In the fields of Chikujo Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, edible physalis bears fruit and is harvested.
Hozuki is generally displayed as an offering such as a tray in Japan, but it is popular as a fruit for salads and desserts in Europe and the United States.
Koichi Fukuda, a vegetable farmer in Chikujo Town, started cultivating edible physalis last year and has cultivated a total of 80 edible physalis in the field.
Edible physalis is 50 cm to 1 meter high, bears fruit on a vine that has grown to about 1 meter in length, and when the bag-shaped part that wraps the fruit becomes whitish, it is ready to eat.
Now that the harvest has begun, Mr. Fukuda chose white ones and picked them one after another.
Edible physalis has a sugar content of about 14 degrees and tastes like a sweet fruit.
Mr. Fukuda said, "This is the first time we have shipped it, but it is popular with people who ate it because it has a sweet and unusual taste. We would like to increase the number in the future."
The edible hozuki will be harvested until mid-September, and will be shipped to restaurants in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu for the time being, and will be sold at local direct sales offices from next month when the yield increases.