あまぐも通信 2024年6月第1週 vol.1

Amagumo Newsletter June 2024, 1st week vol.1

Before my eyes I could see green leaves, mountain cuckoos, and the first bonito of the season.

Hello everyone, it's been a while! After a long period of preparation, I'm very happy that this moment has finally arrived. Even though we have a new base and a new lifestyle, it is my greatest joy to be able to work as usual, following the cycle of the seasons. I hope to continue working with you all to create a rich future for food.

Amedorito's fields are located in two places, one in Hakushu and the other in neighboring Takekawa Town, both of which are fed by the famous waters of Mt. Kaikoma. Vegetables grow in the rich soil nourished by the underground waters of this sacred 3,000m-class mountain. Recently, radishes, turnips, peas, and zucchini have begun to be harvested, all of which have a strong flavor. They are enjoyed simply by rubbing with salt, grilling, or boiling with soy sauce. My daughter, who is 1 year and 8 months old, has even become addicted to cracking open raw pea pods and eating just the tiny beans inside forever ^^; in a way, it may be the greatest luxury of all.

Well, this week we have a wide variety of early summer vegetables. This spring was also unstable, with cold weather in March and scorching heat in April, but we managed to gather vegetables that we can deliver to you all. Please enjoy!

This week's vegetable set

Contains 8 to 9 of the following vegetables:

This spring was hit by unseasonably low and high temperatures, which caused the vegetables to not grow well. Please note that we may not be able to deliver some vegetables to all customers.

snap peas

These sweet and flavorful snow peas are great in salads or blanched dishes. They're also delicious in stir-fries and tempura!

New onions

For some reason, all the plants bolted (produced flower buds) this year. This has caused the core to become hard . Please remove the hard center part. The rest of the plant is soft and fresh, making it perfect for salads. Simply pickling them in salt and vinegar is delicious and helps preserve them.

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.

Wasabi greens

As its name suggests, this leafy vegetable has a pungent wasabi-like spiciness and a soft texture even when eaten raw. If you boil it, boil it quickly at a low temperature of 80°C for just 1 minute, then place it in water to cool, which will bring out the spiciness and aroma. Simply add soy sauce and you'll have a delicious pickled dish.

    Mizuna

    This Kyoto vegetable is characterized by its thin stems and crunchy texture. Because the fibers are firm, you can soften it a little by salting it and use it in salads. It can also add a touch of color and texture to soups and simmered dishes.

    Komatsuna

    Komatsuna, a classic leafy vegetable with large, soft leaves, is rich in minerals. After quickly boiling it to bring out its color, it can be used as a blanched dish or as an ingredient in miso soup. It is also surprisingly delicious when lightly pickled with the roots and chili peppers.

    bok choy

    A typical Chinese vegetable in Japan, it cooks quickly and can be enjoyed with just a quick stir fry, giving it a soft and crunchy texture.

    Red mustard

    This rare leafy vegetable has beautiful reddish-purple leaves. It has a slightly spicy taste and makes a great accent for salads when eaten raw. The color fades when boiled, but it can be used in the same way as komatsuna or wasabi greens.

    Turnip

    Sweet and fresh turnips♪ Both the fruit and the leaves are delicious. Thinly slice them and rub them with salt to make them soft, while slice them a little thicker and bake them slowly in a frying pan to make them juicy and juicy. The leaves are also delicious just rubbed with salt.

    zucchini

    Zucchini is small when it first comes into harvest, but it has a strong flavor, and adding just a little to your cooking will give it a juicy texture and aroma. It is soft and delicious even when eaten raw, and even better when cooked slowly.

    Radish pickles

    I'm enjoying growing radishes by thinning them out little by little. The final thinning is now when the radishes have started to get a little thicker. The leaves are still soft, so you can rub them with salt, or chop them up and fry them in sesame oil to use as a topping.

    Sunny lettuce

    This lettuce is characterized by its soft texture and beautiful color. It's perfect for salads. I also like to cook it, and it's delicious when stir-fried in Chinese stir-fries, soups, or as the finishing touch to fried rice, as the oil coats it.

    radish

    This is a colorful radish that you can enjoy in a variety of colors. It has a spicy taste, so when eating it raw, slice it as thinly as possible. Since it is a member of the daikon radish family, you can enjoy it by stewing it in its round shape, steaming it, or roasting it.

    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.

    Crown chrysanthemum

    The fragrant chrysanthemum has remained unchanged since the days of Hapitara, and is known for being delicious even when eaten raw with little bitterness. It is also useful in salads, hotpots, and simmered dishes.

    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.

    Bonus: Beautiful lavender purple color and a relaxing scent. Enjoy it in the bath or hang it on the wall as a dried flower. After drying, you can add it to potpourri or store it in your wardrobe to enjoy the scent for a long time.

    The state of the fields

    The rain continued at the end of May, making the weather feel like the rainy season. Before the long rains arrived, I finished planting all the summer vegetables and also planted taro and sweet potato seedlings. Thanks to the rain, they are growing rapidly. Weeding before the rain is also an important task. While the soil is bone dry, I scrape off the top layer of soil and get rid of any weeds that have begun to sprout. It's tedious work, but if I do this, I don't have to worry about weeds during the rain, and it's also the easiest time to weed. I try to create an environment where vegetables and weeds can coexist by cutting weeds around the vegetables and letting weeds grow away from them.
    Rice planting has finally begun in the communal rice fields of Pitara Village. The heavy rain has slowed down the progress of field work, but I really feel that it makes sense that we can work in the fields at this time of year. With the fresh early summer breeze blowing, sinking your feet into the thick mud feels soothing, soothing both body and mind.

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