Mr. Shigeru Shimizu/清水茂

As explained in my previous article I was back on the bicycle trail on Saturday with the difference was that I reached the place in record time in spite of the oppressive heat!

I wonder how many tonnes of feed are contained in these silos and accordingly, how many birds are inside the coops!
After all, the whole place covers no less than 1,500 tsubos (4,300 quare meters), big for a single producer in Japan!

The whole complex is surrounded by a tall hedge to protect it from the wind and help control the ambiant temperature.

Incidentally, I noticed that the silos were also protected against the variations of temperature.

I finally found the real entrance to the compound which opens at the very back, away from unknown eyes!

I quickly met Mr. Shimizu who asked me to wait for a while as he was busy with a small emergency. He offered me to stay inside in the cool, but I declined as snooping around is a bad habit of mine!LOL
It is located very much in the middle of the nature with a beautiful mountain background.

Hand egg-calibrating machine.

I was finally admitted inside, and knowing we were limited in time, I started firing questions.

-When was the egg farm founded?
-1996

-How long have you been actually working in the business?
-Let’s see. I’m 57. I started at 25. 28 years!

-When were you awarded a brand name for your eggs?
-In 1996 (that was quick!).

-How many hens (no cockerel needed whatsoever. I didn’t know!)?
-14,000 (geez!).

I had trouble keeping my hands off these beauties.

-Then how many eggs do you produce a day?
-About 1,200, but that’s little compared to industrial farms. We strive for quality, not quantity (even so, that’ s a lot to me!). We expect each to produce between 280 and 300 eggs.

-You need quite some staff, then?
-We are 10 in all. That’s enough, although we do have to work in shifts (that was said with a knowing smile, meaning Mr. Shimizu was working all day!).
-How long lasts a working day, then?
-7:00 to 7:00, 12 hours. The hens have to sleep. No forced laying here! (good to know!)

-How do you grade your eggs?
-By size first, into 7 different sizes. The largest are reserved for cake-shops and restaurants. The shell quality has to be the same, and the only way to check it is by touch, sight and experience.

-How many kinds of hens do you breed?
-Two only, Sakura and Momiji. It is enough since we strive for only one kind of yolk, whatever the color of the shell.

-That is a lot of hens, still. How long is their life span?
-As far as the egg-laying season is concerned, only one year. Which means an almost constant turn over. Even so, the hens have to be regulary vaccinated after we get the chicks from a designated hatchery. There are many keys to producing a good product (I didn’t have to ask the questions, as Mr. Shimizu warmed up to the subject. I had told him I was born in the country, and that the questions would not be too general, although I would be careful not to delve in trade secrets!):
The hens must naturally stay healthy. We personally check them everyday. This is not an industrial farm where productivity is placed above the animals’ comfort. They are actually penned in smaller numbers than usual.

Interestingly enough, the hens were not nervous at all. Their crests looked so healthy!

-How do you dispose of the droppings?
-Mixed with other ingredients, they will become fertilizer we sell to local farmers.
-Almost organic, then?
-Yes, almost.
-What about the hens which die on the way?
-We ask a specialized disposal company to take care of them.
-What do you do with the hens after the year has elapsed?
-We sell them to a specialized butcher.
-For how much?
-5 yen per head.
-That’s not much, isn’t it?
-You are telling me!

-What kind of feed do you nourish them with?
-A recipe of our own only.
Mr. Shimizu handed me then a pamphlet with all the ingredients clearly stated. I counted no less than 22, 12 of them not found in industrial egg farms. Enumerating them would be fastidious but I have kept the pamphlet for your questions. It is certainly impressive! At least I can affirm that the corn used is not GM and that some ingredients include garlic and paprika!

The egss! I came too late. They had already been collected!
One thing is for sure: a soft shell wouldn’t take that shock. No wonder Mr. Shimizu’s eggs are so popular!

The eggs are transported in a cute van!

Mr. Shimizu delivers his eggs to no less than 21 main distributing shops and to no less than 40 restaurants and cake shops. I counted them, but I’m pretty sure they do not include special customers!

The sign to the original shop!

Please remind me I have to buy some for the Missus’ tamagoyaki!

Bi-Ou-Ran
Shimizu Chicken Farm
421-2112, Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Endo Shinden, 41-3
Tel.: 054-296-0064

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sake, shochu and sushi

A Waikiki-based breakfast cafe popular with Japanese tourists, Eggs ‘n Things is famous for their big, fluffy pancakes and overstuffed omelettes served with Spam. The Harajuku branch serves a similar menu, indoors or out on the spacious terrace. They take no reservations, so get there early or expect to wait on line.
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Snow Crabs, or Zuwagani in Japanese are very popular not only in Japan, but also in Russia, Canada and many other countries.

In Japan, they are also known under the following names: Matsubagani, Echizengani and Yoshigani.
The females are also called Seikogani, Megani or Koubakogani.
They are caught mainly in Autumn and Winter.
Their number have decreased in the Japan seas down to a yearly catch of 5,000 tonnes while 60,000 tonnes are imported from Russia and Canada.

