Monday, July 12, 2010

Comments from our customers


Picked up my box this past weekend; Fresh salad as soon as I got home, pork & vegetable soup that evening for dinner..Fresh Island vege’s just awesome!

I purchased that sweet radish/daikon (Kabu) this past weekend as well, it was delicious, sure hope you folks plan to have more of it on hand later.

Mahalo’s plenty

Gordon
Pearl City

Aloha Norrin,

We just about ate what we bought choi sum (steamed), beets(roasted), basil (in my salads and pizza) and the lettuce they were all sooo yummy! I also planted the basil! Can't wait to go back again and get some more and also go on the walking tour!

How fresh can fresh be! yummy!

Thank you,
Adoree

Hey Norrin & Farmer Ed,
The kabu were delicious! I lived in Japan for a couple of years and ate a lot of kabu, especially as oshinko (pickled). My wife, who is from Japan, said your kabu were some of the best she’s ever eaten. Plant more and it’ll sell well…maybe better than daikon.
Evan


dear Otsuji Farms ohana,

thank you for your belief in yourselves and the produce you offer us on an increasing basis and a very informative newsletter.

Wishing you and yours a relaxing and good holiday season...and an even more prosperous Year of the Tiger!

Gwen




by Lisa
Thanks for the phone number for the farmer, Ed Otsuji. I called Ed and I'm very pleased to know that he uses organic sprays. I will be bringing him some cutting for this particular sweet potato leaves that is very tasty and also the leaves grow pretty big—good for selling.



Agnes
Retired Biology Professor


Mahalo’s plenty for your correspondence, We are enjoying our veggie box.

This past evening we had onaga with sautéed choisum...OOOhhhhh some ono! I used some of the chives & green onion on the Onaga, I was crying with each bite. We also prepared a killer salad. This evening it’s Won Bok with Ahi......

Rest assured my wife and I shall be making the trip to Otsuji’s farm as often as we can.

Mahalo again

Thoroughly enjoying the veggies. Also appreciate your request about recycling the boxes and call for bags. The teamwork there is heartwarming and the bantering to buy more makes me smile. The folk who buy from you are friendly and supportive of each other. Your service to Hawaii Kai is wonderful; hope your neighbors are understanding of the traffic.

Take care, see you again. Bought twice already.
~Justin



Thank you so much… the veggies were delicious. I bought my very first box plus other veggies from the side table and used every single one of them. My kids loved whatever was cooked with it. My vacationing in-laws were amazed by how much veggies I brought home and wondered if we could it them all. We did. My fun of it is that I calculate the cost per meal and it is awesome to know that healthy food does not need to be expensive. Mahalo and God Bless! Rina
Dear Isaac, Norrin and Ed,

I just wanted to say "Thank you" for the wonderful opportunity to purchase high quality vegetables at such great prices. I just got back from the KCC farmer's market (my first time there) and I have to say that there is NO COMPARISON!!!! I felt like I wasted my time because, Ed's veggies are bigger, fresher looking and better priced. Plus, I don't have to drive far or put up with the hassle of searching for parking! See you guys next week!
Thanks again,
Rochelle



Thank You!


You make me feel as if I’ve joined a “family of fresh veggie lovers,” with your emails and gracious reception on pick up days. The veggies are awesomely delicious and take me back to my youth when eating fresh picked foods at my farm home in Oregon.

And thanks for the tips! I’ve discovered a love for fresh, grated Daikon, and can’t get enough of the greens, greens, greens!

One way I like the veggies is to sauté chopped onion and garlic, add other sliced or chopped veggies such as Green Onions, Bok Choy, Choi Sum, tomatoes, grated Daikon, etc., cover and steam on lower heat ‘til all are soft. Then stir in some curry powder, a good dollop of peanut butter, hefty squeeze of lemon, some salt if desired, and cool before eating. This is addictive!

Again, MAHALO! Victoria

Hi Norrin,
I have learned to be very creative with my veggies in the box. I put some beet greens in my stew this past Sunday as well as the whole buk choy cut up. In was a nice replacement for both round onions and celery which I try not to buy now since I have much to use from the box. These gave the stew a richer flavor which even my husband enjoyed.

Ellen

I picked up my first box of veggies last week and since then have told all of my triathlete friends, neighbors, and my entire Bikram "hot yoga" class. In fact, I made a flyer and put it on the bulletin board. Then I brought some samples for my instructors to taste.

