How about food education and nature experiences in MatsusakaCity during your summer vacation? Experience camping, BBQ, and pizza making using Matsusaka beef and local vegetables! Advertisement

This time, the family of photographer Masashi Asada from Mie Prefecture will be experiencing it!
The main visual above is a wonderful photo taken by Asada ♪

A scene where you can have fun with your family. I thought it was going to split a watermelon, but it was cut in two! The differences in their facial expressions and poses are also cute♪

(Click here for Asada's profile)

1. Enjoy food education at Matsusaka Agricultural Park BellFarm!

What is Matsusaka Agricultural Park BellFarm?

Matsusaka Agricultural Park BellFarm is an agricultural park that takes advantage of Matsusaka's rich natural environment.

There is an English garden in the park that is approximately 1.4 hectares in size and is visited by a variety of flowers that bloom in each season, including tulips and roses in the spring, sunflowers and titambicus in the summer, pampas grass in the fall, and ice tulips in the winter. It entertains people.

The English Garden occasionally holds green education experiences such as flower growing and gardening classes.
In addition, at the Learning Farm in the park, there are sweet potato harvesting experiences and hands-on agricultural learning for parents and children, making it a fun way to learn about agriculture and nature.

Experience making pizza using Matsusaka beef and local vegetables!

Matsusaka Agricultural Park BellFarm offers a variety of experiences, including agricultural experiences, but there are especially many food-related experience programs!
All of the programs are very attractive, such as making Matsusaka beef shigureni, Matsusaka beef miso making, and making daifuku and tarts using seasonal fruits (all reservations required).

This time, the Asada family will try their hand at making pizza with lots of ingredients using Matsusaka beef and seasonal local vegetables!

First, let's knead the pizza dough.

​The flour used for the dough is 100% produced in Mie Prefecture. Use a mixture of strong flour ``Nishinokaori'' and weak flour ``Ayahikari.''

As you add dry yeast, lukewarm water, and olive oil in order and knead, the dough will gradually become chewy to the touch.
It feels so good to the touch that you'll probably keep kneading it like crazy.

Almost all pizza ingredients are 100% produced in Matsusaka!

Surprisingly, the pizza sauce is also processed in Matsusaka. The dough is generously coated with a pizza sauce made with ripe tomatoes as a base and flavored with herbs and stock.

Matsusaka also produces fragrant raw shiitake mushrooms and exquisite green peppers that are sweet but not spicy or bitter.
Cut the vegetables and add them to the dough.

Once you put the vegetables on top, top it with Matsusaka beef! This is such a luxurious pizza.

Finally, add cheese...all you have to do is bake it in the oven♪
I can't stop getting excited even before baking!

While waiting for the pizza to be baked, it was time to learn about Matsusaka beef.
You will have fun learning about Matsusaka beef through quiz formats such as "Is Matsusaka beef male or female?" (By the way, the answer is "female"!)

The pizza was baked in no time! (You can take the finished pizza home)
The pizza you make from your own dough is exceptionally delicious!

Through the cooking process, there is also a ``food education'' element that will help them become interested in locally produced ingredients such as Matsusaka beef and vegetables, making it a perfect experience for children.

Get excited about the rich ingredients produced in Matsusaka at the direct farm market!

Next, Mr. Asada and his friends headed to the ``Farmer's Market,'' a direct produce market located within BellFarm Matsusaka Agricultural Park.

In addition to local vegetables, the farmers' market sells a wide selection of fruits, rice, eggs, tea, flowers, and more.
In addition, the ingredients and processed products used in the pizza making experience can be purchased at the farmers market!
If you find any ingredients that interest you through the experience, please try them out.

The Asada family has started shopping for ingredients for the BBQ they will enjoy later at MatsusakaCity Forest Park♪

All the colorful summer vegetables look delicious!
Molokheiya (top left photo) is also known as a specialty product of Matsusaka.
The bright red ripe tomatoes are also attractive!

