As the summer solstice approaches, the days are getting much longer. At this time of year, sunrise is the most pleasant, and as soon as I wake up at around 4:30, I feel like heading straight out to the fields. The temperature rises above 30°C during the day and drops to around 15°C at night, so there is a lot of morning dew in the early hours. Walking through the grass growing in the fields is moist, and my feet get soaked in my tabi socks. I have finished all the preparations for summer, but I don't have time to catch my breath as I silently weed and tend to the rapidly growing vegetables. I look forward to the summer harvest and tend to the vegetables while keeping a close eye on them.
Well, early summer vegetables are finally reaching their peak. Please enjoy the taste of our proud vegetables that are in full bloom!
This week's vegetable set
Contains 8 to 9 of the following vegetables:
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snap peas These snow peas have a sweet and rich flavor. If you remove the strings and boil them briefly to bring out their color, you can taste the sweetness even without adding any extras. Enjoy them as a dip in sauces, salads, or as a dipping sauce. They're also delicious in stir-fries and tempura! |
New onions With new onions in season right now, even smaller onions are delicious! Peel them and cook them whole to enjoy their juicy texture. Simmer, sauté, or roast them. |
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kale Kale, said to be the ancestor of cabbage and an ingredient in green juice, is a superfood rich in vitamins and minerals. Just like cabbage, you can chop it up and use it in a wide variety of dishes, including salads, stir-fries, and stews. Enjoy its unique texture. |
Misaki cabbage This bamboo shoot-shaped, pointed cabbage is a springtime dish that is soft, fluffy, and sweet. Stir-frying or steaming it brings out the sweetness and makes it incredibly delicious. The shredded cabbage that goes with the dish is just as delicious as the main dish. |
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kohlrabi This unusual vegetable is said to be a cross between kohl (cabbage) and rabi (turnip). The skin is tough, so if you peel it thickly, the inside is soft and juicy. You can enjoy the aroma of cabbage and the texture of turnip. |
This is a variety called Black Beauty, with a beautiful, deep green sheen. I've been harvesting it myself for about three years. It's delicious sliced and sautéed, thinly sliced and salad, or simply rubbed with salt. I also grate it and mix it into pancake batter. |
zucchini|
Japanese white radish Daikon radishes are finally in harvest season. Spring radishes are fresh and have a wonderful crunchy texture. They are great for daikon radish salads, or as grated daikon radish or garnishes for seasonal fish. The peeled skin can be thinly sliced and used as kinpira (a type of kinpira), or thinly sliced and dipped in wasabi soy sauce for a delicious, spicy kick. |
Leaf lettuce Its soft yet crunchy texture and eye-catching light green color brighten up any dish. Wrapping it around grilled meat or fried foods seasoned like sweet and sour pork is also a great way to get your appetite going this time of year. It also pairs well with oil, so it's delicious in spring dishes, fried rice, and Chinese-style soups. |
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Broccoli sticks Broccoli is a convenient vegetable that allows you to harvest the flower buds one after another as they grow. The long, slender stalks are soft and have a crunchy texture. The sticks are great for steaming with a little salt and dipping in mayonnaise or sauce. They also make a great side dish. |
chives Naturally grown chives have a strong fragrance and a firm texture. They have a strong presence. They are great for adding flavor to stir-fries. Chopping them and soaking them in soy sauce helps preserve them, making a convenient chive soy sauce that can be enjoyed with rice or in other dishes. |
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Crown chrysanthemum Shungiku is popular because it has little bitterness even when eaten raw! Simply tear it into pieces and pour a simple dressing over it to create a delicious dish with a rich aroma. It also tastes great in Shiraae (sweet sesame sauce) and miso soup. |
Okanori Oka-nori is written as "land seaweed." As the name suggests, it is a vegetable with a faint seaweed scent. When chopped raw, it becomes sticky and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Tempura is also recommended. |
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Bonus: Sweet peas are charming flowers with their cute appearance and sweet fragrance. They grow vines like peas and bloom in succession, so they are a plant you can enjoy for a long time. You can also enjoy them by adding the petals to your bath. |
The state of the fields
Last week's big event was rice planting! Everyone, from children to adults, got covered in mud as they went into the plowed rice fields with their horses and planted the seedlings they had grown in the fields one by one by hand.
I carried a bamboo basket I made myself around my waist, filled with seedlings.
It had rained the night before, but the cool breeze was constant, making for wonderful weather that allowed us to calmly plant the rice, and we are grateful for that. We planted three varieties: Sasashigure, ancient rice, and jasmine rice. Everyone who planted the rice plans to enjoy the new rice together. From now on, we will be weeding about once every three days, looking for gaps in the rain. We are now able to work in the rice paddies just as the rainy season is about to begin, making it difficult to get into the fields. I am impressed by the wisdom of the people of the past.
In the fields, due to the lack of rain, zucchini and tomatoes, which do not like humidity, are growing rapidly. On the other hand, bell peppers, which need more water, are growing more slowly. Because the cultivation method involves growing grass, the soil has good moisture retention and the fields do not become a dry desert, but with such an extreme lack of rain, the difference in the growth of the vegetables is clearly visible.
