A favorite among Okinawans: Farm experience with "sea grapes" – pick and eat them fresh on the spot

▲ Sea grapes.

Reported and photographed by Reporter You... / Okinawa
 
Okinawa’s famous specialty, sea grapes, are a unique food that looks like tiny clusters of grapes but tastes like seaweed. When dipped in tangy citrus vinegar sauce, their naturally sweet umami flavor shines through. Along Okinawa’s coastline, there are several "sea grape fields" where they are cultivated using seawater. Visitors can enjoy the experience of picking and eating them fresh, followed by sampling sea grape ice cream – a truly delightful treat.


▲ Freshly picked sea grapes are delicious.

At the "Umi no Michi Uminchi" sea grape farm in Okinawa, about 15 tons of sea grapes are harvested annually. When our reporter visited during autumn, the sunshine in Okinawa was still bright. An 80-year-old woman was reaching into the pool, scooping out clusters of sea grapes, deftly removing the bunches, and placing the stems into another basket.




▲ An elderly woman, around ... years old, reaches into the pool to scoop out sea grapes and remove the fruit clusters.



▲ The sea grape farm has several large water pools.

Staff at "Umi no Michi Uminchi" explained that sea grapes are planted by their stems. In summer, they can be harvested in about a month, while in winter it takes around two months. The farm has nearly 100 seawater pools with circulating water flow. Each pool can hold five large mats of sea grape stems, and each mat yields about 4 kilograms, so a single pool can produce 20 kilograms per harvest. Because they must be cultivated in seawater, sea grape farms are usually built along the coast.

Locals say that freshness is key when it comes to market-ready sea grapes. Ideal ones are about 5 to 6 centimeters long, with plump grains. Visitors to sea grape farms can book a sea grape picking experience. The texture of sea grapes is unique — their slippery yet slightly tough stems require some effort to harvest without damaging them.

... A family ... can harvest about ... kilograms.



▲ Sea grapes served with vinegar balance the saltiness and taste incredibly delicious.

A staple in the diet of Okinawans, sea grapes can be eaten with rice or enjoyed as a snack, with vinegar sauce bringing out their umami. At "Umi no Michi Uminchi," they’ve even created sea grape ice cream. The combination of the briny, savory sea grapes with cool, sweet ice cream may seem unusual, but it results in a surprisingly novel taste.


▲ The sea grape ice cream at ... has a distinct briny flavor and pairs surprisingly well with the cool sweetness.


Umi no Michi (Uminchi) Sea Grape Farm
Address: 1931 ... , Itoman City, Okinawa
Business hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Phone: 098-XXXX-0016
Website: http://www.uminchi.com/
Sea grape picking experience: ¥1,000 per person (¥500 for visitors)

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