Otsuji Farm fresh veggies

2011-09-30T19:08:00.001-07:00

event at Kaka'ako: http://www.streetgrindz.com/eatthestreet/

News

2010-11-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

KCC IS CANCELED FOR 6-4-11!

The farmer, family and friends at the Otsuji farm want to wish you all the best in 2011.

Ed Otsuji has been farming at his Hawaii Kai farm for the past 40 years (459 Pakala St)...but it has only been one year that we have been selling directly from our farm to you. We want to thank you for all of your support, your kindness, your friendship, your suggestions, your snacks and your unused plastic bag! The farmer enjoys meeting directly with the consumer. The volunteers love meeting and helping new people.

Remember, one of the reasons that we have our "box of veggies" is to give you enough veggies to share with your friends, family and friends. So we encourage you to use your veggies as instruments of peace and friendship. We have already sold +50 gift certificates this week. We can also make special gift boxes of veggies for your special friends, family or clients.

Our hope/goal is to encourage everyone to:

1. Support the local farmers. We're trying to grow better and more types of veggies.

2. Start a garden in their yard. If you need help, we can send someone to your home.

3. Build up your food pantry for the "rainy day". If you need ideas...let us know

Let us know the next time you want a box of veggies...otherwise, just come down to look at the fresh veggies.

Norrin Lau

383-1118

You can get your veggies from us on:

1. Tuesday evenings (4 - 6) on the Kaiser High School campus farmer's market.

2. Thursday evening (4 - 7) in Kailua at the farmers market by Long's Drugs.

3. Satuday morning (8 - 11) at the farm at 459 Pakala St.

4. Saturday morning (9 - 11) at Kaiser High School campus farmers market.

5. Saturday morning (7:30 - 11) at Kapiolani Community College on the slopes of Diamond Head. We only have a limited selection of veggies here. No boxes are sold here.

1. Our blog http://otsujifarm.blogspot.com/

2. Our appearance on KITV http://www.kitv.com/video/19529709/index.html

3. In the HMSA article
http://islandscene.com/Article.aspx?id=3694

4. Ashley Brooks article in the Honolulu Cooking Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-15282-Honolulu-Cooking-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Otsuji-Family-Farm?cid=email-this-article

5. Karen Jones made an ono green soup recipe using some of our greens:
http://www.islandscene.com/Article.aspx?id=3749&sidebar=3

article in the Honolulu Cooking Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-15282-Honolulu-Cooking-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Otsuji-Family-Farm?cid=email-this-article

we were spotlighted on KITV! http://www.kitv.com/video/19529709/index.html

help

2010-11-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Looking for 2 volunteers to help a local farm every Sat. 6:00am-11am at the KCC farmers market. looking for 1 more volunteer to help out in Kailua on Thurs. 4-8pm. Volunteers will be given 1 weeks worth of free vegetables for helping out. Must have a tb card and be passionate about sustainable farming. Interested parties please email write jonas@yahoo.com or call 808-352-6673 Jonas otsuji 801.808.9108

2010-09-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Tell everybody you know that"Otsuji Farm" is now on Facebook.

2010-08-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

Norrin,

I just came back from your farm and I am so delighted at your veggie selection. I came home to my family with gorgeous greens, and my husband was blown away at the quality and the prices. Our kids were very excited for the beets! Everyone was so nice and helpful this morning. Thank you so much for providing your wonderful veggies for our community! I even bought some extra choy sum and green onions for my parents and delivering them later today!

Mahalo,

Remle

RECIPES

2010-07-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

We love to eat our daikon raw. We grate it with something like a cheese grater. The thinner/finer the ribbons of daikon the better. A favorite salad is a bed of green lettuce, topped with grated raw daikon, topped with raw red beets, topped with some Chinese parsley....great with an sesame seed dressing.

We also grate the daikon rawit in something called a "suribachi" or use something called a daikon grater (Google "daikon grater"...I also use this tool to grate ginger). The daikon then looks like it is smashed in little pieces. We then add a dash of shoyu to use on our sashimi, on our tempura, steak....it is used on oily foods to cut down on the greasy taste.

I cook daikon by putting it in stew (instead of potatoes) or in my sweet and sour pork (since it soaks up the sauce). My dad likes to stir fry sliced daikon with dried shrimp and green onions and a little fried pork.

The daikon leaves should be cut off the diakon root quickly....otherwise the leaves will turn yellow. I wash the leaves and cut them up in smaller pieces. The leaves can be used in your saimin, stir fried...I even used them to make a laulau!

Norrin

I came by today and picked up another box of veggies. Sort of inspired me to come up with a dish using some of the items in the box. So this is it...

Kombu braised radish served over sauteed choi sum with a light miso broth.

