Hiroyuki

Thanks for sharing your photos. Everything looks familiar to me except the fried octopus.

Hiroyuki, I don't know anything about Ponzu ingredients .... I apreciate your explanations, thanks. Marcia ← It's a men tsuyu (noodle soup) concentrate. Dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:2. You can use it for other purposes too, like pouring it directly over tofu. I think there was a link to this webpage in this thread: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzu Check it out if you haven't. ← Correction: Dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:1, not 1:2, to make noodle dipping sauce because it's a 2x type. Sorry for the misinformation. I like a 3x type like the one below (top right corner) because it's more economical. The instructions on the bottle say to dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:2-3.

Thanks for the link. Real funny site! You mean the one named "風に吹かれて豆腐屋ジョニー" (kaze ni fukarete tofu ya johnny)"?

I'm like your husband in that regard. I want to have hot miso soup even on a sweltering summer day.

Why not just google hiyajiru (冷や汁 or 冷汁) and let your husband decide what he wants to have? I did some googling and found some examples for your husband. Shiso leaf and cucumber version: http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/haruyama/hiyasiru.htm Okura version: http://www.nhk.or.jp/nagano/eve/chubo/2003/0703.html While searching, I noticed that this Wikipedia page says that hiyajiru is the name of the different local dishes of Miyazaki and Yamagat prefectures, but I think that it's just a generic name for cold soup. (Maybe I'm wrong.) http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%86%B7%E6%B1%81 Good luck!

You'd think that any citrus would be available in California, especially with it's large nihon population. So, does this mean that you've never have a _real_ margarita, made with fresh lime juice? Or do you make it w/ yuzu (haha). ← Fresh limes were hard to come by when I was younger, probably not now in urban areas, but still are in my rural city. I use bottled 80% lime juice when I make a mojito-like drink with shochu, hakka (Japanese mint) leaves, and sugar. Fortunately, my father grows some yuzu plants, so I have made similar drinks several times, using fresh yuzu, and they are just great - quite refreshing!

Several questions - Is men tsuyu used as a soup broth (kake-jiru) such as for udon, or as a dipping sauce (tsuke-jiru) as for zaru soba? ← Both, and much, much more. Ten tsuyu (tempura dipping sauce), ni zakana (simmered fish), oden, just to name a few. As I implied, men tsuyu concentrate can be used for just about every Japanese dish that calls for soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. I don't think yuzu rind is contained in yuzu ponzu. Yuzu rind is often grated and sprinkled on top of clear soup as a final touch, though. As for the difference between yuzu and limes, I really cannot answer because I've never had fresh limes. Anyone?

Just to console you, the men tsuyu flavor (soy sauce + mirin + dashi) is the backbone of Japanese cuisine, and if you like Japanese cuisine, you won't regret buying it. Make niku-jaga, for example, with your men tsuyu and have your husband eat it!

Hiroyuki, I don't know anything about Ponzu ingredients .... I apreciate your explanations, thanks. Marcia ← It's a men tsuyu (noodle soup) concentrate. Dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:2. You can use it for other purposes too, like pouring it directly over tofu. I think there was a link to this webpage in this thread: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzu Check it out if you haven't.

I guess so since you say it's yellow. As you may know, other citrus fruits such as sudachi, daidai, and kabosu are also used to make ponzu, but they are not yellow. Ponzu is a generic name, while Aji-Pon is a product name of Mizkan. It's not that I hate Aji-Pon (I've used it for many years), but because of its rather intense flavor, I now prefer milder kombu ponzu.

I've never bought that particular product of Yamasa, so I can't comment on how it differs from regular ponzu in taste. Here's Yamasa's webpage on a variety of ponzu and other products: http://www.yamasa.com/item/home/k.html#p02 (Japanese only) Your product is third from the bottom. I'm familiar with kombu ponzu (fifth from the bottom). I like it 'cause it's milder than regular, sour ponzu.

I guess that's Okinawan beni imo. Here's some description of this type of sweet potato: http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=2&c...7425c0e5a0e848c

Thanks a lot, Helen! It's good to know that I always count on you when I have a problem. You are a great asset of my scheme to spread SFG throughout Japan. Joking aside, I had NO IDEA that rensaku shougai is buried in another concept-crop rotation! No wonder that I came up with nothing relevant when I searched for replant failure. Oh yes, I have heard about rotation. What a positive word! Rensaku shougai is such negative wording... Anyway, I have to write down my rotation plan together with my son!!

I checked all the titles of the threads on the 16 pages of this webpage http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/sqfoot/ Still no luck. I had assumed that rensaku shougai would be one of the first things that every gardener should know. Maybe rensaku shougai is a problem specific to Japan...

Thanks for the excerpt. I really did enjoy reading it.

The latter, of course! 連作障害 in Kanji. I don't think that "rensaku shougai" can mean the former, but I'm not sure... Can "replant failure" mean the former??

I'm looking for information on rensaku shougai (replant failures) specific to SFG, but I can't find any. I know I can find all sorts of information on rensaku shougai in general in Japanese. So, my problem is, How do you actually call rensaku shougai in English.

I wonder if the Japanese are particularly good at using quail eggs. I can't think of any good uses for quail eggs other than the ones already presented here.

Cherry tomatoes?? No thanks! Your students? Who are they? Non-Japanese students?

I've never had it before! Looks so yummy!

I'm into SFG so much these days that I started a blog especially for SFG yesterday (in Japanse) http://hiroyukisfg.blog72.fc2.com/ I hope SFG spreads throughout Japan! Thanks, Helen, for introducing it to me!

I looked up square foot gardening since I wasn't sure about all the concepts, and I guess this is somewhat similar. The soil around here is very poor - it's either sand or impenetrable clay - and vegetables need a much richer mix. Our yard is also sloped, which makes it difficult to keep soils and water in place. A raised bed made sense to contain the improved/enriched soil. The soil level drops about 6" - 8" by the end of gardening season because the plants use it up. I'll try to take a picture from the side for another view. The raised bed also has the advantage that the rabbits haven't climbed up into it yet. It probably makes them feel too exposed. The deer, however, have no issues walking right through it. ← Thanks! Tell us more about your garden!

The lack of debate in Japan regarding cruelty to animals can be seen as a good thing, but it also definitely has its negative points. If you've ever been to Japan and seen an abandoned dog tied to tree by a road in the middle of nowhere (basically left to die from starvation and/or thirst), you'd know what I mean. ← This is going to be quite off topic, but I can't help responding. For the record, I've never seen such a dog althought I've lived in Japan for 45 years. There are debates about cruelty to animals in Japan too, but I think there are fewer Japanese who are against it than in the United States and other countries.

I'm intrigued by this particular photo. Is this some kind of square foot garden?

"Authentic"? You mean their buns have that "mochi-mochi" texture that many Japanese prefer?