近江新生姜のガリ Ginger Slices in Vinegar

 近江新生姜の収穫時期はネット情報によると10-11月が一般的だそうですが、地元の八百屋さんでは夏の間にも売られていました。一時期途絶えたあと、最近になりまた棚に並んでいたので２パックをゲット。保存食として冷蔵庫で長持ちさせます。

According to the information on the internet, the harvesting time for Ohmi ginger cultivar is October-November.  However, some farmers go the extra mile to start harvesting them earlier than the competition, and my local greengrocer had these on the shelf during the summer months.  I love making cold drinks using the slices in the summer, and hot drinks during winter, in addition to using them in various cooking.  They last perfectly well in the fridge.

これらの皮をナイフで丁寧に、丁寧に取り除きます。

To prepare for slices, first remove the skin with a knife with care and patience.

使う前にタオルで水分をふき取りました。

After rinsing, remove the water with paper towel.

全部スライスしたところ。ステンレスボウルの容量は１リットルです。

I sliced all the pieces which fitted into a 1 litre bowl.

米酢と砂糖だけの簡単な組み合わせで煮ます。ショウガスライスがお酢と会ったとたん、お酢が淡いアプリコット色になります。

Cook rice vinegar with sugar - the amount of sugar is according to your taste.  The moment the vinegar solution meets with the ginger slices, it tuns into a light apricot colour.  This is the natural colour of high-end fresh ginger cooked in vinegar and sugar.  If you see ginger slices coloured orange or red in a sushi restaurant, it is made of cheap stuff and artificial food colour.  

Also, these ginger slices, cooked properly, have a silky texture.

完全にまぐれですが、ガラス容器に最後の一滴までぴったり収容されました。旬のあいだに、寒い冬の間の分も作っておきたいです。

Although entirely by a fluke, the whole content of the pot was accommodated into this one jar, to the last drop of the vinegar solution.  While the harvesting season lasts, I intend to make enough for the winter months.

日本種ナツメ Japanese Jujube

 去年の８月に買った日本種のナツメからは、秋までに３本のヒコバエが出てきました。これ↓はそのうちの１本で、いま実が熟し始めたところです。樹高は摘心したあと上には伸びず、現在60 cmくらいしかありません。初年度から実を沢山つけて非常に優秀です。実はとても甘いだけでなく、果汁たっぷりで酸味も十分あります。これはナツメの中では非常に貴重な要素なので、これからも大切に育てていきます。

This is a sucker from a parent tree that I bought in August last year - a nameless Japanese jujube growing on its own roots.  By autumn, 3 suckers came out of the ground, and this tree is one of them.  Growing in a pot, the tree is currently about 60cm tall (I cut the top of the tree in early summer to keep it small).  Although in its initial year of growth, the tree has a lot of fruits.  The fruits are not only very sweet, but they also have lots of juice and tartness.  Among jujube fruits juiciness and tartness are rare.  Although the fruits are small, I am going to cherish this variety.

種無しスダチなど Seedless Sudachi etc

 もう９月下旬なので、スダチが利用可能な時期です。この苗を地植えにして以来、３年ぶりで実がつきました。３個だけですが。でも、10号鉢で鈴なりだった頃の実と比べると大きくて、お店で売られているのと変わりありません。

It is already the end of September and the Sudachi fruits should be ready for consumption.  Since planting this tree in the ground 3 years ago, it produced fruits for the first time this year, although only 3.  However, the fruits are much larger than they used to be when the tree was growing in a 30 cm pot.  Moreover, the fruits are no smaller than those of commercial growers.

枝ごと収穫。サンマを１尾買ってきました。私はお肉派なので、このサンマはスダチの味見にほんの一部だけ自分で消費して、あとは魚大好きワンコのタイガにあげます。

I picked the whole twig.  I got a Pacific saury which is considered to be a must-eat item in September in Japan.  With this fish, you need Sudachi to eat it properly.  

The only thing is, I am a meat eater and not keen on fish.  So, the purpose of getting this fish was to see the quality of this year's Sudachi, and most of the fish will go to Taiga who loves fish.  

