Edosaki Kabocha

　Edosaki Kabocha is a sweet pumpkin with a soft and flakey mouthfeel that is produced in Inashiki City, Ibaraki Prefecture and Katsura-cho, Ushiku City, which is harvested when it is ripe and mature.

　Market people say the quality is high, there is little variation among producers or from year to year, and the wholesale price is traded at about twice that of ordinary pumpkins. "Good quality" means it has a soft and flakey texture and sweetness unique to a full-blown pumpkin. Specifically, the powdery texture and sugar content is well-balanced, and when steamed or boiled in water, there is a texture and sweetness like that of "fluffy boiled potato". A system, such as using inspectors, has been organized to check these unique qualities of full-blown pumpkins.

　In general, pumpkins are harvested before fully ripe and kept in a storage house to ripen them more, but in principle, Edosaki Kabocha is harvested more than 55 days after they sprout. This standard is set based on results obtained by break-open surveys over 5 years. In a ripe Edosaki Kabocha, the green of the pericarp is dark and rugged, while the pulp color is deep orange compared to its appearance before ripening.

　Despite the harvesting standard of 55 days or more after sprouting, if it seems to have ripened earlier due to field and weather conditions, the ripeness of the product can be checked by breaking it open before shipping. With the cooperation of relevant agricultural agencies, its growth is checked by visual inspection, and the best harvest time is then predicted.

　The production area of Edosaki Kabocha is covered widely in a layer of volcanic ash called Kanto loam layer, which has very good drainage. The climate is suitable; the average annual temperature is 14.1°C and the annual rainfall is 1350mm. There is moderate precipitation throughout the year which prevents the soil from over-drying or over-humidify and is ideal for pumpkin production.

　Edosaki Kabocha was first produced in 1966 in the Kimaga district, Edosaskimachi (modern-day Inashiki-shi). Production gradually began to expand, and it is now produced in Inashiki city and Katsuracho, Ushiku city. The flaky texture and sweetness of the ripe Edosaki Kabocha is protected by cultivation methods handed down through history and a strict inspection system.