<Fruit>Densuke Suika / でんすけスイカ

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The BLACK WATERMELON - the king of watermelons in terms of size and taste
真っ黒いすいか ～サイズ、味ともに一級品のスイカの王様〜

The long-lasting, red flesh of the watermelon is exceptionally sweet. This black watermelon is a jumbo size as indicated its name "Den!". It is the king of watermelons with the highest gift price of 650,000 yen per ball sold at the Maruka Asahikawa Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in 2007. The watermelon is very popular as a gift in and out of Hokkaido. It is a brand of watermelon with a crisp texture and luxurious sweetness.

日持ちが良く、紅赤果肉で抜群の甘味。この真っ黒なスイカはその名のとおり“でん！”としたジャンボサイズ。初出荷では、2007年には、丸果旭川青果卸売市場で取引されたものが、ご祝儀価格最高で１玉６５万円がついたスイカの王様です。道内外で贈答用として大人気。『シャリッ』とした食感と贅沢な甘味がつまったブランドスイカです。

■Naming / でんすけすいかのネーミング
It was named Densuke Watermelon in honor of the Toshimitsu Omiya, a comedian who was popular for his stage name "Densuke" and whose humorous appearance with his black painted eyes and head of nose attracted a lot of attention. The name also means "Densuke" in Japanese, as it is a substitute for rice to help the farmers in their fields in the midst of the government's policy of reducing the amount of rice paddy fields.

目の回りや鼻の頭を黒く塗ったユーモラスな姿で話題を集め、舞台名「デン助」で人気のあった喜劇俳優、故・大宮敏光さんにあやかり、だれにでも親しまれるようにと考え『でんすけすいか』と命名。また、水田の減反政策が進む中、米に代わり田を助ける転作物「田助」という意味も込められました。

■Features / でんすけすいかの特徴
It grows more vigorously than the striped varieties and has excellent fruiting ability. The large watermelon weighs 6 to 8 kg. The flesh is bright red and the juice is refreshingly sweet. The skin is dark green. The watermelon is characterized by its appearance without stripes. Because it is a highly bloated variety, it is also prone to hollowing out, which requires high levels of cultivation management techniques. The highest grade of superior quality watermelons rarely have cavities, but the flesh of the next highest grade of superior and good quality watermelons is almost always hollowed out.
生育は縞のある品種よりも旺盛で、着果性に優れています。果重は６～８kgほどの大玉スイカ。果肉は明るい紅色で、果汁はスッキリとした甘み。果皮は暗緑色。縞模様のない外観が特徴のスイカです。肥大性が強い品種のため、空洞発生の弱点も併せ持ち、高い栽培管理技術が必要とされます。最高ランクの秀品では、空洞は、ほとんど発生しないが、次ランクの優品・良品の果肉は、必ずと言っても良い程、空洞が発生している。

■Strict cultivation standards result in "Densuke" / 厳しい栽培基準が生みだす『でんすけ』
Densuke Watermelon is produced in accordance with the strict cultivation standards set by the Densuke Committee of the Toma-machi Densuke Research Association, which is organized by farmers. A manual has been created for soil preparation, temperature and moisture control, disease and pest control, etc. In addition, study meetings are held twice a month from late March to mid-June to exchange opinions with other famers. They spare no effort to explore technology as a group.
でんすけすいかは、生産農家で組織する当麻町そ菜研究会でんすけ部会が定めた厳しい栽培基準で生産されています。土壌づくりや温度・水分管理、病害虫防除などをマニュアル化。また、３月下旬から６月中旬までの間には月２回ほど生産者同士の学習会を開催し意見交換。生産者一丸となった技術の探求努力を惜しみません。

■Species name / 品種名：Tahiti / タヒチ

■Shipment period / 出荷期間：July to Aug / 7月より8月まで。