Needless to say, there are a few of my friends who are just as excited as me who love your vegetables!
Rina




I picked up my first box of veggies on Saturday and I was so pleased by their freshness and variety. Thank you for helping my family eat healthier.
Jean

We have been eating Otsuji Farm fresh vegetables for about 2 months and absolutely love them. In fact, we frequently eat veggies for three meals a day. I am a diabetic who has been on insulin for 25 years and I have struggled to keep my blood sugars below 200 mg/dl. Now with a diet filled with these wonderful veggies, my blood sugars most often run from 90-120 mg/dl. Hurrah!
Amanda

Aloha,
We are vegetarians so our box of veggies has almost been eaten up already. I did give away a few items to a friend. But I really want to thank you for helping us live healthy. My family and I loved the veggies.
Mahalo,
Kehau

I can’t tell you how happy I am with your veggies. I picked up my first box on Saturday and was quite amazed at how much there was in there. I was so excited I made a stir fry with the bok choy (is that what it was?) for lunch. Last night, we ate the radishes, cilantro, turnips, green onions and lettuce in a salad and on the side I had beets with butter, salt and pepper.


I think the only thing I need to figure out is what to do with all of the turnip! I might make turnip kim chee. Bok choy at Safeway was $2.69 a pound yesterday. I weighed our vegetables and got 13 pounds altogether. We’re talking $.76 cents a pound for purchasing from Farmer Ed Otsuji. I'm so grateful.

Last night I made a pork and butternut squash stew, and in lieu of parsnips or potatoes, I put in two of the daikon, cut in chunky cubes. On the side I served the sauted turnip tops, and I also sauted some bok choy greens. It was terrific.
No doubt, those of us participating will be benefiting tremendously from the increase in healthy vegetables in our diets!

Aloha Norrin,...Growing up in the country was a great advantage for most of us here in Hawaii.The veggies we are getting, were considered delicacies for most of us.
My husband and I especially like cooking eggplant with shoyu, sato sugar), tuna, onion. This is our favorite dish. Daikon (turnip), enhances the the savory dish of nishime, or diced and dropped into a boiling soup of miso it is a very healthy dish.
Let us not forget, using daikon to make kim chee.
Let us not forget 'koko', daikon leaves simply salted, rinsed and eaten as a side condiment.
There is no end to using green onions. It is a must in chicken hekka, miso soup, beef/porktofu, chopped onions to top blocks of tofu,etc.
Here in Hawai'i and elsewhere in the world, chicken soup is almost like a healer to one who has a fever or feeling under the weather. As a child, when my two sisters and I had the measles, my father killed our last chicken, our pet, and made chicken soup for us, doused with green onions. Without questioning where the chicken came from, we ate heartily. When done eating, we asked our mom, 'What kind of soup was it.' She said, 'Chicken soup.' Where did the chicken come from?' She went quiet. It was then, all three of us ran to the window to see if our chicken, who did not have muscles halfway up his neck, to hold his head up, was perched on his post as he did every evening. He was not there as he should've been. The wailing and crying that went on that day was as if someone had just died. But our bellies were full and our bodies began to feel better and stronger. To this day, we are grateful for the sacrifice our white rooster made for us, in order to help us get well.
That was the way of farm life for us. This is my favorite story to tell when it comes to 'Green Onions and Chicken Soup.'
Memory takes me back to the days where money was almost nil for our parents to feed us, and where green onion and eggs scrambled together became a delicacy for us. Many of my bentostaken to school was just scrambled eggs with green onion and rice. Today, green onions and eggs are our favorite. Chicken soup, doused with green onions still remain a soothing healer for our family.
The honor we have today is to teach our grandchildren to eat the blessings that have come their way. They have been learning to eat what we have been receiving from the Otsuji's farm.
Another great blessed opportunity we have, is we are able to share and bless the lives of others as well as our own by sharing vegetables with our family and friends.
Mahalo nui loa for thinking about us and giving us an opportunity to visit the past more often these days via vegetables of today.
Aloha no, Julie

Hi Norrin,...I have recommended you to many of my friends. Jackie and I were thrilled at each getting our box and set about right away to prepare many yummy veggie dishes.
Jackie invited my husband and I over for dinner on Saturday and prepared Daikon 3 different ways and served a big stir fry of bok choy.
On Sunday I used my own bok choy with some of those fantastic green onions to make a stir fry with red peppers and tofu.
I’m feeling very healthy. I look forward to the next surprises in two weeks.
Mary Jane