(Male Snow Crab)

(Female snow Crab)

Male and female snow crabs are equally succulent, but the males contain more flesh and are accordingly more expensive.

The “thorns” of a male snow crab are bigger.

The “teeth” of a male snow crab are triangular in a seesaw shape.
The female “teeth” are in a straight line.

The underbelly of a female snow crabis flatish.

When buying a female (10 tmes as cheap) snow crab, choose a specimen with as few eggs as possible. Above speciman just has too many!

A female snow crab should contain plenty of succulent orange egg sacs (the eggs not yet “born”). Otherwise, there is very little reason to buy any!

Crabs can be eaten in many ways, even raw, but my favourites are on sushi!

Male Snow crab leg Sushi Nigiri and Female snow crab Sushi Nigiri and its egg sacs!

Suwagani/Snow Crab legs, when lightly boiled can make for beautiful sushi nigiri.

Cheaper varieties can still make fr some remarkable gunkan sushi combining the boiled white flesh and “miso”/brains!

If the Japanese can get their hands on the whole crab, will simply boil it and eat the meat directly out of the shell with a sweet vinegar dressing.
As for the “miso”/brains they will be served in the shell heated again with a big helping of Japanese sake!

Now, live snow crabs make for extravagant sashimi!

The same can savoured in shabu-shabu!

Italian restaurants in Japan regularly serve it in pasta!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Social Culinaire, Sushi Nomads, Cook, Eat & Share, Gourmet Fury, 5 Star Foodie

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日本語のブログ
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Japanese people typically eat cakes and roast or fried chicken on Christmas Eve. Popular Christmas cakes found in Japan are round sponge cakes with whipped cream toppings. Make sure to whisk eggs very well so that you can bake a fluffy sponge cake.

Zosui is Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice. When we make Nabe (japanese hot pot), we make zosui after with the hot pot soup. It good to eat when you are feel sick or have a hangover and is also easy on the waistline.

Yield: 2 servings
Time: 20 minutes

• 2 bowls of steamed rice
• 2 beaten eggs
• chopped green onion (handful)
• chopped seaweed (optional)

Spices

• 8g Hondashi
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• dash salt

1. Boil 3 cups water and steamed rice in a sauce pan for 15 min on low
2. Add hondashi and dash of salt
3. Drizzle egg over mixture in rice, then add soy sauce and green onion
4. Serve in a bowl and add seaweed on top (if you like)

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As this is my seventh year in a row in East Asia and I’ve never stayed anywhere more than two years before, this is the first time I’ve noticed this effect. I now have the knowledge and ability to sniff rather than blow, slurp my noodles, eat sea urchins, survive on green tea rather than PG Tips, eat sweet garlic bread, accept tomatoes as part of a fruit salad, etc etc, but have recently decided I just will not.

I had a fast forward version of this when I was staying with my in-laws for five weeks and round about week two I just couldn’t force another stone cold and rock hard fried egg down my throat (eggs- the black hole in the centre of the otherwise fabulous Japanese cuisine) and lost all my usual (natural and developed) Japanese politeness as I straightforwardly told my wife I was starting each day feeling nauseous and could stand it no more. Alternatively, maybe I was just tired from midnight feedings then and have lost my new country buzz in East Asia now and so generally tired now. Alternatively alternatively, maybe I’m just getting old and becoming more traditionally British in the same way as I seem to be losing the last vestiges of the results of my teenage rebelliousness and turning into my father.

Anyone else experienced this? Any theories on what the most likely explanation might be?

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A 37-year-old woman diagnosed with premature menopause had a baby boy earlier this month from an egg grown through the administration of a hormonal agent, her doctors said Saturday.St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, stirred the formation of ovarian follicles by administering the hormonal agent to pick up eggs from it, and grew them using culture fluid for external fertilization. (Japan Times)
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Kakitamajiru is a typical Japanese clear soup with eggs. This soup is lightly seasoned to enhance the dashi flavor. Serve kakitamajiru with Japanese rice dishes, such as sushi and rice bowls.

Kakitamajiru is a typical Japanese clear soup with eggs. This soup is lightly seasoned to enhance the dashi flavor. Serve kakitamajiru with Japanese rice dishes, such as sushi and rice bowls.

☆Baked Cheese Cake ☆
Ingredients
☆2 pack cream cheese
☆ 1 cup sugar
☆ 4 eggs
☆ 200g sour cream
☆ 2 tbsp flour
☆ 1/4 tbsp salt
☆ 1 tsp vanilla extract
For Crust
☆ 1 box graham crackers
☆ 75g butter
☆ 1/4 tsp nutmeg
☆ 1/4 tsp cinnamon
☆ 1/4 cup sugar
Direction
1. To make crust: Crush the cracker in a bowl until like bread crumbs, add [...]

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