SIX DAYS A WEEK, as morning sunlight crests the Hira mountains on the outskirts of Kyoto, three prominent local chefs visit a narrow swath of fertile farmland in the river basin below. For this trio of culinary renegades, the Ohara valley farmers’ market has become the equivalent of Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market. Except these chefs aren’t trying to get their hands on the region’s choicest seafood; they’re here for intensely flavorful vegetables grown by a new breed of young organic farmers.

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