I am in no way a vegetarian but was inspired by the ingredients.

Colin

EGGPLANT WITH PORK
1 c. cut-up pork, either belly or shoulder
Cook in 1 T. olive oil till tender, lower heat to low about 10-15 min.
Add:
2 T. sake
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. less 2 T. shoyu
Cut 3 OTSUJI FARM eggplant ¾ inch thick, cut on a slant (Yin & Yang!)
Turn up heat, once the ingredients come to a boil, lower heat to low, cover and cook until the eggplant is tender. Do not overcook eggplant as they will fall apart.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Optional: add 2 pieces of aburage cut into bite size and 2 konbu cut into 1 inch lengths. Soak konbu in water for ½ hr. before cooking, rinse and add to mixture.    

MUSTARD EGGPLANT
3 long eggplant (about 3 c. sliced)
1 T. Hawaiian salt
Mustard Sauce:
2 tsp. hot mustard (dry)
¼ c. shoyu
2 T. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. Japanese vinegar
Slice eggplant diagonally. Sprinkle salt and let stand for at least 30-60 minutes.
Add a few drops of water to mustard to make a paste. Combine with remaining ingredients.
Rinse salt from eggplant. Squeeze out excess liquid. Add sauce and mix well. Put in sterilized jars. Allow to stand overnight, then refrigerate.
Optional: Cut up shiso leaves

Dear small-kine farmers,

Thanks for your tasty and fresh veggies. Last week I used the bok choy (which is in the cabbage family) to make a tasty coleslaw. Just use your favorite recipe for coleslaw dressing and add the shredded bok choy. I added radish, daikon and green oniion. I think adding raisins, small pieces of fresh pineapple and even macnuts would be very tasty.

Aloha,
Jacky

Kale, swiss chard, and beet greens do not have to be boiled forever to eat. Just clean, trim (any brown spots), cut off the stems (I put the stems in a soup), roll the leaves then cut the halves in ribbons. Stir fry in olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper, and a dash of sugar to keep the color bright. At this point, you may or may not wish to finish with a toss of sesame oil just before serving.

Another thing to do is to toss these greens into many kinds of soups, prepared the same way. No need to saute first.

These greens are great tossed with whole grain pastas with a generous sprinkle of Romano or Parmesan cheeses. For a great Italian meal, saute Italian sausage links cut in chunks, chunks of bell peppers and onions, and throw in some chili pepper flakes if you like. As the sausage, onions and peppers brown and carmelize nicely, add the trimmed greens and quickly stir fry together until the greens are just wilted. Serve over whole-grain or multi-grain angel hair or linguine for a fantastic meal. Wine is optional!

The days of having to cook the heck out of fresh vegetables are over. The closer they are to being raw, the better the benefits.

Paula

Squid luau using sweet potato leaves

two bunches of sweet potato leaves
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
tako (octopus) or squid or chicken

1. boil the leaves (cut off most of the stem) till soft for a couple of hours.
2. drain out the water.
3. squeeze the leaves to get out more water.
4. add coconut milk (from the can) and boil the leaves in the coconut milk. You can add a little water if not enough liquid to boil all of the leaves.
5. cut the tako or chicken or squid in small chunks....then fry with a bit of butter or olive oil to slightly brown to get more flavor.
6. add the cooked tako or chicken or squid to the taro/coconut mixture and cook for another hour (bring everything to a boil....then simmer).
8. add salt to taste.

Norrin

This is a website that has a lot of vegetable recipes:

http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/index.html

Some of our favorite recipes are........

Chicken Stir-fry With Bok Choy and Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

3 medium chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

3 large bok choy stalks with leaves

Marinade:

1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 green onion, diced

2 tsp cornstarch

Sauce:

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 TB water

1 tsp white rice vinegar

1/2 tsp black rice vinegar

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

Other:

1 teaspoon cornstarch

4 teaspoons water

4 to 5 TB oil for stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:

1.Cut the chicken into thin strips about 2-inches long. Add the rice wine or sherry, green onion and the cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

2.While the chicken is marinating, prepare the bok choy and the sauce. Separate the bok choy leaves and stalks, and cut both cross-wise into thin strips.

3.Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and set aside.

4.Heat wok and add 2 TB oil. When oil is ready, add the chicken and HYPERLINK "http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blstirfrytips.htm"stir-fry until it turns white and is nearly cooked. (Stir-fry in two batches if necessary). Drain the stir-fried chicken on paper towels.

5.Clean out the wok and add 2 - 3 TB oil. When oil is ready, add the bok choy stalks. Stir-fry briefly and add the leaves.

6.Push the bok choy up to the sides of the wok and add the sauce in the middle. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the sauce and stir rapidly to thicken.

