July has arrived, and the rainy season has officially arrived. Thanks to the blessed rain and sunny, warm weather, summer vegetables are growing freely. At this time of year, work in the fields and rice paddies has come to a temporary halt, and people take a break, leaving the rain to take care of the crops, while they slowly begin to prepare for autumn and winter, until the summer vegetable harvest rush arrives.
Yesterday, I made bamboo charcoal with my younger brother, who also lives in Hokuto City and works on maintaining the bamboo forest. In the past, people frequently entered the mountains, gathering firewood, hunting wild vegetables, and hunting wild game, all of which helped maintain the mountain environment. However, now that people no longer use the mountains, the environment is becoming increasingly inaccessible. One of the reasons for this is the incredible reproductive power of bamboo. Bamboo spreads its roots underground, expanding its habitat and growing to a height of about 20 meters in about six months, quickly engulfing a pleasant forest of natural trees with bamboo forests. As a result, the original trees lose their vitality and fall. When the mountain slopes become completely covered in bamboo, landslides and mudslides occur, which can be a disaster that not only affects the mountains but also threatens human lives.
But bamboo is a very useful plant.
Well-maintained bamboo forests produce large bamboo shoots in the spring, are cool in the summer, block typhoons and strong winds in the winter, and can be used to make tools and weave baskets from cut bamboo, which can be used in daily life. Bamboo charcoal made by burning bamboo also has a great effect on improving soil, and is very useful in agriculture. So, by incorporating bamboo forest maintenance into daily life, it becomes a very meaningful activity.
Using the carbonizer shown in the photo and another larger one, we started burning the bamboo and in about three hours we had made more than a truckload of bamboo charcoal. We used the fire from the burning to make green bamboo rice and baked potatoes for lunch.
Finally, the fire is put out by pouring water on it. When I see this beautiful black, I feel strangely happy.
Next time, I'd like to invite anyone who is interested in bamboo charcoal grilling and have a fun and lively event!
Now, here is the content of this week's vegetable set. It's the time of year when we gradually switch from early summer vegetables to summer vegetables.
This week's vegetable set
Contains 8 to 9 of the following vegetables:
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New potatoes Freshly dug new potatoes! They are a variety called Hokkai Kogane, characterized by their golden color and dense flesh. When fried, they are creamy and fragrant. They don't fall apart when cooked, so you can add them to curry, stew, or oden to enjoy their deep flavor. |
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, it can be chopped and used in a wide variety of dishes, including salads, stir-fries, and stews. |
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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cucumber Cucumbers are starting to come in little by little! They're a summer staple. They're low in moisture and have a crunchy texture. They're best eaten whole with miso. Chop them, rub them with salt, drain the water, and add them to salads or dress them with vinegar and miso. |
zucchini 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. |
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Thinned carrots The carrots are getting too narrow during the growing season, so I'm thinning them out to increase the spacing. The leaves are still small and soft, with a strong fragrance, so I definitely recommend using them in tempura. They're also delicious in chijimi. The soft parts of the leaves can also be eaten in salads. |
Leaf lettuce Its soft yet crunchy texture and eye-catching vibrant color add a touch of color to 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. |
Japanese white radish Spring radishes have a fresh, crunchy texture that is superb. They are great for radish salads, as grated radish, or as a garnish for seasonal fish. The peeled skin can be thinly sliced and used as kinpira, or cut into thin strips and dipped in wasabi soy sauce for a delicious, spicy kick. |
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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
I'm currently working on training and securing the rapidly growing branches of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers to stakes and nets. Wild tomatoes and cucumbers in their native habitat originally lived on the ground, suppressing other weeds themselves; they actually prefer to crawl on the ground, but because it makes harvesting fruit and weeding difficult, they are generally grown by training them to stakes. I enjoy spending quiet time tending to my vegetables, and I feel that the more I put in the effort, the healthier they will bear fruit, so I carefully train them. As a farmer, I have many other tasks to do, so every year I strive to find the perfect balance between not putting in too much effort and not leaving them to their own devices.
The potato harvest season coincides with the rainy season. Potatoes do not like moisture, so they are grown in fields with good drainage, but if they are not dried sufficiently after harvest, they will mold and rot while in storage. We take advantage of the rare sunny days between rains to dig up the potatoes. The taste of new potatoes is exceptional.
notice
・We have started selling organic garden bouquets!
You can find it in the [Products] tab on this page. It can be bundled with the vegetable set. Please take a look.
Without chemical fertilizers or pesticides
The main focus is on seasonal flowers grown in a field with a variety of vegetables, grasses, and insects.
We will deliver an organic garden bouquet with herbs, perennials, and branches, along with the scent of the soil and wind of Hokuto City.
There are many types of flowers that you don't often see in flower shops,
The main focus is on small flowers that are not too conspicuous but are like a microcosm, and flowers that look natural.
This is a bouquet that can be displayed casually in your everyday life.
・We accept single item purchases of vegetables that are harvested in abundance.
We are currently experiencing a bumper crop of new potatoes and radishes. You can purchase more from the [Products] tab. We hope that these plentiful vegetables will enrich your everyday cooking.
We are now accepting new orders for our vegetable set subscription.
We still have spaces available for our popular vegetable set subscription, so please share it with your friends, family, and colleagues.
