Vibrant
Ono Karori
While making plant-based sweets, her love of wild plants has led her to make traditional Korean sweets and promote Japanese leaf mochi.
A learning opportunity was held on January 12th and 13th by " Yoyun " also known as "Uja-nee".
Uja-nee has written about what is happening here and what she is learning.
You can read it on our website " Rakugaku ", so please take a look.
Mochi sweets have been familiar since ancient times
In his hometown of Niigata, he is famous for his sasa-mochi dumplings wrapped in bear bamboo.
When I was little, eating the food my grandmother made was something I looked forward to every year.
However, there is something about making mochi sweets that seems like a hassle, so most people don't try to make them at home.
I feel like I can learn from Uja-nee how to do it at home, from the right mindset to the right methods.
We decided to ask for a learning opportunity with a focus on the theme of "mochi."
When we were discussing what the content of this learning opportunity would be,
I told my sister, "I want to try Korean rice cake, Solgi ... "
Uja sister
"I learned that there are plants that I had never paid attention to before that I could eat, and I was able to get people to like them.
I think it's something we can do in this season, so how about a simple Kusamochi gathering?
He made the following suggestion.
I was awakened by that exchange.
That's right. Every year, I would see mugwort quietly growing in my garden and I would think about making Kusamochi someday.
Suddenly, I looked outside and blurted out whatever came to mind that I had never eaten before.
Be careful, be careful.
My sister Uja corrected me when I was about to stray from the main topic.
"I'm going to go check out the plants in the garden now ! "
So I decided to take an hour from Saga to Utsushiki and take a stroll in the garden.
I discovered orange gardenias in front of the shop, which are a natural coloring for brightening up New Year's chestnuts.
I was happy to hear that it is used for making mochi sweets.
There was mugwort ! There was haran! And camellia! I followed Captain Ujane around,
This looks like a kesen, but the fruit is a different color.
I forgot about the cold and was excited to see what was next.
The usual garden looks like a treasure island.
"When I'm collecting plants, I end up high up in the mountains before I know it."
"Sorry, if I start talking about mochi today, I might not be able to stop."
I hope you will be able to fully express your passion for Utsushiki at your learning opportunities.
Overflowing feelings have great power
The adults and children who received the gifts were all full of energy, making it a lively day from start to finish.
Like the plants in the garden, the days will always change.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop it, and it can’t stay the same.
That is why we believe it is important for us to continue to ask questions, learn, and change together every day.
If I'm going to learn something, I want to learn something that I can enjoy thoroughly, something that will make my emotions overflow.
This time again, it was an opportunity filled with many new discoveries and joy.
We look forward to the next learning opportunity!
