May 5, 2013

Kei Tora Ichi (Light-Truck Market) on May 5, 2013/軽トラ市、2013年5月5日

Today, I visited the Kei Tora Ichi (Light-Truck Market), held on Tsumugi Dori here in the Shiozawa area of Minami Uonuma city.
今日は、南魚沼市の塩沢地域にある、つむぎ通りで開催された軽トラ市に行って来ました。
 
I dropped by Bokushi Dori,
牧之通りに寄ってきました。
and Suzuki Bokushi Kinenkan (Memorial Hall).
鈴木牧之記念館にも。 
I reached Tsumugi Dori, which leads to JR Shiozawa Station.
つむぎ通りに着きました。JR塩沢駅につながっています。 
When you turn around, you will see the Kei Tora Ichi.
振り向くと、軽トラ市が見えます。 
I immediately found a gem:
すぐに宝石を見つけました: 
This amount of kogomi (fiddleheads) for only 200 yen! After I got home, I measured them, and they were about 430 g.
この量のこごみがたったの200円!家に帰ってから測ると、430 g程度ありました。
 
Representative Director (center) of Aoki Shoten, with two sons:
青木商店の代表取締役と二人の息子さん:  
An acquaintance of mine. I bought one pack of four Hanjuku Cheese.
知り合いです。半熟チーズの4個パックを一つ買いました。

I left the market, and headed for the supermarket, where I bought chimaki and sasa dango.
市を離れ、スーパーに向かい、ちまきと笹団子を買いました。 
Map of the Kei Tora Ichi on Tumugi Dori:
つむぎ通り「軽トラ市」の地図: 
Hanjuku Cheese:
半熟チーズ: 
A favorite of my family's, especially my son's.
家族みんな、特に息子が大好きです。

Kogomi:
こごみ: 
Ishizaka's Maitake:
石坂さんのまいたけ:  
500 g for 500 yen. I don't think you can get it this cheap elsewhere.
500 yenで500 g。他ではこんなに安く買えないと思います。 
Very firm and solid. Superior to wild maitake, in my opinion, because you don't have to rinse it with water (and lose much flavor) before use.
 とても身が締まっています。天然まいたけより優れていると思います。使う前に水で洗わなくていいからです(洗えば味がなくなってしまう)。

Chimaki (left) and sasa dango (right):
ちまき(左)と笹団子(右):
The people of Niigata have them for Tango no Sekku (Boys' Festival), which falls on today, May 5.
(I was born and bred in Tokyo, and I used to have kashiwa mochi (mochi wrapped in an oak leaf) when I was a child.
新潟の人たちは、今日、5月5日、端午の節句にちまきと笹団子を食べます。
(私は東京で生まれ育ったので、小さい頃は、柏餅を食べました。)

Finally, I bought this seeding at the market.
最後に、市でこの苗を買いました。 
Koshiabura. I asked the clerk some questions, and he told me it would take TEN YEARS to get (young buds) from it and that it would grow 10 to 20 meters tall. A kind of intimidating answers, but I decided to buy one.
コシアブラです。店員さんに質問すると、(若芽を)採るには10年かかるとか、10~20メートルにもなるとか言われ、ちょっと恐ろしいと思いましたが、買うことにしました。  

3 comments:

Sissi said...

Good luck with koshiabura! I hope it will grow much quicker than the person said.
I still wonder how kogomi tastes...

Fräulein Trude said...

It takes the こしあぶら some years to produce flower buds? Time flies more or less. The most interesting trees need lots of years but a gardener by heart thinks in long terms (good luck). I have a problem with my Kiwi plant. It takes 5-9 years to grow some fruits / blossom. I planted the Kiwi 8 years ago and it only blossomed once (3 years ago) and the fruits were not that good at all - I am a little vexed. Maybe the Kiwi and me will never become friends (laugh).

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: Thanks! But I really don't want it to grow 10-20 meters tall...
Some say kogomi tastes like asparagus, but I don't think so. As I said before, kogomi is not bitter and is one of few sansai in Japan that do not require akunuki (harshness removal).

Kiki: If you pick young buds, then it won't grow any more. I don't know whether this is true.

I have no ideal what the problem is with your kiwi plant. The soil, the weather, or both?