Dreaming Shallowly in Broad Daylight

Perhaps it is the effect of heat acclimatization, but my body does not seem to find the heat all that distressing. If anything, despite the high temperatures, there is not enough sunshine. The news is buzzing every day about temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, but my body has already begun to feel 'autumn'.
Since entering the period of Great Heat, the mornings have been cool. It might just be my imagination, but the breeze already feels soft. I suppose the influence of El Niño is strong this year after all. The period of extreme heat might be short. Trusting my intuition, I think I will plan to finish my preparations for surviving the summer early.

Summer Doyo Delights: Plums

A delight immediately after entering the Great Heat is the Doyo drying of plums!
The arrival of the season I have been waiting for. It is sunny every day with high temperatures, the perfect conditions for drying plum fruits. They dry so instantly that I wonder if it will all be over in a single day! But, I dried them in the shade for the prescribed three days.
I love the scent and texture when lining up the plums to dry. This year, I pickled them using only sugar and salt without using plum vinegar, so they are a bit firm. I haven't tasted them yet, but since the salt concentration is higher than in previous years, it seems they will be well-preserved.
However, last year's pickled plums are still left. Last year's turned out plumper and are tastier. The year-old pickled plums have also matured and are ready to eat. In other words, this year's new plums are for storage. I have to think of recipes to consume the old plums. This year, there was a plum curry recipe made by AI, so I am thinking of trying it. The taste of tamarind I had long ago was quite sweet, so besides the acidity of the plums, honey seems necessary. How should I make Japanese-style chutney?
I try various ways of making pickled plums every year, but last year I believe I pickled them in a 1:1:1 ratio of salt, sugar, and plum vinegar. I remember that adding sugar surprisingly softened the acidity and made them delicious. If you pickle them only with plum vinegar, the salt content can be kept down, but perhaps the pickling was insufficient. Pickling them with shiso makes the color beautiful. Pickling them only with salt makes them extremely salty. There was a time I pickled them with honey, but it wasn't to my taste. This year, I have also prepared plums pickled only with sugar, and those will become the 'Kanro-ume' (sweet dew plums) known in Yoshiwara. Since I will use them for New Year's Osechi, I plan to keep them pickled until winter without drying them. The pickled plums to my liking are probably the ones from last year's method. Since I also added shiso, the softness of the fruit was on a different level, and they have a fluffy fragrance when you put them in your mouth. Bliss.
However, I don't do plum work all that seriously. There are years I make pickled plums and years I don't, and I decide whether to do it this year while watching how much of my preserved food is left. I like making pickled plums, but actually, I don't like consuming them that much. I consume plum syrup more often. Plum wine is also better after about five years of pickling, so I worry about whether to make it every three years or what.
The recipe I use the most is white rice cooked with plums. I started it to prevent food poisoning in summer, but rice cooked with plums is delicious with the salt and acidity, so I cook plum rice in the summer. Once cooked, I could just crush the fruit and mix it in with bonito flakes, but I almost never eat the pickled plums as they are; I reuse the fruit, which has had its saltiness reduced and plumpness restored by cooking, in other dishes. Sardines simmered with plums or stir-fried pork and plums are delicious. For me, plums are a summer seasoning. After using the fruit in cooking, I make 'ume-sho' (plum soy sauce) with the pits, so even one plum is used for quite a long time. In the first place, I don't cook rice much in the summer, so the number of times I have plum rice isn't that high either.
Using them in curry is a first. Once I make it, I will write my impressions in a 'short report'.
I am not growing okra this year, but if you add okra and peanuts, it becomes an African-style curry. Let's make summer curry with lots of summer vegetables. I have already eaten the corn I harvested, but I still have potatoes, carrots, and onions. Should I try adding green beans and shiso? I have never made shiso curry, but I wonder what kind of taste it will have. Adding pumpkin would also be good. I will try adding various things, intending to clean out the refrigerator.

