Last Monday, after my dentist appointment, I went into Hanshin department store to pick up something for lunch.I also needed some celery so I went to their produce area. Now, I don't usually shop for produce at the department stores because they tend to be on the pricey side.
Surprisingly, they were having a sale and everything was rather reasonable and an even bigger bonus was that the items on sale were grown in Japan.
I found a bunch of celery for 298 yen (about US$2.98). Usually when I buy celery, they have 1 stalk packaged and it is usually 158 yen (about US$1.58)...so I was excited to pick up 3 stalks for the 298 yen.The zucchini was of good size too and were 2 for 298 yen (about US$2.98). Usually when I buy zucchini, they are scrawny and cost 298 yen for 1.
Lastly, the asparagus were unbelievably cheap also...189 yen (about US$1.89) for 11 stalks. Usually they only have 3 woody local stalks for ranging between 158 yen and 198 yen (about US$1.58-$1.98).When I went to pay for them, the cashier said to me, "how shall I cut it?", pointing to the celery. I told, "just cut it in half." She immediately pulled out a produce knife and cut it in half, this actually surprised me.
The good/bad thing about shopping at the department store was that they wrapped everything in this brown paper, though I guess it was better than a plastic bag.
I've already used some of the celery and one of the zucchini for 3 bean salad and vegetable soup.And I've used the asparagus with some eringi and shimeji mushrooms for a stir-fry with a little butter and tarragon. We've also eaten the leftovers for breakfast with a sunny-side up egg on top and toast.
I also tried Ellie Krieger's "Grilled Zucchini Roll-ups with Herbs and Cheese". This was delicious, only problem I had was getting the zucchini slices thin.
Though we aren't truly eating local, we are eating more items from Japan. Have you been eating local and/or more items from your country?
Kat, I'm glad you found some good prices on produce! It looked and sounded good!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lynne! The prices seem to be coming down from a couple of months ago.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat
How exciting to find local produce on sale there. I try to eat as locally as possible, shopping the farmer's market and using my CSA box items. Everything you made looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting - I've never had a cashier (in Japan or any country I've been to) ask me if I want my celery cut! :)
ReplyDeleteAll those dishes look really tasty.
I think that is so great to local items at great prices. That grilled zucchini look really ono!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb, I wish there were more farmer's markets nearby where we live!
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of scary and funny, how she brought out the knife right then and there Abigail :)
Thanks Laura, you should try it :)
Take care everyone.
Kat
Sounds like you were able to do some good shopping. Good for you!
ReplyDeleteHappy shopping, happy eating,
Paz ;-)
Thank you Paz :)
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat
The prices sound very expensive compared to what we're used to, but, on the bright side, I can see that you use everything with very little waste. You're a good role model for eating well on a careful budget, Kat.
ReplyDeleteWe try to eat locally but during the winter we do eat some imported produce because the alternative is a lot of root veggie! Which we love, but not every single day.
Your zucchini roll-ups look delicious!
True Jenster, I think these prices are more expensive than the U.S. I hope you try the zucchini roll-ups :)
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat
Wow, you put your veggie finds to great use. I love the zucchini rolls the best.
ReplyDeleteThank you Manju, Satoshi really liked these too, I hope I can find zucchini this size again to make more :)
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat