faces peeking through the leaves.
Mountain class came in the afternoon. Unlike the younger classes, they quickly worked together and pulled out one daikon after another. The many radishes soon disappeared from the field, surprising the farmer with the children’s strength. Inspired by The Enormous Turnip, some children even held onto the waist of a friend who was pulling. Experiencing a vegetable harvest themselves, rather than only hearing about it in a story, will surely give them a richer picture the next time they listen.
After harvesting, we asked Mountain class to collect scattered leaves and pull weeds. We wanted them to understand that a field needs preparation before new vegetables can grow, and that we should leave a place tidy after using it.
The children took their harvested daikon home!
These were the varieties we harvested.
We prepared several varieties to make the experience interesting and learned about them beforehand.
・Aokubi daikon: the familiar, commonly sold type.
・Miura daikon: a variety from Kanagawa’s Miura Peninsula, suitable for simmered dishes.
・Shogoin daikon: a round variety, also suitable for simmering.
・Santaro: a short-rooted variety.
・A miniature reddish-purple variety, listed as “あやめっむすみ” in the original activity notes.
・Benigesho: a red daikon suitable for salads and other dishes.
・Kuro-naga daikon: a black European radish with a slightly peppery taste when raw.
The following day, we compared the taste of the daikon varieties.
Read the next article: Tasting Seven Varieties of Freshly Harvested Daikon
Author Profile
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Reiko - Services and Community Coordinator Japan
Reiko joined CGK’s founding team in 2016, bringing seven years of experience in licensed nursery schools in Japan and six years across two international preschools. She has also volunteered at a daycare in Canada and has held preschool leadership roles at CGK, including Principal and Vice Principal.
A qualified nursery teacher and holder of a Class 2 kindergarten teaching license in Japan, Reiko values each child’s interests and strengths. Drawing on her experience in multicultural early childhood settings, she supports an environment where children can explore new interests through hands-on experiences and express themselves in their own way.