Nozawana

Nozawana is part of the turnip family. Currently, it is thought to be a different variety derived from the turnip (var. hakabura, turnip greens), and is currently being used as a traditional pickled vegetable grown in the area (inekokina, haburona, narusawana, chōzenna). Both turnips and purple turnips (Suwa beni turnip, Hososhima turnip, etc.) are thought to be closely related. Tradition holds that sometime between 1751 and 1764 the plant was brought from the Kyoto mountains to the village of Nozawaonsen by the master of a Buddhist temple, , who lived in Nozawa. It has been cultivated around that area ever since, and thus is now called "Nozawana" (na means vegetable in Japanese). Also known as , nozawana is one of Japan's three major pickled vegetables, along with and . Pickled nozawana is among the most typical local foods in Nagano Prefecture. It is also used in onigiri. Before the Taishō era (1912–1926), local villagers called the plant a turnip. Skiers from the city who visited a local ski resort were so impressed by the pickled turnip that they nicknamed it "Nozawanazuke". Its leaves are approximately long. If left to overwinter without harvesting, the rapeseed will sprout and yellow rapeseed flowers will bloom in the spring. ==Cultivation==

For cultivation, seeds are sown in September and thinned out repeatedly, with the thinned seedlings eaten as pickled vegetables. The following spring, buds will grow from the remaining roots after the snow thaws. These flowers can be harvested and used as vegetables (totachina), or as new seeds that can be sown to grow spring mustard and Japanese warbler. The leafy above-ground part grows further and blooms in May, and its seeds are collected in June. The leaves are harvested from October through December and used primarily for pickled nozawana. At Nozawa Onsen, nozawana has been cultivated as a successor crop on arable land known as "Obatake", where hemp was cultivated until the Meiji period. The original seed of nozawana called "teradane" is grown in the field of the residence of in Nozawa Onsen, and is sold as "turnip seed". In the areas where Nozawa onsen's bathers went and the areas where nozawana was cultivated are almost the same, as visitors to Nozawa Onsen bought turnip seeds as souvenirs. The lyrics for "", which begins with "Enter the rape field and the sun fades," were written by , who was born in Nagae Village, Nagano Prefecture (now Oaza Nagae, Nakano City). In the Hokushin region of Nagano Prefecture, rapeseed has been cultivated as a major cash crop since the Edo period, and it is assumed that the motif of the lyrics was the memory of rapeseed rape blossoms spreading all over the place. When the demand for rapeseed oil decreased and rapeseed cultivation ceased, rape blossoms disappeared, but in recent years the nozawana flowers grown for tourism have become popular. In Europe there is a vegetable called turnip tops, and known as in Italy. Although it is not classified as a turnip, it is similar to nozawana in that its roots enlarge like a turnip, but are not edible. ==Pickling==

) When harvested, the turnip greens are separated from the roots (the turnips). The greens are washed in a (i.e. onsen), and then soaked in a large wooden bucket. In its preparation, each family has their own seasonings. There are honzuke (pickled shallots), which have undergone lactic acid fermentation and has turned amber color, and with a light pickle, remains green. In 1983, Nagano Prefecture selected nozawana pickles as a "Nagano Prefecture Selected Intangible Folk Cultural Property, Cultural Property of Shinano Taste." ==Gallery==

File:Mentaiko bento.jpg |Mentaiko and nozawana on rice File:Nozawana04.jpg|Nozawana sold in bundles ==Further reading==