What to Eat in May

May is a delicious month in Japan and my upstate New York area. On my visit to Kingston farmers market upstate, I look forward to finding fiddlehead ferns and ramps.

Fiddlehead fern is kogomiこごみ in Japanese, and is one of the most cherished spring mountain vegetables.

Ramps is gyoja ninniku 行者にんにく. It is a wild onion, and is harvested in northern Japan from Tohoku to Hokkaido. 

Kale napini resembles broccoli rabe without bitterness and comes with flowering thin stems. I also look forward to finding asparagus, juicy multicolor radishes, sweet baby hakurei turnips, shell beans, rhubarb, amaranth, spring onions, and mustard greens. 

This year’s first purchases from Montauk Catch Club are sushi fluke, tilefish, and monkfish liver. 

Eat locally and seasonally for our and the earth's health, and offer big appreciation to the farmers and nature.

Iris Baths for Good Health

The Ukiyo-e, wood block print, depicts a scene of May in Japan during the Edo period, in which a man is taking a bath infused with iris leaves, Shobuyu.

Taking an iris bath is known to drive away evil spirits, stimulate blood circulation, warm the body, and assure good health for the coming months.

This ancient custom comes from China and is still practiced in Japan, although I have never had a Shobuyu hot bath. Iris is growing in my backyard swamp. I will cut some and try it this month.

Experiencing May in Japan

May is a month with mild days, low humidity, refreshing breezes, and a blue sky. Gorgeous tsutsuji (azalea) and Satsuki (a different kind of azalea, which blooms a little later than tsutsuji) bloom everywhere in Japan. It is a perfect month for traveling, hiking, and mountain climbing activities.

The Japanese Lunisolar Calendar

May is Gogatsu in Japanese in the Gregorian calendar.

Japan changed from a lunisolar calendar, Kyureki 旧暦, to the Shinreki 新暦 Gregorian calendar on January 1, 1873, as part of the Meiji government's modernization efforts. Japan must align with Western standards to avoid colonization and build a militarily strong country.

The old lunisolar calendar is approximately one month behind the Gregorian calendar. Each month of Kyureki 旧暦 is given a Japanese name with seasonal, cultural, historical, and social connections.