Renon & I visited Andrew & Hisako's farm near Moa flat, as our annual summer holiday visit. The farm is our pet dog "Alanta" and pet sheep "Miffy"s home-farm. We enjoyed 2.5hours drive from Wanaka listening to the Beatles music. (Sumurai-husband couldn't come this time because of his busy work .)
Next morning, Renon waked up earlier than me and watched Yuki's job. Yuki was different from the girlish look at the night before, she was so reliable farm worker. Renon was interested in her job and keen to help her.
I enjoyed girls chat with Hisako during they were away. その間、私はヒサコさんと楽しいおしゃべりタイム。
Here they came back! しばらくすると、帰ってきた様子。
Renon brought fresh eggs which were collected at Hen's shed. 取ってきた卵をトレイにのせて、嬉しそうなレノン。
They were wholly free range, and the eggs ! We happily enjoyed "Tamago-kake-gohan" (fresh raw egg on cooked rice). Real Japanese style meal! The bright yellow egg york was standing up. ここのは放し飼いであっちこっち走り回っている元気な鶏たち、その生みたての卵を、 卵かけご飯でいただける幸せ。 黄身がプックリとっても濃いんです！
Yuki showed me a tool which was for giving milk to calves. There were partitions in inside to be equalized the amount of milk for them. 優紀ちゃんは、子牛にミルクをあげてきたと言って、こんな道具を見せてくれました。 速飲みの子牛とゆっくり飲みの子牛の飲む量が同じになるように、中も仕切られて います。
Next, we went to goats' shed to feed bottled milk to the babies who couldn't get breast feeding from their mum. お次は、子ヤギたちにミルクをあげに。 Goats approached. 気配を感じてヤギたちが集まってきました。 でもミルクをあげるのは、訳ありでお母さんヤギにおっぱいをもらえない子ヤギ３匹だけなんです。
How flexible their neck !! Baby goats sucked milk in high spirits with turning their head round and round. One was kneel down to sucked milk from Renon. 同時に2匹の子ヤギに、要領よくボトルを傾けてる優紀ちゃん。 子ヤギって首が360度まわるんですかね～？ ボトルに吸い付くように、とんでもない ほうを向きながら飲んでます。 レノンの前で、ひざ間づいてミルクを飲む赤ちゃんヤギ。
Then, Yuki & Renon left for help Andrew who was shaved sheep's hair and clean their bottom. その後、また二人でバイクに乗ってでかけました。 今度は羊のおしりの毛を刈るアンドリューのお手伝いだそうです。 "See you later, be a good helper!" 「行ってらっしゃ～い！」
After lunch, Hisako took us for feeding goat, for giving leaves from her rose pot. 午後はペットのヤギにおやつをあげたり、 「エッ、ヒサコさん、バラの木の葉を食べさせていいんですか～？」
She took us to cow's field, and to piglets' field. それから、牛たちの様子を見て、小ブタちゃんたちに挨拶し、
Finally, we met "Silver" who was Alanta's daughter. (Veteran working dogs) アランタの娘、シルバーにも再会し、ファーム滞在を満喫しました。 （車の荷台に大人しく乗っているのは、ベテランのファームドッグたち。）
There were many kinds of pet in Hisako's zoo. (We forgot to visit donkeys, this time...) 本当に、たくさんの動物がいるんです、ここ。 （何か忘れてると思ったら、今回はロバに会い忘れた! ）
How nice...Renon got a great study and experiences, and I got a great relaxation. In addition, we got lots of treasures of farm production!
Various dairy products of Fresh milk, Homemade Yoghurt, Fresh cream, Special cream for coffee, Top cream, free-range eggs, and Rhubarb. One of them, the top cream, has the highest quality as known as the French phrase of "Creme de la creme", which could be taken with a tiny little amount from the top part of fresh cream. I tried to taste it with strawberries. "Ye~s, it has luxurious taste!"
お土産の乳製品のひとつ、フレッシュクリームのトップ部分にできる高級クリーム。 フランス語で、選りすぐりのもの(Best of the best)という意味で使われる「Creme de la creme（クリームのクリーム）」という言葉がありますが、その語源とも言われる最高級のクリーム。 新鮮なミルクから抽出される量はごくわずか。 まさしくコレです！ トロリと濃厚な贅沢な味がします。 マフィンやスコーンなどの何気ない素朴な焼き菓子が、このクリームを一匙かけるだけで一気に格上げされます。 このクリーム、まずはいちごにつけて。
Whipped cream with freshly home-baked rye bread of choc-chips & walnuts 生クリームは軽くホイップして、焼きたてチョコとくるみのライブレッドに添えて。
Nice! I got a good break, in these days of healthy eating challenge. このところの健康食生活の毎日に、素敵な乳製品たちがちょっとした息抜きを与えて くれました。
I would like to introduce a Japanese lady who gave me a great chance to think about a way to eat effectively to our body. I met her about 2-months ago as a B&B guest here.
Before she came, I got a email from her for a room booking request for a week, attached with food requests which embarrassed me! She was a vegan! No meat or fish of course, no dairy products, no stock, no honey, brown sugar preferable to white sugar, brown rice preferable to white rice...etc. "How do I prepare meals for her?" "How do I add Umami taste to each dish?"
November, she came to Wanaka, with extreamly heavy baggage. She brought a heavy terracotta big pot, Miso (maybe 3~4kg), high quality rice vinegar, lots of Ume-boshi(dried pickled plum), and more & more... She looked like to brought everything here for her life! And her smiley face!! It was so friendly and showed her satisfaction that she finally arrived here.
