Wasabi Crop had a great weekend, and Zak dug up 51 rhizomes with the biggest weighing 170 g. We prepared the rhizomes for our customers by first trimming them.

 

Wasabi Leaves and Stems are traditionally used in Japanese cuisine for pickled sake lees. The crunchy large heart-shaped wasabi leaves and stems are delicious and highly in demand outside Japan. The heat of wasabi is more prominent in stems than leaves but overall the heat is always greater in the prized rhizome!

Wasabi Zuke is a popular pickled dish served in Japan and can be prepared by taking all parts of the wasabi plant. This chopping and mixing of all the leaves, flowers, leafstalks and the ground roots with salt water and sake including sugar. Wasabi Zuke can be a great dinner dish or even a suitable side dish, especially with drinks. These types of dishes are called kasuzuke (food pickled in the lees from sake brewing). Wasabi Zuke was developed by merchants in Fuchu which is modern-day Shizuoka which flourished in the Edo Period.

Real wasabi paste is made from grating the fresh wasabi rhizome. On grating the rhizome also known as a swollen stem which can take up to 2 years to reach maturity, the volatile isothiocyanate compounds are released to give that wasabi kick – the pungent zingy flavour which everyone wants to experience.  The wasabi paste always tastes amazing when it is freshly grated. The best grater to use on the rhizome is the traditional Japanese sharkskin paddle.  Real wasabi rhizomes are difficult to find in stores, but at Wasabi Crop we are taking care of this to produce freshly grown wasabi rhizomes, leaves and stems. 

At present Wasabi Crop is one of two commercial growers in the United Kingdom and the only producer in Northern Ireland. Our aim is to grow fresh wasabi rhizomes, leaves and stems and serve all our customers. The wasabi varieties will include Mazuma, Daruma and Green Thumb. Wasabi Crop is based in County Armagh, which is the home of the Bramley apple and provides a rich agricultural land for our business.