Perks to living in the countryside.

A kabocha squash and figs I scored for super cheap!!!

Okay, I don't actually live in the countryside anymore. But it had its perks, one such being the fresh produce. You could get a ton of fresh fruits and vegetable for super cheap, and they taste so much better then stuff you'll find at most supermarkets in the city (unless you're ready to pay an arm and a leg for the better stuff).

And not just produce, but they have a lot of fun, unique products made from these fruits/vegetables, etc. and it's a lot of fun to discover unique foods and try them out!

This is a luxury I miss dearly, so every time I make a trip out of the city, I make sure to stop at a produce stand/farmer's market (直売所) and stock up.

Some stuff I scored when I went to the Night Festival at Oyama Senmaida the other night:

Homemade juices!! (left) yuzu, (right) blueberry!

Okay, so these aren't actually produce...but they are natural and homemade! I had the yuzu and it was absolutely amazing...they're made by a company in Kamogawa, so I plan to buy some more the next time I find them.

Kamogawa Shichiri edamame!!!

Kamogawa Shichiri (鴨川七里) edamame is an upcoming brand of edamame that they're starting to promote in Kamogawa. I won't pretend I know everything about them, but apparently this specific type of edamame is unique to Kamogawa, and what makes it so special is its aroma!! If you've ever had edamame before, just imagine the taste of edamame multiplied by 50!!! Less the taste itself, but more like as you are chewing on it the aroma kinda...spreads through your mouth?

Hmm...I feel like the more I try to describe it, the creepier it sounds. In any case, I promise it's really delicious! I managed to grab two of these packs to take home with me, but unfortunately the harvest period is only about 2 weeks from late October...meaning they may have already finished for the season, but you may still be able to find them on sale at Kamogawa's Minnami no Sato!

Nagasa-mai rice (front) and fox face plant (back)

I admit this at risk of sounding like a total priss, but I make a point of buying my rice at one of these farmer's market places. I once made the mistake of buying rice from a regular supermarket, and it was just...so gross. I felt like I was chewing on dirt or something. I think it had something to do with the quality/how old the rice had gotten? I donno, but I was traumatized after eating that rice for a couple months (I had a good mind to throw it all out, even though that would have been a total waste.) Since then I always eat rice bought from a farmer's market, etc., and I have never regretted it since. It really does make a world's difference!

Anyway, this particular rice is Nagasa-mai (長狭米) - named after the area of Kamogawa it was grown in. This bag also has the "Chiba Eco-Produce" mark on it, signifying that this item was made with less than half of the maximum (as designated by the prefecture) for pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. I never thought about this stuff until I came across it at work...you learn something new everyday!


Also, the weird-looking plant branch in the back is called "Fox Face" because...it looks like a fox! I guess it might be a little difficult to tell here - the yellow/orange fruit really does look a fox if you look down at it from above. I don't think it's edible though. An acquaintance of mine from Minnami no Sato gave it to me for free and said it was for decoration.

Other random deliciousness I have enjoyed recently:

Pickled nanohana!

Nanohana is Chiba Prefecture's flower, and makes also a really delicious vegetable (it's a flower, can you call it a vegetable??) I'll probably go pick nanohana for food again when it blooms in February/March, but recently I found this item at a produce stand in Futtsu! It is nanohana pickled in a soy sauce-based mixture, so it has just the right balance of sweet and salty.

(left) Sweet potato and (right) purple yam

This, plus a tomato, was my prize after helping record a promotional video for Chiba Prefecture! There was a huge basket of fresh vegetables set in front of the governor during his video message...when it was all over, they split it up amongst everyone who helped out.


I'd never gotten a purple yam in its original form before (only seen it as powder, ube dessert, bubble tea, etc.) so I was kinda at a loss in terms of what to do with it, but a quick google search found me a recipe for 紫芋炊き込みご飯. Basically you cut the yam into little cubes, place it on top of a pot of rice ready to steam, add a little vinegar (just to bring out the color), hit the switch...and viola! You have purple yam rice, nice and steamy. It makes your meals very happy and colorful! It was amazingly simple so if I ever get my hands on some purple yam again, I will most likely make the same thing again~.


Fresh produce + cooking is one of my obsessions, so there will likely be more posts like this in the future...yay for good food!