Hong Kong Kumquat (Fortunella Hindsii Swingle) マメキンカン（豆金柑）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a bonsai tree made from Hong Kong kumquat (Fortunella hindsii Swingle) and a moss ball. I'm Japanese but have never grown a bonsai tree and never thought I would. Someone gave it to me and suddenly the responsibility to grow this bonsai has fallen on me. One of my New Year resolutions will be to keep it from drying out!

Hassaku Orange ハッサク（八朔）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I found Chinese quince fruits scattered on the ground, brought two back home and made jam from them ten days ago. My next target now is these hassaku oranges. 

The hassaku orange is a Japanese citrus hybrid between pomelo and mandarin, with pomelo-like characteristics (Source: Wikipedia). Marmalade made from hassaku is so tasty, but there's one problem. Peels of hassaku oranges at grocery stores should contain pesticide. I used to wash them by brush or remove a thin outer layer of the peel but as the outer layer is so orange, I want to use the fruit whole without throwing away any of it. So now, you see why and how badly I want these pesticide-free oranges! 

The tree grows in a public space and it's not so busy there but I'm pretty sure that neighbors like me want to have some of these, too for the same reason as mine. From today on, I need to be vigilant, going there as often as possible to pick them up as soon as they fall to the ground😆! 

Hassaku Marmalade 八朔マーマレード

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is the marmalade I made from the hassaku oranges I wrote about yesterday. I like marmalade for not only its sour, bitter, and sweet taste but also the color!! 

Hassaku orange marmalade 八朔ジャム

Don't Throw Away the Hassaku Oranges! 八朔捨てないで！

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These're hassaku oranges harvested this year. And there's a story about them. 

In my neighborhood, there are two places where the land owners grow the oranges. They grow the oranges not for sale, which means no pesticides on them. As it's almost impossible to get fruits with no pesticides applied these days, I called one of the places, a hospital, to ask if I could get several of them. Their answer was no. They said they would make jam for their patients. So, I contacted the other place, i.e., an office building. The staff of the property manager were surprised but said "Okay!" That was about a month ago. 

Then, today, knowing it was time to harvest, I went there and got nine hassaku oranges and have already started making jam from five of them. (That's why the pictures are of only four oranges.)  

Sadly, however, one of the staff said that this was only this year and that they won't be able to do the same next year. He said that the oranges weren't theirs but the property owner's and the owner or a real estate investment trust didn't like the idea of giving the oranges to anyone. I see that the company wants to take no risk and has chosen to let the fruits fall from the tree and rot on the ground. But it's just mottainai, isn't it? 

I've been thinking of calling next year the property owner to negotiate with them to make jam again😝!! For the definition and usage of "mottainai," read this post. 

Hassaku oranges 八朔

Homemade Candied Pomelo Peels パール柑のピール

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're candied pomelo peels. I made them! Covid-19 has changed my life in several ways. I've started to take a morning walk and take photos of plants I find during the walk. I've also started to cook something I didn't before because of a long time to cook, like jam or peels. 

The peels are brownish orange because I always use brown sugar to sweeten food. I also eat brown rice and brown bread much more than white ones. Some say that brown food is healthier than white food, but that's not the reason I prefer brown food. I just like them. The thing is that it's difficult to find good rye bread at a reasonable price in Japan. I love a slice of rye bread with such peels and a black coffee!   

Candied pomelo peels パール柑のピール

Hassaku Orange Tree Flowers 八朔の花

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It smelled good there, like Daphne, but the Daphne season was over more than a month ago. So, I walked around and found the source. Hassaku orange flowers were in bloom, emitting a citrus aroma so strongly that I smelled it through a mask. After checking nobody was around me, I took off the mask for the first time in more than a year outside and breathed deeply!😉

Hassaku orange flower and bud 八朔の花

Pomelo Marmalade is Sweet! 天草文旦（パール柑）マーマレードは甘～い！

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis marmalade, or more commonly pomelo marmalade♬

Pomelo marmalade 天草文旦（パール柑）マーマレード

Season of Fruits - Persimmon, Hassaku/Ponkan Oranges 果物の季節 - 柿、ハッサク、ポンカン

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Autumn is the time of harvest!!

Astringent or not, that is the question 渋か甘か、それが問題だ