Happy Sharing Community in Countryside

Since we started living in two locations, Tokyo and Onjuku, we have been given a lot of food to share, thankfully.
We still don’t have much to share, but when the vegetables grow well in the fields, we dream of sharing them with everyone who has been so kind to us!

Bay Leaf

I was told to pick up as many bay leaves as I wanted, and last week I brought it back home.
I’ve been slacking on cooking lately, so I thought I couldn’t use it even if I got a lot of it, so I was reluctant to get enough. It’s about one bag that I always buy at the grocery store.

An online search for how to make dried bay leaf shows the following 4 steps.
① Wash with water
② Quickly boil in boiling water and cool with cold water.
③ Wipe the water one by one
④ Put it in a net in a well-ventilated place and dry it.

However, I skipped (2) because it was a hassle and (4) because I didn’t have a net, and went with (1), (3), and then left it to dry on kitchen paper.

It has dried out a lot and the leaves are starting to warp. They are still darker green than the bay leaves sold, so I’ll leave them as they are for another week or so.

Ustilago Esculenta

I was told, “Oh, by the way, I have some Ustilago Esculenta, you should take it.” Last Sunday, we received many rare gifts from my relatives.

Well, Ustilago Esculenta .
I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never cooked it, and I’ve probably never eaten it. So, relying on internet search, I tried to cook it.

This Ustilago Esculenta is said to have been harvested in Otaki Town which is 30 minutes away from Onjuku. Speaking of Otaki Town, when I was little, I remembered that I went to pick bamboo shoots, and I wondered if I would peel them like bamboo shoots, but I could only peel one or two outside by hand. After that, I peel it with a peeler, but the feeling is just like peeling an eggplant.

And I made fried Ustilago Esculenta with oyster sauce and it was delicious!

The Good Thing About Sharing

When I go to the grocery store to buy food, I usually only get the same kind of food, but when I receive food to share, I can encounter new ingredients.
It’s a great way to increase my cooking repertoire, and the joy of receiving and knowing about food is a great thing.

I can’t wait to share mine with other people!!