This afternoon we harvested soba. Aoki is one of the few place where the soba stalks are red, though the end product tastes the same.

I did not anticipate how hard farm work would be on my back. Physically the work is not very demanding (ie. you’re not lifting a lot of weight), but most of our time is spent bent over to some degree, which my lower back is having a hard time with. It does seem to get better with each day, so hopefully it’s just a matter of adjusting.

Harvesting soba is simple, but tedious – we’re using a small handheld sickle to cut the stalks, then putting them up in a teepee shape to dry for the next two weeks. After that the buckwheat husk can be separated from the stem.