In early spring the forests are filled with a wealth of edible shoots and sprouts but I'm afraid I have no knowlege whatsoever about what one should eat and what one should avoid. However many Japanese make it a hobby to go into the woods seeking out greenery that can be brought home and served at the dinner table. A few of my friends enjoy this treasure hunting and they will bring me the fruits of their search or cook it up for me to sample. Here are just a few of the natural foods that we've enjoyed the past couple weeks.
That bump back there behind the poles is a bamboo shoot. That is probably already too big to even think about eating but these little bumps can be seen every morning in the bamboo forest and by the evening they have grown an amazing number of inches. My kitchen has been overflowing with bamboo shoots already and they are somewhat of a pain to cook up but I do know what to do when someone hands one to me. After cooking the shoots last week I cut them up and made bamboo shoot tempura and bamboo shoot rice.
One neighbor brought me a bag of greenery last week which turned out to be shoots from a tree. The neighbor even took me into the forest to show me which tree was edible but I doubt that I'm going to go back there hunting for my own food. 
The tree shoots also got made into tempura alongside the bamboo shoot tempura.
A wonderful delicacy is fuki which I've never seen in the States though I can imagine that one might find them in the wetter parts of the States. (Any of you in Oregon and Washington ever seen this plant?) 
The stalk of the plant is eaten while the leaves are thrown away and it tastes sort of like a very soft celery... This is also best served simmered in soy sauce. And this morning someone brought me a plate of fern shoots and lightly fried Japanese pepper bush shoots. I remember my Japanese teacher's wife in Portland would go into the forest hunting for fern shoots and we students thought she was off her rocker.
I sometimes think all this knowledge of forest botany might come in handy if I was lost on a deserted Japanese island but since I have generous neighbors I'll depend on them for my very NATURAL food and the rest I'll get at the supermarket.
8 comments:
It must be such fun - and a little daunting - to try out these offerings. I imagine Europeans get much the same thrill out of hunting for mushrooms. I'm with you though - it's proper shops or my own garden for me.
The fuki plant is obviously very similar to rhubarb - like you Tanya I would be somewhat reticent in all this food gathering stuff in case I picked the wrong plant and killed off my family :o)
I guess I would completely fail the "living in Japan as the Japanese do" test when it came to food! After a while, I would be whining "Can I just have some green beans, please?" LOL I definitely let the greengrocer handle my veggie selection. My near and dears would NOT want me wandering around picking things for them to eat.
Oh, I just noticed that a photo of the "When Oh When" quilt has been added to your blog header, and it looks great!
The Maori of New Zealand are also very good at recognizing what is good to eat from the so-called weeds.
I really believe those seasonal items are very good for us to eat.
I would definitely enjoy the hunt but am not sure about eating the treasures. Makes me wonder how many "treasures" I don't see in all my hunts.
I LOVE bamboo shoots, but I have never actually prepared them myself. I would love to get your recipes for the bamboo shoot tempura and bamboo shoot rice!
My Hubby and I were on vacation last week and visited a few State Parks. At one park there was a Morel Mushroom festival going on. Everyone was in the woods looking for the much loved mushroom. Hubby wasn't happy until he joined in on the search. He really only wanted to fine one, just to prove he could. He did and we both had a taste. He assured me it was better cooked, but as a non mushroom lover I declared it was ok. We later found out that the mushrooms were selling for $25 a half pound. Wow!
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