Add the chicken. Mix through and serve hot.

Serves 4.

TAKUWAN
Ingredients: daikon/turnip, rock salt, lemon juice or vinegar, sugar

1. Daikon skin to be scraped off. Slice the daikon into bite size pieces. You can use the leaves as well as the root.

2. Put Daikon into a plastic container with a lid.

3. Sprinkle a handful of rock salt on the daikon and mix.

4. Cover the container and shake to evenly distribute the salt. The salt will draw the liquid/water out of the daikon to make a brine liquid (salty water).

5. Shake the container every few hours. Leave the salt on for several hours. The more salt you use, the quicker the daikon will be ready to accept the pickling juice. I like to use a minimum amount of salt and let it sit a little longer (I like to leave it 24 hours).

6. The pickling juice is to be prepared in another container.

7. Mix one cup of lemon juice or vinegar with one cup of light brown sugar. You can use white sugar if you want. Stir till the sugar dissolves. It should taste like a good lemonade. If it’s too sour, add a bit more sugar. If it’s too sweet, add a bit more lemon juice or vinegar.

8. Optional - add a packet of dried chili pepper (like the packet from Pizza Hut).

9. Optional - the zest from the lemon might also be a good addition.

10. Now, wash the salt off the daikon with nice cold water. Rinse it several times and drain off all the water. You daikon should have shrunk in size by 30% - 40%.

11. Add the pickling juice to the daikon.

12. Put in the refrigerator for 24 hours – stirring occasionally

13. With your next pot of rice….top with your delicious takuwan.

VEGETABLE STIR FRY

Ingredients: Costco teriyaki meat balls, daikon, bok choy, green onions,

1. quarter the meat balls.

2. scrape skin off the daikon and slice into bite size pieces

3. wash bok choy, the cut into bite size pieces

4. wash green onions and cut into bite size pieces.

5. start by putting the meatballs in a frying pan (medium heat). No oil is required.

6. After the meatballs are browned, add the daikon and the bok choy.

7. Stir…add ¼ cup of water and cover the pan so that the veggies can steam.

8. Optional…if you can also add teriyaki sauce, shoyu or mirin.

9. After a few minutes, lift the cover to stir again.

10. Add the green onions as a garnish and serve.

Turnip/Daikon in Curry by Jacky

1. Peel the daikon. Then cube it (one inch cubes)

2. steam daikon until soft but not mushy.

3. add a package of S&B curry sauce (the boxed kind-also Vermont would work).

4. You could also add chopped green onion for more flavor.

It made a sizable batch, so I added to my soups for lunch and used it for a side dish for dinner.

I also made beef stew and added some to that for more flavor and interest.

For the vegetarians, it would be delicous served over white or brown rice.

To reserve your box of veggies, send us an email at otsujifarm@gmail.com or call Isaac at 395-4131. When you place your order, give us your name and phone number.

map

2010-07-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

459 Pakala St, Honolulu, HI, 96825

Comments from our customers

2010-07-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

Oriental salad dressing recipe

2010-07-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

1/2 - 1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
2 T sesame oil
1 T shoyu
2tsp salt
1tsp pepper
5 cloves of garlic (minced)

mix well

What kind of fresh vegetables are in the veggie box?

2010-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

In our $10 box last week, we harvested nice fresh veggies our fields

Anuenue Lettuce or Baby Romaine or Red Lettuce
turnips/daikon (great is salads, stir fry, soups, pickles)
choy sum
bok choy
radish
green onions

If you got there early, you could have also purchased:

red beets
kale
spinach
pak choy, gai choy (mustard cabbage)
shinjiku, mizuna, kabu
egg plant
Chinese parsley/cilantro and flat leaf parsley
romaine lettuce, anuenue lettuce, red lettuce
gai lan (Chinese kale)
cherry tomatoes
green onions
papayas
basil
chives
mint

Our wish is that you will find value in getting farm fresh produce and want to get fresh vegetables on a regular basis. After you pick up your first box, we will send you a reminder for your next pickup two or three weeks later.

Where can I get my $10 box of farm fresh veggies?

The Otsuji farm is located in Hawaii Kai in the back of the Kaiser High School tennis courts....459 Pakala St.

Visit us on the farm Friday afternoons from 3:30 - 5:30 pm...

Saturday morning from 8:00 - 11:00...you will see our full display of veggies. You can also take a tour of the farm on a Saturday (wear you tennis shoes).

On Tuesday evenings, we are on the Kaiser High School lawn from 3:30 - 6:30.

To reserve your box of veggies and be on our list of customers send us an email at: otsujifarm@gmail.com

When you place your order, give us your name and contact phone number.

If you have any questions, you can call us at 395-4131. Ask for Isaac or Norrin.