Summer Doyo Delights: Eel

And, as a delight of the Great Heat, there is also the Day of the Ox in Doyo. This year's eel feels relatively cheap, so it seems I can eat it without guilt. Originally, the season for eel is autumn and winter, but according to eel shop owners, winter eel has too much fat and isn't tasty. They recommended that it is actually delicious from summer to autumn. Or rather, they said, 'It's fine to eat it whenever, so don't forget about eel even after it gets cheaper.'
When I hear 'eel,' I worry about resource levels, but recently there seems to have been bright news regarding eel farming. Is the day when we can cover young eel with domestic production near? In any case, it is precious eel now, so I will receive it gratefully.
At home, I eat it simply as an eel bowl, but in years when I am motivated, I simmer it in wine. The fat is reduced appropriately, making it easier to eat. Originally, I made it referring to a 'civet' in Bordeaux, but it was delicious even when I made it with white wine or rosé wine on a whim. The authentic civet is a winter dish, and the Western eel, which is well-fattened, is rubbery and squishy, and even the locals said they didn't like it that much. But, it seems to be a specialty in Bordeaux, especially in the Saint-Émilion region. Since Saint-Émilion wine is a wine with an earthy scent, it might be just right to use in simmered eel. If you are interested, why not try it? Red wine surprisingly goes well with eel.
In summer, it is delicious to drink chilled rosé wine, but on days when you couldn't finish a bottle, it might be good to use it for cooking eel. It might be a Southern French-style refreshing taste, or rather, Bordeaux-style if you use rosé. If you make it with white wine, it is Italian-style. It seems eel is surprisingly eaten in Europe as well.
How shall I eat it this year? I actually have mitsuba on the balcony now, so I am fantasizing that it would be nice to make 'umaki' (eel rolled in egg).
Actually, I couldn't wait until the start of Doyo, and once the Lesser Heat began, I went to eat 'hitsumabushi'. When summer comes, they grill eel here and there, so it is irresistible. I feel that the smell of eel stimulates something in the DNA of Japanese people. Hitsumabushi is a food representing Nagoya, but since the grilling condition changes depending on the shop, I go to eat the scent of charcoal. In the Kanto region, eel doesn't have that much scent, but in the Kansai region, the scent of charcoal is firmly attached to the skin, so if it doesn't smell like charcoal, it doesn't feel like eel. I eat it with the skin in a crispy state. And, in Nagoya, the skin of eel grilled in that Kansai style is hard to bite through, so they take the trouble of cutting it into small pieces and sprinkling it over rice. That is why it is 'hitsumabushi'. Hitsumabushi is a food that combines the frugality and rationality typical of Nagoya.
The eel I eat at a shop is simply delicious, and I enjoy the skin and the scent while feeling the skill of the craftsman, but I think it is easier to simmer or steam the Doyo eel I cook at home. This is the second eel at my house this year. I am also told that it is fine to eat it whenever, and summer is still ahead. Heh heh heh.
(P.S.: This year, I tried simmering store-bought kabayaki in tea. The fat came out, and it was refreshing and delicious. I made the rest into an egg drop dish with eel and mitsuba. I want to eat it again. The season is still ahead, and if the price drops in August, I will try buying it again!)

