Shasta Sawa Wasabi is the first wasabi in North America grown with pure spring water using ancient Japanese farming methods. What started as a Covid experiment has blossomed into something truly special. Shasta wasabi is grown over 2-3 years in pristine Mt. Shasta spring water. This freezing cold water flows to the root systems 24/7. No chemicals, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides are ever used. Only nature.
The strain we primarily grow is Misho. This wasabi cultivar is one of the most famous with chefs in Japan and is sold primarily with Mazuma in Ota vegetable market in Tokyo. Misho creates a vibrant, beautifully textured cream that looks almost neon green. There is no bitterness and the pungency is subtle. Misho is high in glucosinolates, which creates a very floral sweetness, finishing with a clean earthy wasabi taste. It is also a favorite among Japanese farmers because it grows relatively fast, is hardy and has great flavor.
The water used to feed our wasabi is pure, unfiltered spring water. This water can take up to 400 years to filter through Mt. Shasta, an active volcano on the Cascade mountain range. Although our water is considered soft in relation to TDS count, there is a high level of potassium, which is a key contributor to the health and vitality of plants.
We mimicked a growth system used primarily in Izu called 'Tatamiishi', or sleeping bed combined with the "Heiwai" method used in Azumino. Tatamishii uses a combination of gravity, ingenuity, lots of labor, and volcanic substrate from Mt. Shasta to supply an oxygenated, clean and steadily flowing water supply. The Heiwai technique allows us to mitigate seasonal extremes, especially winter cold. So far we have had great success growing the toughest plant on Earth. To be honest, nature does most of the work!
