あまぐも通信 2024年9月第3週 vol.15

Amagumo Newsletter, September 2024, 3rd week, vol.15

The other day, I helped out at an event called the Smart Agriculture Fair, which was held in Minowa Town, Nagano Prefecture.

Among the many exhibits and experience booths featuring drones and the latest agricultural machinery, Umaya Shichifuku was even invited to run a horse-drawn plowing experience booth, where children and adults could experience working alongside the horses and supporting the plow.
I spent the day helping out with the experience, and many people came with their children, which gave the children, who will be the future of the country, a great opportunity to learn a lot.
Horse-drawn plowing, which relies on the power of horses to easily pull plows that would be very difficult for humans to pull, learn the work on their own, and work just by eating grass growing nearby, may in some ways be the ultimate smart agriculture.
Horses have existed on Earth for a long time, longer than humans, and can exert far greater power than humans simply by eating grass. They are also very intelligent and have the power to heal people. I wonder how the children felt during the horse farming experience, where they were able to interact with horses up close, feel their breathing, and work together with them. I'm sure they felt something important that can't be put into words!
For adults too, it is a valuable experience that awakens forgotten feelings passed down from our ancestors.
I applaud the wonderful organizers of the Smart Agriculture Fair, which was held under the theme of thinking about the future of agriculture, for setting up a horse-drawn plowing experience booth. I am pleased that horse-drawn plowing is gradually becoming recognized as the agriculture of the future.
To liven things up, I supported the experience wearing a Hyottoko mask, and to my surprise, an image of the Hyottoko Umakō was published in the local paper! For the Hyottoko movements, I incorporated the essence of the Sansa Odori dance, which I have been training in for about seven years.
The Yokoyama family of Umaya Shichifuku, who hosted our horse-drawn plowing experience in Hakushu in early spring, are a wonderful family who are always soothing to meet. They hold horse-drawn plowing experiences in various locations, so be sure to check them out.

Now, here are the contents of this week's vegetable set.

This week's vegetable set

Contains 8 to 9 of the following vegetables:

bitter melon

Due to the cool climate, bitter melon harvesting tends to begin at the end of summer each year. Fresh bitter melon has little bitterness, and if you rub it with salt and squeeze it tightly, it's delicious even raw. You can also add ponzu sauce or bonito flakes for a refreshing taste. You can also make tempura with the pulp intact, which is delicious!

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.

eggplant

Thanks to the abundant rain, they have finally reached their peak. This is a rare variety of eggplant called "shinkuro nasu" (pure black eggplant). It pairs extremely well with oil, making it delicious when deep-fried or stir-fried with miso. The skin is soft, so it can also be eaten raw! It has a subtle sweetness, and when rubbed with salt and lightly pickled, it makes a delicious, crunchy pickle.

Green eggplant is called Ao-nasu, and when cooked, the flesh becomes melty and delicious. We recommend deep-frying it. After draining the water with salt, marinate it in the deep-frying sauce for about 10 minutes, then coat it with potato starch and deep fry. It's truly the best, so please give it a try!

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.

Sixteen cowpeas

The long green bean-like vegetable is called cowpea, a legume. It is soft and stringy, so you can use it in the same way as green beans. It has a unique flavor, and after boiling it, you can cut it up and enjoy it in salads, blanched dishes, stir-fries, simmered dishes, tempura, etc.

molokheiya

This sticky vegetable is highly nutritious and has a great effect on relieving fatigue after a heat-related illness. Remove the leaves from the stems, boil them briefly, then chop them up to create a sticky texture. Mix them with natto or tomato. If you're adding them to soup, there's no need to pre-boil them. They make a delicious, thick soup.

potatoes

*There are insect holes on the surface, which have turned black, so please remove them before eating. We will deliver extra portions to make up for the insect holes. Thank you for your understanding.

This variety, Tokachi Kogane, is known for its versatility and hardiness. It's delicious whether boiled, baked, or fried, and it's highly storable, making it a valuable choice. I like to boil them whole, then lightly mash them to create cracks, and roast them in oil or butter until browned.

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 reach their delicious color before enjoying them. Enjoy them as they are, add them to miso soup, or simmer them down to make a tomato sauce.

cucumber

The second crop of cucumbers, which was a long time coming, is slowly starting to come in. These are traditional cucumbers with a low moisture content, firm flesh, and a crisp, crunchy texture. They have a strong flavor and only require a simple seasoning. They are delicious simply dipped in miso and crispy on their own. They are also delicious pickled, salted, and made into tempura.

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!

Green peppers and manganji

Bell peppers have little bitterness and are delicious eaten raw! They're also delicious stuffed with meat or stewed. Manganji peppers are a staple at our barbecue. Grill them whole until browned, then drizzle with sauce to enjoy their sweetness and aroma. They're also delicious grilled, deep-fried, or simmered. These unusually creamy-colored peppers have almost no bitterness and are refreshing even when eaten raw, with a slightly floral aroma. They also contain small, bright red sweet peppers. They're sweet and fruity, and are great eaten raw, or mixed into an omelet for a vibrant color.

Melon Cucumber

It looks like a melon (water melon), tastes like a cucumber, and has a slightly sour taste with a fun crunchy texture. It can be eaten raw, and when added to a salad, the sour taste is delicious. It also looks cute when pickled.

Morning glory

It's called "Indian spinach" in English, and like spinach, it's rich in minerals. It can be used in the same way as spinach, in stir-fries, miso soup, salads, and more, and can be used in both Japanese and Western dishes. When boiled and chopped, it becomes very soft and creamy, which is perfect for invigorating a tired stomach in the summer. I personally like to stir-fry it with tomatoes, eggs, and bonito flakes.

Water spinach

As its name suggests, this vegetable has a hollow stem. It is very popular in Southeast Asia and is mainly used in stir-fries. Simply season it with garlic, chili peppers, and fish sauce to enjoy its delightful crunchy texture and unique flavor. It wilts easily, so if it starts to lose its vitality, cutting off a small portion of the root and placing it in water will make it crisp again.

Bonus: Shiso

The flowers of the green shiso plant have finished blooming and the fruit has started to appear. You can enjoy the floral scent of shiso. It's good for decoration. You can also squeeze out the fruit and pickle it in soy sauce, which goes well with rice.

The state of the fields

The radishes, turnips, and leafy vegetables that were sown last week have begun to sprout . Seeing them forcefully push their heads up, pushing the ground away, gives a strong sense of vitality.

Of course, at the same time as the vegetables, the weeds also begin to sprout. They are tiny, only a fraction of the size of the vegetable sprouts, but they grow so fast that they overtake the vegetables within a few days.
It is the role of humans to keep the weeds at bay and help the vegetables grow. Unlike summer fruit and vegetables, autumn vegetables are grown in one go before the frigid winter arrives, so there is no time to give in to weeds.
After weeding and thinning the plants, the vegetables will grow significantly after a few days. They respond to the amount of care you give them. This is one of the joys of interacting with plants.
Last week, we also harvested the second indigo crop. Indigo is very hardy and can be harvested twice a year. We dry it until winter, and when it gets cold, we pile it up to ferment. I'm looking forward to next year's indigo dyeing.

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 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.

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