都会にいると食材の買い物はタスクだが、軽井沢にいるとレジャーになる。その明らかなテンションの違いの理由は、店頭に並ぶ姿からして「今ここ」を感じること。今ここの地で育ち、今ここの時季、時間に採れた作物を、今ここで味わえるというレジャー。とりわけ長野は豊潤な土地ゆえ、季節ごとにとりどりの野菜や果物に、ふんだんにありつける。だからこそ。テーマパークに並ぶような心持ちで、朝イチから直売所に駆け付けるのだ。

春の気配のサインは、直売所に山菜が出回ること。新しい自分に脱皮するため、必要な苦みをここで取り入れる。そして夏が来ると、ピンピンとした葉野菜が充実し出す。高い湿度と霧が多い軽井沢の気候から「霧下野菜」と呼ばれるキャベツやレタス、そのみずみずしさと味の濃さに、毎年驚く。

また実がなる秋になると、地元っ子の話題はフルーツ一色になる。とくにぶどうは、シャインマスカット派とナガノパープル派に分かれ、飽くなき戦いを続ける。そしてだんだん秋が深まるにつれ、楽しみなのは木の実やきのこ。長野県産のきのこは種類も豊富で、都会ではお目にかかれない品種を見れば、ボルテージは最高潮になる。

Shopping can be a chore living in the city, but in Karuizawa, it’s a leisure activity. The clear difference in excitement comes from how you can feel the “moment,” seeing the products lined up on store shelves. It’s a leisure activity because you can buy products that are being cultivated here right at the moment, in this season, and even at a particular time of the day. Nagano Prefecture offers a rich harvest, and people can eat plenty of various vegetables and fruits of the season. That is precisely the reason why it feels like waiting for a ride at an amusement park when you go to the farmers’ market first thing in the morning.

You know spring is just around the corner when the farmer’s market starts selling wild mountain vegetables, or Sansai. They are the bitter vegetables you need to become a healthier you. In the summer season, you start to get many selections of fresh leafy vegetables. Cabbage and lettuce grown in the humid and foggy climate of Karuizawa are called “Kirishita” vegetables. Every year, it is amazing how fresh and rich they taste.

The colors of the fruits are the talk of the town in the fall when it brings fall harvest. For grapes, in particular, Shine Muscat lovers and Nagano Purple lovers wage an endless war to claim superiority. As the Fall gets deeper, we start to get bands of mushrooms. The excitement reaches its peak when you see store shelves filled with previously never-seen varieties that you do not see in the city.