Asada Asahi found a small watermelon! This watermelon is also from Matsusaka.
I decided to buy it because I thought, “Let’s make it a BBQ dessert!”

In addition to eggplants, green peppers, onions, and watermelons, we bought a lot of yellow-looking "banana peppers" (they are sweet and not bitter, so even children can eat them!).

Speaking of BBQ, you can't miss the meat!
So, I moved to Matsusaka Shokai, located in Bell Farm, Matsusaka Agricultural BellFarm, across from the farmers' market.

Matsusaka Shokai sells Matsusaka beef meat and processed products, as well as famous sweets and other souvenirs.

The Asada family purchased Matsusaka beef kalbi yakiniku, Matsusaka beef offal, and Matsusaka pork sausages!
I chose the sauce for the yakiniku from a restaurant specializing in yakiniku and hormones in Matsusaka.
Matsusaka's BBQ ingredients are now available♪

By the way…
Pets are allowed outdoors in the Flea Market Plaza area where the farmers' market and Matsusaka Shokai are located, as well as in the south parking lot adjacent to the Flea Market Plaza.
It's also a great place to go out with your pet!

Matsusaka Agricultural Park BellFarm access information

2. Enjoy camping and BBQ at MatsusakaCity Forest Park, which is rich in nature!

MatsusakaCity Forest Park is a vast forest park that can be accessed immediately after getting off the Matsusaka IC, and where you can enjoy camping, BBQs, picnics in the plaza, playing in the river, and mountain climbing.

​For camping and BBQ, rental items are available (for a fee), and in addition to bringing your own ingredients, we also accept advance reservations (online and phone) for yakiniku sets and offal.

It takes less than 10 minutes by car from Matsusaka Agricultural Park BellFarm to MatsusakaCity Forest Park, which is just the right distance for procuring ingredients.
MatsusakaCity Forest Park's rental items include a complete set of necessary goods, such as a BBQ stove with grill and griddle, cooking utensils, tents, tarps, chairs, and tables.
It's great that you can easily enjoy camping and BBQ without bringing anything.

Within the vast grounds of MatsusakaCity Forest Park, there are sites where tents can be erected on decks built on the banks of the river or in the forest, as well as bungalows equipped with showers, toilets, and air conditioning.
In addition, guests can use the public bath "Mori-no-Yu" in the park. I'm thankful to have a bath!

This time, the Asada family chose an auto site where they could park their car alongside!
​Pets are allowed at the auto site and lawn area. It's also great to enjoy camping and walking with your pet.

Parents and children will work together to assemble the rented tarp.
​Rental items such as tarps and tents come with instructions on how to assemble them, so even beginners can easily assemble them!

Setting completed!
In addition to the tarp, we will arrange chairs, tables, lamps, barbecue stoves, etc. and prepare for the barbecue♪

Cut the vegetables using the rented cutting board and knife.
Asahi-kun seems satisfied, saying, “The peppers were cut so well!”

Next, prepare the charcoal!
Masashi Asada and Asahi-kun are enjoying the BBQ preparations in a quick photo.

Once the charcoal is ready, it's time to grill the ingredients!
The moment the Matsusaka beef short ribs are placed on the grill, they make a delicious sound and smell of sweet fat.

Since the Matsusaka beef is grilled, we'll have it mixed with the sauce from a Matsusaka yakiniku specialty restaurant.
The sweetness of the fat and umami of the meat, which is unique to Matsusaka beef, combined with the sweet and spicy sauce with just the right amount of garlic make for the best taste!
Asahi-kun also looks happy.

In addition, we enjoyed the grilled and plump Matsusaka pork wiener and the richly flavored Matsusaka beef offal, making for a very satisfying BBQ♪

This time, we had a fun experience learning about Matsusaka's ingredients and tasting them deliciously through a pizza making experience at BellFarm Matsusaka Agricultural Park, shopping at the direct farm market, and a day camp/BBQ at MatsusakaCity Forest Park.
Perfect for making memories during summer vacation with your family! Everyone please try it out.

MatsusakaCity Forest Park access information