半割りにしました。うちのは「種無しスダチ」で、種は１個入る程度です。実の大きさは普通のスダチと同じで、かつ種が無いのでその分果肉がぎっしり詰まっています。おまけに苗はトゲ無しで世話しやすい。採ったばかりの実には強烈な風味があり、魚の味が分からなくなるほどでした。

I cut the fruit in half.  My Sudachi is a 'seedless' cultivar and containing one pit is allowable.  With the size of the fruit as large as those of regular Sudachi, this variety gives you a lot more flesh for the absence of seeds.  Moreover, this cultivar is thornless, too.  

The freshly harvested Sudachi flavour was so strong that I could hardly taste the fish.

パンザオで失敗。最近実の色が薄くなり始めたので、完熟まであとどれくらい？と思いながら実をくるくる回して観察していたら、小枝が付け根からもげてしまいました。アーッ、と思ったときはもう遅い。来年に期待です。

I made a blunder with Panzao jujube today.  This is the only fruit it had on the tree.  Recently, its outer colour seemed to become paler and gave me hope that it might be ripening soon.  Due to the strange shape of the fruit, I was turning it around to have a better look, and then the limb came off from the branch!  When I realised what had happened, it was too late.

皇帝ナツメの実との比較。パンザオも熟すと皇帝ナツメ同様、果肉が白くなる品種なので外皮も同じよな色づき方です。あまりにも早く終わってしまいました。

Comparison with a mature Emperor jujube.  When ripe, Panzao's flesh also turns white, and the outer skin will have similar colouring to that of Emperor jujube.  Panzao's year ended too early.

供養のため糖度計を出して味見もしました。甘味は感じられるけど糖度計の数値ほどではなく、またジューシーさはなく青臭い風味でした。

Not to let it go to waste, I measured the sugar content which was extremely high according to the gadget.  In reality, it did not taste as sweet, and there was no juiciness.  The flavour was green like eating a vegetable.

門の横に植えてあるピンクのヒガンバナが２本上がってきました。スモモの木の陰に位置するので、庭の南側のよりも遅い開花です。

Two pink spider lily flowers have come out in the spot near the gate.  These are growing in the shade of a plum tree and took longer to come out than those on the south side.

南側のは咲き終わりの花も出てきました。秋のほんの一瞬の輝きです。

The ones on the south side seem to have passed its peak.  They are just a sparkle in autumn.

朝散歩など Morning Walk etc

 今朝も秋晴れ、清々しい散歩になりました。公園のアルプス乙女の状態を観察していたら、タイガはさっそく草風呂を始めました。最近シャンプーしたばかりなのに。。。

Another morning with beautiful autumn sky - it was so pleasant to have a walk.  As I was observing the state of crab apple trees in the park, Taiga started her usual 'grass bath'.  I only shampooed her recently.

ピンポン玉ほどの小さなリンゴが赤く色づいています。うちのリンゴ苗の銀色になった葉っぱを思いだすと、うちではリンゴ栽培はムリなのかなぁ、と弱気になってしまいます。でも、グラニースミスは諦めがつかないので、来年はもっと風通しの良い場所に移動させる予定です。

This is a popular Japanese crab apple called 'Alps Otome'.  It is disease resistant and requires little care to produce sweet fruits every year.  Watching these trees makes me wonder if I am growing wrong varieties, or simply that my garden is not suited for growing apples.

道を渡って、隣の草地の築山でオヤツタイム。

We crossed the road to go to another field, where we usually have a treat break for Taiga on top of the mound.

目ざといカラスが隣のベンチに舞い降りてきました。先日のカラスと同一なのか、今日はイヤに距離が縮まっています。

An all-seeing crow spotted us and flew down to the next bench.  Perhaps this is the same individual as the one we saw recently, and he has emboldened himself to get so close to us.

オヤツのあとは橋を渡って中央公園の林を散策。

After the break, we crossed the river and entered the woodland of the Johoku Central Park.

汗をかくことなく散歩ができるのは嬉しいです。

It was very nice to walk without sweating.

冷蔵庫の中身を補充するために私が買い物で出入りしている間、退屈したタイガ。帰宅した私が玄関ドアを開けると、このように背中を向けて通せんぼしています。

I had to replenish my fridge, so I made a few trips to the shops.  Every time I came home and opened the front door, I found Taiga blocking my entry as if to protest the boredom she had to endure.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

猛暑のあいだはパン生地が過発酵して、キメが荒くてイースト菌臭い生地のパンしか焼けませんでしたが、今はちょうど良い気候です。イースト菌は弱らないし、暖かいので直ぐに生地が発酵します。今日のパンはライ麦粉入りの素朴な風味にします。

During the heat wave months, I could not bake decent bread since the yeast suffered from the heat and the dough became over-proofed.  Now, the weather is perfect.  The yeast stays robust, and the warm weather helps the dough rise.  I decided to bake a loaf of rye bread.

