近くの松代町を中心で、周辺の山芋の畑はみな、葉っぱがこんな色になってきています。収穫がそろそろ始まると言う事です。千曲川の川辺にところで山芋の畑があります。川辺の土が軟らかくて、深く伸びる山芋の育ちに最適だそうです。

どうでも良いですが、私にとって、この辺が山芋の産地と言うのは嬉しい事です。なぜなら、私のお料理の十八番がお好み焼きなので松代の山芋をたっぷり入れると、美味しいのです。是非、トライしてみてください。

The fields around nearby Matsushiro are full of vines turning yellow like these. Any idea what kind of crop this is? It's called "yama-imo", which translates as "mountain potato". It's kind of cross between a potato and a yam, with a poi-like texture. People commonly grate it into a slimy mess, and mix it in with things like okonomiyaki pizza pancakes (my specialty!).
Because yama-imo grow so deep into the ground, you need really deep, loose soil. And the soil around the river plain of the Chikuma River is apparently ideal. Seeing all these yama-imo plants starting to loose their leaves reminds me that the harvest will start soon, and makes me hungry for okonomiyaki!