Hi Norrin . . . with a grateful heart and tummy . . . thank you for coordinating our vegetable pickup and most of all all to Ed for farming these beautiful vegetables. I was so excited to get my box on to my kitchen counter and to see what awaited inside.
Our book club read, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver for the month of October and I was so impressed with the notion that I was going to get a box of vegetables with very little "food miles". Imagine, eating vegetables from the soil, to box, to our kitchen. What a wonderful service this has become and, yes, I have shared our vegetable box with friends and family. Thank you again.
Marvie



I have never found green onions this fresh in a grocery store. When I cut them up for a stir fry, I began crying !
Such a large pre-packed box of fresh vegetables is an incredible value. Buying fresh--picked local produce is not only more nutritious, but also reduces the fuel used to transport produce to our islands.
Jeannette, A happy customer



Hi Norrin, Your vegetable are the best. The bok choy is all gone, the radishes were delicious and the lettuce was yummy. Everything is so fresh. Thank you so very much for your wonderful veggies and wonderful staff and for you. I am spreading the word about your farm to my friends. We need more people like you guys.


My mom and I share the box. Like everyone else, I have been using most of the vegetables in stir fiy dishes or salads. The bok choy is so fresh that I love to eat it raw. I love my green onions especially with my saimin. The I have made kim chee and namasu with the daikon radish. The red radishes were very good. Put them in my salad and put it in a cabbage slaw that i used for my salmon tacos.

My family is trying to eat healthier. With your box of vegetables, it's easier to make a variety of dishes, so we never get tired of eating. The vegetables stay fresh longer, taste better and makes it very easy on the budget.
Thanks,

Kimo


I felt like I died and went to heaven when I saw all those radiant vegetables at the stand this past weekend. I told a friend that when I saw the beautiful, beautiful, fresh, vegetables, I was so excited that I started to shake.

The kale, the swiss chard, the beets, and turnips -- veggies my mom encouraged me to buy for her meals when she had a stroke 10 years ago were glowing before me (she was following Dr. Terry Shintani's diet, and would even juice the kale and swiss chard along with carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery).

From my mom, I learned to appreciate the nutritional value and taste of those high quality vegetables, and prepare them without salt, sugar, meats, or fats.

Since I take meals to her twice a week, I'm simply thrilled that I can bring her fresh kale and swiss chard...her favorites.

Two of my students in my newswriting class, Shay and Cherisse, told me about your farm. Their mothers are great fans of yours, and purchase veggeies from you. On a couple of occasions Cherisee shared some of her mom's cooking (bok choy with dried shrimp) with me. I wondered if her mom had gone to chinatown to pick up the vegetables and asked her. I'm so happy that I did. I feel like i've been reborn.

Thank you for raising such beautiful vegetables.
Pam


Thank you, Norrin!
And please pass on a great big "Mahalo" to Ed Otsuji. I was so excited about picking up my first box. I also picked up a box for my coworker.

I couldn't resist getting some red radishes, eggplant and cillantro as well. I'm glad I went early.

We have a huge pot of delicious soup last night with daikon, eggplant, choy sum and long rice. I will be stir-frying my boy choy tonight.

I hope you can continue to take orders. I will remember to bring back the box.

Mahalo!
Karen


I want you to know how much the farm has changed my life. I love coming down to the stand every saturday to pick up different kinds of vegetables. The vegetables are so fresh and radiant, and tasty, and healthy.

I feel like I've been blessed!

Please extend a HUGE thank you to Mr. Otsuji.

What he's doing is truly a miracle.

Pam


We have told lots of our friends about you and we all are amazed that we didn't know you were tucked away back there for all the years we have lived in Hawaii Kai. Your whole set-up and service and produce ooze happiness and freshness and we thank you.Janet

Thank you, Norrin! I picked up my veggies this morning and as usual, so much and so fresh!
Cooking has been a lot of fun lately as I look through the web to see how else to prepare my greens.

I pickled the red radishes. Yummy! Chopped bok choy, seasoned with a little shoyu, sugar and mirin, with yesterday's roast chicken shredded up is great over a bowl of rice, and the kids love it too.

Thank you again for starting this great venture. I will look forward to your email for the next pick-up date.

Karen


We are enjoying the wonderful fresh veggies. You are so right that those of us unfamiliar with the variety of vegetables need recipes. I cooked the bok choy and it was tender and delicious!
I saw the signs for fresh vegetables the week prior but just didn't have a chance to stop by. When I saw the article in the paper, I knew it would be crowded. Looks like you folks will be doing very well! I'm so thankful there is a place to buy EXTREMELY fresh vegetables right in our neighborhood.

Thank you for taking a chance on this wonderful venture!

See you again in two weeks!

Amy

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