The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

Leaf vegetables are one of the winter food attractions in Japan. Spinach, Komatsu-na, Chinese lettuce…thanks to the milder winter climate (and global warming) , we seldom have ground frost or ice. So here there is plenty of supply of vegetables throughout winter.

The Garland Chrysanthemum is one of the winter leaf vegetables. Although this plant has the name “chrysanthemum” which very likely remind you of flower, we consider it a vegetable. Because we eat only its leaves and stems, garland chrysanthemums are harvested when the stems are soft, before they bud. So I haven’t seen the flower of this plant.

With its pleasant flavour and subtly bitter taste, this deep green vegetable is delicious in various dishes; hot-pots, stir-fly, miso soup and so on. My favourite is boiled garland chrysanthemum in vinegar source with a refreshing aroma of an autumn citron.

The garland chrysanthemum is available from October to March, and particularly delicious early in the season; the leaves and stems are so soft that you can enjoy them as a salad vegetable. When the autumn deepened into winter, their texture becomes stringier and tougher, and you might find worms on the stem (after removing the unpleasant things to eat, they are still delicious, though).