These days, we rarely encounter our food outside of four walls. At the grocery store, fruits are always in season, and vegetables have barely a scratch on them.
Even if you prefer a supermarket utopia, I encourage you to visit a vegetable farm. It’s breathtaking to see healthy greens still in their habitat. I recently took Otsuji Farm’s farm-to-table tour and realized I had forgotten how a careful green thumb can create seeming miracles from the earth.
At lunch, served along those incredible vegetables was a farmed fish, all prepared by a skilled chef I was convinced I’d found paradise.
Farmers markets allow customers to speak to growers who know their wares as well as their own offspring. Normally, I walk through a grocery store with the intent of getting in and out as quickly as possible, and speaking to no one. At the market, you meet friendly people such as farmer EdOtsuji, who takes the time to share a few tips on how to prepare his bounty.
Shopping at a farmers market, you need to be flexible with what you pick up. While your favorite watermelon radish may not be available, you could be surprised with some mushrooms and end up searing them for dinner.
Last week at the market, I ambitiously bagged three large daikons. Tasty roasted, pan-fried and long-simmered, daikon is ultra-versatile, picking up flavor from any pickling liquid you can dream up.
I spent much of my free time slicing the daikon into julienne cuts for do chua, pickled daikon and carrot. This recipe requires little attention but reaps such delicious results I found myself snacking on them straight from the jar.
As a bonus, daikon can be a two-for-one vegetable. If you buy these from a local source, you will have the green leaves to eat as well.
QUICK PICKLED DAIKON
6 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
1 daikon
1 crushed garlic clove
In large Mason jar, shake together vinegar, water, honey, turmeric and salt until completely dissolved.
Peel and cut daikon lengthwise. Slice into thin half-moon slices about 1/8-inch thick.
Push daikon pieces and garlic clove into liquid. Daikon should be fully immersed, but if it was particularly large, you may need to make more pickling sauce.
Let sit three hours or more and serve. Store in the fridge.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at www.thelittlefoodie.com.