Summer Doyo Delights: Night

Japan during this period has many festivals. Originally, the summer period is when it is believed that deceased ancestors return. During this period, festivals for mourning and repose of souls are held in various places. Even if they are called festivals, they are spiritual events, not for drinking and making noise without restraint; even if they appear to be making noise on the surface, almost all of that is making noise for the sake of the dead.
Summer Doyo often overlaps with summer vacation, and many people go on trips, but since the head is also affected by the heat during this period, it is said that it is originally better not to go too far during Doyo. I think it is good to attend festivals nearby as well.
Actually, I had plans to go to Mie during the Doyo period, but since that disappeared, I decided to shift the timing. I could have gone on a 'ma-bi' (interval day), but when I thought that driving a car seemed hot, my desire to go was dampened. This year, I was also invited to cool off in the mountains of Gifu after visiting the grave, so I am worried that I might be better off refraining from forcing myself to go out here and there. Obon also has terrible traffic jams. Actually, I planned to watch the Kyoto Daimonji-yaki held in mid-August and looked for lodging around May, but it was fully booked in an instant only for that day, and the plan fell through. I am looking for an alternative travel destination, but my summer trip is not yet decided. Perhaps it is better to spend it nearby this year. I will decide to worry about it leisurely for a while.
Since my region is influenced by Ise Jingu, 'Tsuitachi-mochi' (first-of-the-month rice cakes) are sold on the 1st of every month. Akafuku sells those rice cakes every month at Oharai-machi in front of Ise Jingu, and the rice cakes change monthly. Since those rice cakes are only sold for one day, I didn't have many opportunities to get them, but this year, the first of August is a Saturday. I usually can't go to buy them, but I am thinking of trying to get the Tsuitachi-mochi on this occasion. (Note: Advance reservation is required)
Also, since entering the Great Heat, fireworks go off somewhere on the weekends. The ports are also opened, and fireworks go off at the seaside. I don't like crowds that much, but I like being bathed in the sound of fireworks outdoors. I feel as if my body is purified by that sound. Although it is hot even at night these days, it is precisely because it is a hot period that I can wear a yukata. Once autumn comes and it gets cool, I can no longer wear a yukata outdoors, so it might be a pleasure to put my arms through a yukata, also serving as airing out the clothes. On summer nights, fireworks are beautiful, but the night sky is no less beautiful. Being able to clearly see the appearance of the Milky Way is also unique to this period.
Now then, where shall I spend the night this year? I want to wear a yukata stylishly and enjoy the summer night without getting heatstroke.

Midday Sleep Stories

I had always been going to the field on weekends since spring, but I have finally become able to spend the weekends leisurely inside the house. Moving during the day is tiring, after all. A nap is very luxurious.
I said that field work is on break during Doyo, but summer vegetables are in full swing in August as well. I reduced the crops for this period to reduce the number of times I enter the field in the summer this year, but depending on the person, okra will be harvested from now on. Bitter melon will be harvested. Winged beans will be harvested. Jew's mallow will be harvested. Eggplant will be harvested. Tomatoes will be harvested. I wonder if cucumbers can still be harvested. As for my house, we now harvest summer vegetables on our own balcony. Green peppers and chives are growing.
And, as seasonal vegetables for August, there are watermelons. There are also peaches. Edamame is also still in season. In the neighboring field, okra is growing large. Rather, I feel that the growth is fast this year at a speed that makes me anxious, thinking, 'Isn't it growing too much?!' As expected, it is impossible for me to take care of this year's summer vegetables. Summer is impossible unless you are industrious.
We have already entered Doyo, but those who have summer vegetables in the field probably won't make it unless they harvest every three days. For that reason, they must be going to water them every day and checking on them. For that kind of farm work to be possible even during Doyo, people of the past prepared something called 'ma-bi' (interval days).
Ma-bi are days like special pardons where it is said that it is okay to touch the soil even during the Doyo period. I have worked using ma-bi, but for some reason, it tended to rain before and after those days, or the temperature dropped, and I felt it was indeed easier to work. I feel they are like singular days of the Doyo period. Even so, entering the field during this period is an act that shortens one's life. Every day, there are people who collapse from heatstroke, and even if you can work, it is for a really short time.
At this time, the space for watermelons occupies most of my refrigerator. I divide one whole watermelon and eat it 1/8 at a time, so it is a consumption of almost one per week. Long ago, I was saved by the diuretic effect and moisture of watermelon, so I have developed the habit of keeping watermelon in stock during the summer period. When autumn comes, I buy pears. In early summer, I buy melons. I say diuretic effect, but it is potassium that instantly suppresses summer thirst. During this period, I feel that water is not enough no matter how much I drink, so I end up drinking too much, but when I eat a piece of fruit containing potassium, I calm down. If you eat too much, your stomach will get cold, so in moderation.
It is bliss to eat juicy watermelon every morning, take in plenty of water, and laze around while listening to the sound of cicadas. While receiving this year's blessings through curry, I dream of the next season.
When late August comes, I will sow seeds for onions and leeks, and I will make seedlings for a revenge match for broccoli and cauliflower, which were eaten by insects in the spring. For autumn and winter, I will grow cabbage, Chinese cabbage, beets, garland chrysanthemum, mizuna, and komatsuna. Since the side buds of the cabbage are growing, I will adjust the fertilization in the place where they are currently planted and cultivate between the rows. In the ridge where carrots and daikon radishes were, burdock is currently growing. If the celery seedlings I am growing on the balcony grow well, I will take them to the field. For the ridge where the corn was, after harvesting the edamame, I will plow it to a depth of 30 centimeters or more and prepare to put in winter daikon radishes. I have the care of sweet potatoes and taro. The roselle I received from an acquaintance is also growing. When autumn comes, I want to harvest the shiso ears and collect the seeds. I wonder what I should intercrop in the ridge where the autumn tomatoes are. I also have to investigate the compatibility of plants that can be used for post-cropping. I want to disinfect the ridge where root vegetables were during the period of high solar heat by adding rice bran for nematode control. I wonder if I should plant green onions near the eggplants. I wonder until what month I should grow eggplants and green peppers this year. I want to plant winter vegetables by late September. I wonder where I should clear out to open up space. I wonder until what month this year's insects will remain powerful. I wonder until what month I should keep the insect net on... I think about things like that gloomily, count backward, and count the end of summer vacation.
I have started wanting to go to the field early, but I must still endure. Health preservation first.
I am savoring the present, where I am fantasizing about fun dreams while sleeping.