最終発酵が完了。成形直後の倍以上に膨らんでいます。

The final proofing done, with the dough becoming more than double the original size.

180℃で30分焼きました。

Baked at 180℃ for 30 minutes.

焼きあがった生地は、ケーキのようにキメが整っています。

The crumb was uniform like that of a cake.

皇帝ナツメ収穫 Emperor jujube

 皇帝ナツメが先週から色づき始めました。去年は10個がほぼ同時に色づいたのに、今年は「順次」だったので、約20個残してあった実のうち４個を既に採ったあとです。

The emperor jujube started to ripen last week.  Last year, the 10 fruits matured almost simultaneously.  This year, the ripening is staggered.  Of the 20 fruits that I had left to ripen, I have already picked 4, and today I am picking most of the remainder.

「紅の夢」の終わり End of red-fleshed apples

 赤肉品種のリンゴ「紅の夢」は、9月に入って再度 袋外しをしたあと、またしても汚損が発生して止まるところ知らずの状態。もう、イイヤ、という心境です。

I bagged the apples for the second time in late August, then removed them in early September, so that the fruits would get maturing colours.  The red-fleshed cultivar called 'Kurenai-no-Yume' ended up getting spots after removing the bags for the second time.  I think I am throwing in the towel.

人間の皮膚でいえば、強烈な日差しを浴びて水疱ができたような外見です。

If this were human skin, it would be like getting red blisters from continued exposure to strong sun.

対して、グラニースミスは完全無傷。

In contrast, there is no damage to the Granny Smith fruits whatsoever.  

葉っぱはハダニで銀色になってしまったけど、実は本当に綺麗です。ただし、葉がこの状態だと光合成ができず、これ以上の実の肥大はもう期待できないかも。

Admittedly, the leaves have gone silver due to spider mites, but every single fruit on this tree is clean and beaming.  However, with these silver leaves, photosynthesis will be severely limited, and the young fruits may not grow any further.

紅の夢は残っていた実を全部撤収。

I picked all the remaining fruits of Kurenai-no-Yume.

水疱付きの実を切ってみます。

I am going to cut one of the fruits with blisters.

ナイフが赤い水疱の部分を通るように切りました。虫の侵入が原因でないことが確認できます。清潔な部分を齧ってみると、恐ろしく酸っぱい！苗を買った当時、「紅の夢」のセールコピーには「生食もできる料理用リンゴ」というのがあった記憶です。ちゃんと育てば、そうなのでしょう。

I cut the fruit so that the knife would pass through the blisters, in order to confirm that the blisters were not caused by bugs getting inside.  I also took a bite at the clean part.  It was soooo sour!  When this cultivar was released, one of the sales copies was 'a cooking apple that can also be eaten fresh'.  Perhaps, if they grow properly, they become edible.

傷のない部分だけを利用してジャムを作りました。煮沸消毒で保存。

Using what was salvageable, I made jam and sterilised the output.

だいぶ冷めた頃にフタが「ペコン」という音を立てて凹みました。

As the jam began to cool, the lid made a sound and became dented - a sign it was completed.

今日のピンクのヒガンバナ。繁殖力は普通の赤花と比べて低いですが、その分ありがた味を感じます。６年前に３個の球根から始めたものです。これらとは別に、門の階段の近くにも少し植えてありますが、果樹の日陰なのでやっと蕾が２本ほど上がってきたところです。

The pink spider lilies, with new flower buds coming out.  This cultivar does not multiply like the common red flower variety, which makes me appreciate it even more.  I obtained 3 bulbs from a person in Shikoku 6 years ago, and they have grown slowly.  Aside from this cluster, I have some more pink bulbs near the gate.  Two flower stems have just come out, as the spot is in the shade of trees.

赤花は強いです。しかも私の好きなハデハデ。元はご近所から数個の球根を分けていただいたのが、増えすぎて一部を斜め向かいの公園に植えたほどです。

The common red variety is robust, and the flowers are so brilliant, as it is called 'Lycoris radiata'.  My neighbour gave me bulbs some years ago and they have multiplied fast.  So much so that I have planted some of them in the park nearly opposite to my house.