This is the "Where to Find Delicious Food" segment. Hikomaro and announcer Kato are investigating a fruit with a low yield, sometimes called the "black diamond."

Six years ago, in 2020, the black fig "Violette de Sollies" from Hodatsushimizu Town was branded with the nickname "Kuromitsuhime" (Black Honey Princess). Naoki Matsuura has been cultivating this fig for approximately 20 years.

Mr. Matsuura:
"This is the Violette de Sollies variety, nicknamed Kuromitsuhime."

Figs were originally a local specialty. Twenty years ago, he began cultivating Kuromitsuhime to diversify the harvesting and shipping work by growing varieties with different harvesting seasons. There were no other Kuromitsuhime producers in the area, so he started by trial and error. He began with just five trees.


Matsuura-san: "At first, even though we shipped them, the volume was small, so there were voices within the agricultural cooperative saying that it wasn't worth selling and we should just stop."

Initially, we tried growing them the same way as typical figs, but they didn't bear fruit as expected.

Matsuura-san: "With regular Masui Dauphine figs, they always bear fruit. If leaves grow, fruit is guaranteed, but this (Kuromitsuhime) is a vigorous tree, so it's difficult for it to bear fruit."

Despite being told by those around her to give up, Matsuura-san continued cultivating them.

Matsuura-san: "For me, I love that indescribable bright red color."

Kuromitsuhime has captivated Matsuura-san. Its charm lies in its rich sweetness. While the sugar content of a typical fig variety, Masui Dauphine, is about 18 degrees, Kuromitsuhime is 22 to 23 degrees. Some are said to reach 25 degrees. Mr. Matsuura patiently spent 10 years searching for the right cultivation method through trial and error.

The cultivation method he finally discovered is…

Mr. Matsuura:
"Delaying the pruning time slightly."

While typical fig trees have excess buds removed around May, Kuromitsuhime figs are more vigorous, so he deliberately waits until around June before pruning. This helps to control the tree's vigor and create conditions conducive to fruit production. He also has a unique approach to fertilization.

Mr. Matsuura:
"You have to do it regularly. It's not about applying a large amount of fertilizer at the beginning and then forgetting about it. It's about applying a small amount each month."

While typical fig trees only require a large amount of fertilizer at the beginning, he discovered that with Kuromitsuhime figs, applying small amounts of fertilizer multiple times is necessary to prevent excessive branch and leaf growth, which negatively impacts fruit production.


However…

Mr. Matsuura:
"When the temperature gets high while the figs are still the size of a bean, they fall off. This happens every year, but there's nothing we can do about it. Even with the greenhouse roof open, the temperature is still high these days."

--Are other fig varieties also prone to falling off in the same way?

"Only this fig (Kuromitsuhime)."

Sensitivity to heat is another characteristic of Kuromitsuhime. This difficulty in cultivation is the reason why it's called a phantom fig, a black diamond.

Thanks to Mr. Matsuura's expertise, 13 farmers in Hodatsushimizu Town are now cultivating it. However, last year's shipment volume was only 3 tons of Kuromitsuhime, compared to 37.5 tons for typical figs, making it extremely rare.


Ryoma Betsumune, Fig 담당 (Fig 담당) at JA Hakui Agricultural Department:
"With support from the town, we are gradually promoting the branding of Kuromitsuhime."

When you cut open the black fruit, Kuromitsuhime reveals a rich, sticky, sweet, bright red flesh. Each fruit embodies 20 years of effort by Mr. Matsuura, who persevered with a variety that is difficult to bear fruit.

Mr. Matsuura:
"I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't given up. If I had stopped then, Kuromitsuhime wouldn't exist at all."