Then, my challenge for vegan cooking was started. Miso, salt, oil, vinegar, seeds could be used as seasonings. And the "Marmite" helped me!! They are now precious NZ products.
Mostly surprised about her was..... She brought a dog and 4 cats from Japan!!! (not in her suitcase, of course.) While her pets were on the quarantine in Auckland, she visited here alone to find out her place to live with the pets. She said "I have always suffered from bad air pollution blowed from China and wanted to keep them (pets) safe, but they have been affected physically by the pollution." Then she decided to escape from there to New Zealand, together with her pets. She only had a visiter visa, though... Surely she knows full of difficulties to keep staying here. But she has also full of energy to try finding a solution.
What vitalize her so strong?? Is the answer in her way to eat?? She sets her meal time according to human's internal cycle, and does healthy eating considered about the nutrition and the combination.
Well...It wasn't easy for me to prepare her meals at first, because I felt a big restriction that I could use very limited foods and seasonings. But, gradually I realized that each ingredient has its own Umami, as a result of minimize the additional seasonings. Then I cared more about the quality of each ingredients. It was a great chance to re-consider about a healthy eating for myself of 40's. More seasonal vegetables, like Japanese traditional eating habit in the old days. With thinking about enzyme and an eating order. It must be good for the same aged Sumurai-husband, and also good for teen-ager Renon having a dry skin problem, as well.
Finally she found a place for flatting near here and now she is my neighbour. Her pet dog "Yasshy" is a good friend of my dogs "BJ" & "Alanta". In addition, I have got a great news that one of her cat "Cherissa", who had got partial paralysis by affection of the air pollution, became to walk a little bit by herself! Other good symptoms appeared as well in these days. Cheers, clean air! Cheers, Wanaka! Cheers, NZ!
Got a Japanese honeymoon couple here. （ It was in December, I'm sorry for late up!!!）
I took them to Bernie's farm to visit Miffy （our pet sheep). She had good shape this time as she got a hair-cut ! Her flat mates, goats were also good. Boss (the brown one) was so enargetic!
Spectacular view from Bernie's house overlooking his vast farm and further mountains. " Oh! Here is a special chair !!" We tooked turns to sit on Bernie's hand-made chair and enjoyed the view.
NOBU： しばしの間、眺望ひとりじめ HIROKA： 風も気持ち良い ...Renon was waiting for her turn. ・・・遠くでレノン、順番待ち It was a great farm visit!!! Thank you, Bernie.
Hiroka (the wife) got an unwell condition on the 2nd night. She had a pain near her tonsils and a fever. They decided to stay one more night and visit Wanaka medical center the next morning. After having prescription, she was better and could eat some. "Japanese meals" are appreciated, especially when Japanese people get sick or during their recovery time. It wasn't exception this time as well.
Reliable food, Ume-boshi... They are stocked in my fridge and sometimes used for making a sauce or dressing. I normally don't eat them often as they are, but they are gracious foods when I get a sick, car sick, or even on unwell day. They are my household medicine. Japanese & Ume-boshi, I think they are on good terms, and also it reminds me that eating ume-boshi in Japan is the equivalent of NZ’s "an apple a day".
I introduce the Ume-boshi at the short lecture in the next cooking class, of cource we do the tasting! The cooking menu is "YAKITORI" & "HARUSAME (vermicelli) salad" which are good in summer days.
OSECHI-ryori, the tradiｔional Japanese New Year's cuisine which are prepared by the end of the previous year (normally they are cooked on the 30th or 31st of Dec.). Each dishes have a special meaning of celebrating the New Year. They are often set in Jubako-boxes.
**************************************************************************************** My OSECHI-style creations for 2013:
Menu: Akebono salmon roll with Kohaku-namasu スモーク・サーモンの曙巻き（紅白なますのアレンジ）
Matukaze-yaki meat loaf 松風焼き風ミートローフ
Pork roll with vegetables ポークの野菜巻き
Steamed prawn and fish ball on skewerｓ 車海老とフィッシュボール
Nimono(stew) of chicken wings, daikon radish, and soy beans 鶏手羽と大根・大豆の煮物
Datemaki(sweet egg roll) style cake 伊達巻風ダテ・ロールケーキ
Kuri(chestnut) Kinton with kumara クマラ＆栗きんとん
Kobu-maki salmon......I also wanted to make it but...no energy left... ....will challenge it next year... サーモン昆布巻き・・・も作りたかったのですが、ここで力尽きて断念! これは来年作ることにしましょう。
Many roll-type dishes are in OSECHI as you see. It has been under the influence of that... precious writings, important documents, or treasured art works were rolled to be stored for keeping good condition in olden times. The rolled dishes, as well, have been understood as precious and auspicious cuisine.
My best work this time was "Datemaki" style roll cake. The "Datemaki" is sweet egg roll omelet (it's not a cake). I tried to make it but couldn't get one of ingredients of "Hampen" here which made its texture light and fluffy. Then I changed my mind to make sponge roll cake, using a special tool of "Oni-sudare" to be the same looks as "Datemaki".
After OSECHI-cooking and the photographing, I enjoyed doing "Kaki-zome" Japanese calligraphy with writing brush & ink as the first writing this year. It was a great feel refreshment by concentration on writing for a quiet moment, just only rain sounds could be heared from outside.
**************************************************************************************** At the first morning every year, the Sasanoki families in Japan enjoy special o-zohni (mochi soup dish) as one of their traditional custom. We, in summer season here, will enjoy special so-men (cold noodle dish) instead. It was my original plan but...
" and pet sheep "Miffy
"s home-farm. 
Next morning, Renon waked up earlier than me and watched Yuki's job. 
)
