Welcome back friends, neighbors, and anyone with an Internet connection! By now you should know my name, but if this is your first time popping in, I’m Akie. I live here in Akita Prefecture, and this blog is all about Akita, what makes it great, and occasionally, if you are nice, I will share with you some secrets about what makes the renown Akita beautiful ladies – bijin – so beautiful. But if you don’t want to wait, check out my past blogs and you’ll learn all about me and Akita, and most certainly, everything bijin…..but don’t forget, a girl has to have some secrets, you know!
This time of year our dinner tables are overflowing with an abundance of food from the fall harvest. Akita really brings in its fair share of food, and the really great thing is that quite a bit of it stays right here in Akita. We can really enjoy and appreciate the freshness of fall food. One of the many crops that we harvest up here is fruit. I just love fruit, don’t you? Akita has so much really great fruit, like- kaki (persimmons), nashi (pears), and budou (grapes). These are my yummy, yummy, yummy favorites!
You know, there are so many varieties I can’t even begin to remember them all. I’ll just give you a few common types to whet your appetite. Now, take persimmons, we usually eat the fuyugaki (winter persimmon) kind. They are seasonal and you can go to almost any supermarket and get ’em. They’re so sweet and delicious! Personally, I like mine fresh and hard, crisp and crunchy to the bite. Others though like ‘em a little more soft and gushy, but anyway you like ‘em, they’re great and good for you too! A kaki a day keeps the fall chills away, I always say!
Pears in Japan are usually eaten like apples (another popular fall fruit, but you can find the best ones in neighboring Aomori Prefecture). Nashi, (pears) as they are called in Japanese, are peeled and sliced. You don’t really want to eat the skins because they are a bit bitter and hard. Some are so big that one nashi is often a whole meal in itself. The most popular type is probably the kosui nashi, which has a light golden brown skin. Another common variety is the nijisseki nashi or “20th Century.” It‘s green. Both are sweet and oh so juicy to eat! I usually need goggles to protect my eyes from all the pear juice flying into them! Probably the best thing about Japanese pears is that they are ready to eat when picked…No waiting! So, pick ‘em, eat ‘em, and enjoy!
Now I’m getting a little hungry for some fruit…How about you? Well, after I talk some about these grapes, let’s munch on this bunch!
Budou (grapes) are very popular in Japan. The wine made from 100% Japanese grapes is quite tasty, especially with sushi or just about anything!
Two of the most popular kinds are steuben and koshu. Steuben is the purple kind, and koshu is the green kind. I talked with one Akita farmer friend of my parents, the other day, and he said that his steuben grapes have 20% more sugar content than the average U.S. brand steubens. WOW!!! That’s like having candy on the vine!
Okay,Okay, now I am really craving for some fruit. I hope you are too. I have a nice plate of it right here so let’s gobble it down, shall we?….Ooops, sorry. I forgot you are on the other side of that computer screen. Well, you’ll have to come up to Akita and maybe we’ll be able to share a bite or two.
Well, the fall is flying away so quickly now…Oh, wait. I think I hear the cackle of approaching swans. They come our way this time of year. That definitely is a sign that winter approaches.
This is truly a great time of year here so until next time….
See you, ja, mata ne!
