So, with the Nishitsuu members who were suddenly very interested in organic food, we held a Co-op Shizenha “Petit Party,” or “Petit Pa” for short, and learned all about organic food and Co-op Shizenha!
The boss is here too!
Ta-da!!
They made all these delicious-looking dishes using only natural ingredients!
Wait 
they make it for you?
A Co-op Shizenha staff member actually comes to your home with the ingredients, cooks, and carefully teaches you about organic food and Co-op Shizenha’s ingredients!
The person who came was food education staff member TA. Careful handwashing and a change of clothes completed! COVID prevention measures were perfect too! Now let’s get started.(They even bring an air purifier!)
Have you heard of organic farming? Organic means “yuki,” or organically grown. It means farming, livestock raising, and fisheries that do not rely on pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but instead make use of nature’s blessings, such as the sun, water, soil, and living organisms.
Vegetables in particular are apparently inspected every year, including checks on whether pesticides are used not only on the crops but also on the surrounding land. And there’s more! Co-op Shizenha is also particular about products being domestically produced!
This is getting exciting!
Today, we’ll see, touch, and eat the ingredients ourselves to experience what’s great about organic food!
Here’s the menu!
“Salt Lemon Home Bar” – Steamed and grilled pork loin block with vegetables –
They’re making this kind of party menu for us? So fancy??
As for the ingredients they brought…
Apparently, they also use no herbicides or soil disinfectants!
We’re using all these ingredients, and today’s Petit Pa was 3,000 yen including tax*. Doesn’t that feel like a great deal?*With dessert: 3,000 yen including tax. Without dessert: 2,500 yen including tax.
And amazingly, you can request which vegetables from this selection you want used in the cooking! (The ones you don’t choose are shared among the participants to take home.)
Once we chose the vegetables to use, they immediately started cooking. It takes about an hour to finish.(Before the coronavirus outbreak, this was apparently an event where all participants cooked together, but for now that’s on hold as an infection prevention measure.)
In between, we snuck a little taste of the carrot. Without thinking…
Pesticides tend to accumulate in vegetable seeds and skins, so they say it’s not recommended to eat that much of vegetables that aren’t organic.(Even though that’s where the nutrients are!)
By choosing organic, you can get more nutrients and even reduce waste!
Next up is thick-cut pork! It has no unpleasant smell, and even when you touch the fatty parts, they don’t feel slippery!
It is the idea that raising livestock in a comfortable environment is important because it reduces stress and illness in the animals, and as a result, also leads to improved productivity and the production of safe livestock products.
*Excerpt from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website
Other ingredients included wild black tiger shrimp, pasta made with domestic wheat, and rye campagne bread. Even the seasonings, including olive oil and white wine, are organic! 
*The white wine is only for Petit Pa, so it cannot be purchased.
Now then, we’ll start with the main dish, the pork. Once the aroma of garlic rises from the paella pan, the pork is seared, and the chopped vegetables are added one after another to steam and grill. Fresh vegetables cook so quickly!
