The other day, I went to see the lotus flowers in the neighboring town of Fujimi in Nagano Prefecture. Just looking at the beautiful lotus flowers seems to cleanse the soul, so every year when the time comes, I visit the nearby lotus garden.
With the blessed rain continuing to fall, this year feels like a typical rainy season. The vegetables are absorbing a lot of water, preparing for the harsh, parched midsummer. During this time of year, when the heavy rain makes it difficult to get any field work done, people are taking a break. They are shipping out the many vegetables harvested that morning, mending holes in their work clothes, tidying up their belongings that have become a mess due to their busy schedules, and working on administrative tasks, resting their bodies while also doing what they can to prepare for the summer. In between rain showers, they are busy weeding the rice fields, doing carpentry work, making firewood, making charcoal, and tending to the vegetables. For lunch, they cook rice over a charcoal fire and steam-roast vegetables.
Being involved in farming, which is closely connected to daily life, requires observing and feeling the state of the natural world, and you must instantly choose what work to do at that moment, which requires a lot of mental effort. It feels like your mind, heart, and body are being trained every day.
Well, here are the contents of this week's vegetable set. Summer vegetables are slowly arriving. We're just a few more days until the all-stars arrive!
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. |
Green beans This is a variety of Koshigaya green beans that has been cultivated for many years. They are large and soft even when harvested, with a moderate texture and a subtle sweetness, making them a traditional green bean. Boil them until golden brown and dip them in miso or mayonnaise to enjoy the aroma of the beans. They are also great in tempura and stir-fries. |
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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. |
Korinky It is a member of the pumpkin family, with a striking lemon yellow color. You can eat the skin and seeds raw, so slice it thinly or shred it and use it in salads. It is also delicious roasted or stewed. It has a unique aroma that will become addictive. |
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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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carrot The carrots are growing slowly this year. They are small, but fragrant and packed with sweetness. These soft, crunchy carrots become even sweeter when cooked slowly. They are delicious sautéed, roasted, or coated in batter to make carrot cutlets. |
cherry tomatoes This pack contains two varieties: the red, fixed-variety "Stella" cherry tomato and the dark pink black cherry tomato. Due to shipping restrictions, some tomatoes may not be fully ripe, so please wait until they are ripe before enjoying them. Enjoy them as they are, add them to miso soup, or simmer them down to make a tomato sauce. |
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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. |
Green shiso This is a classic Japanese summer herb. Enjoy it chopped as is as a condiment. Pickled in soy sauce, it goes incredibly well with rice! |
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Round zucchini This is a round type of zucchini shaped like a pumpkin. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and roast it or bake it with cheese for a juicy, juicy treat. Tempura is also great. Cut the top off, hollow it out, mix it with meat, vegetables, herbs, and spices, refill it, and roast it with the cut top as a lid to create a flavorful soup. |
Young corn This is young corn from Koshu corn, a type of corn native to Yamanashi that is grown together with pumpkins. It has a soft, sweet taste and a crunchy texture. It is delicious sauteed, in ratatouille, or as tempura. The hairs can also be eaten, and are good for your health. You can also use it as an ingredient in soup or in kakiage. |
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Bonus: We've grown seedlings from seasonal flower seeds, and we've included a small selection of the various flowers we have. Please enjoy placing them in a vase. Since they're organic, you can also sprinkle the petals in your bath for a soothing experience. |
The state of the fields
While we had plenty of rain, I planted carrot seeds. Carrots are said to be the most difficult crop to germinate, and they don't sprout easily if the soil dries out. In recent years, the rainy season has ended unusually early, so I missed the timing and planted seeds right after the rainy season ended, causing me to struggle with sprouts. So this year, I made an effort to prepare early, and was able to plant seeds right in the middle of the rainy season. The seeds sprouted in about five days. I'll be carefully tending them to keep them from getting overtaken by the weeds. As for summer vegetables, green beans are starting to harvest. With the start of the beans, my morning harvest routine has increased, and I feel like summer is finally here! I head out to the fields at sunrise and diligently finish harvesting while it's still cool. I take a long break at lunchtime to prepare myself so I can work in the cooler weather. The rainy season will soon be over. I'm looking forward to harvesting eggplants and bell peppers. I've also been working on my own vegetable seeds, and the other day I harvested a large, ripe zucchini. The zucchini is as long as your arm and is heavy, so it looks like it will produce good seeds. I'll let it ripen and then split it open in the fall to extract the seeds.
notice
-We are currently selling organic garden bouquets, which are popular as gifts.
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're currently experiencing a bumper crop of freshly dug potatoes. You can purchase more from the [Products] tab. We hope that these generous servings of vegetables will further 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.