The End of Summer

It is sad, but even though we have entered the Great Heat, the sound of the cicadas has already changed. Come to think of it, the Great Heat is not midsummer. It is the last solar term of summer that started from the beginning of summer. Although it is said to be the hottest, the footsteps of autumn are already coming close. If I notice, the solar altitude has also dropped considerably. It is already dark even if I wake up at 4 a.m.
If August comes, the brown cicadas will also disappear and change to evening cicadas. The fun time of summer passes in the blink of an eye. However, the atmosphere of this lingering summer morning feels refreshing and pleasant. The temperature at 6 a.m. finally becomes a heat that people can spend time in, and I can savor the sign of dawn. Not from lack of sleep, but I can naturally wake up and see the figure of the morning sun rising.
When I was a child, I liked the atmosphere at 6 a.m. that I experienced after entering summer vacation. At the same time as the morning sun rises, the cicadas wake up and start chirping. The quiet time just before that. I remember the memory of watching alone and quietly as the morning glory flowers I planted slowly opened. Without waking someone up or being woken up, I savored the short golden morning sun time. That was a very blissful time. That is the image of summer vacation. Such fun time of summer vacation is extremely short. When August comes, the color of the sunlight changes. What is that unique sadness when summer ends?
The fun time that I want to continue forever is fleeting. I think that life is also longer living in the twilight. However, I want to believe that there certainly was a beautiful and fun time. Summer is ending this year too. But, singing the brilliance of life to the fullest at the end, the cicadas are chirping today as well. They are heading toward death from the moment they emerge. They do not have organs for eating. That is a figure that emerged with determination for prosperity. They are chirping to the limit of their lives looking for a partner.
I have next summer. They only have this week. I think at the end of summer that the life I have now is not something to be taken for granted.
I think of the old story of a young man who experienced a lifetime of glory in the time of a dream of cooking millet, and upon waking, learned the preciousness of daily life. The dream of Handan is an event in the blink of an eye. I am grateful for the happiness I have now.

Now then, shall I prepare dinner after one more nap?