Scallions take a whole year to grow and are harvested right before the rainy season. You know it’s time to harvest when you see a field covered in stems pointing in all directions. Locals joke that scallions are the “messy onions”.

Scallions are a sort of magical vegetable which multiplies in the soil. Plant one bulb and by the end of the year, you’ll get 10!

…or even 12! Locals joke that a new bulb is formed every month.

Harvested scallions then get cleaned of their stems and roots.

After that, they are taken to the sea where they get rinsed in the seawater.

White bulbs get polished with muddy outer scales getting peeled off into the sea.

Locals say that washing scallions in the seawater helps preserve their crunchiness.

“Why? Don’t know really…that’s how we’ve been doing it since the old times. I tried washing them in tap water once and they turned out all soft.” ーthe lady told us.

Perhaps it’s because the salty seawater removes the moisture from the scallionsー we don’t know for sure, but Ojika’s life is full of similar life hacks based on old wisdom.

Some finishing touches.

“What a lovely day!”ーthe lady is pealing the remaining skin of the scallions looking very content and happy.

It looks like a scene from the daily-life of old, without stress, without rush, without any defined line separating private life and work.

Once done she returns home where she pickles the scallions right away.

Scallions are left to rest for about 1 month.

Crunchy scallions have a refreshing flavor and are a perfect snack to enjoy in the summer heat.

Make sure you try scallions when visiting Ojika in summer.