Green bamboo shoots are in season, a delicacy not to be missed during the Grain in Ear period
During this Grain in Ear season with its unending plum rain front, the drenched days are stuffy and sweltering, truly leaving one with no appetite at all, but green bamboo shoots are the exception.
This year's plum rain has been unusually fierce, damaging leafy vegetables, but it has fattened the bamboo shoots. Every year from late April onward, starting from Guanmiao and Guiren in Tainan and Changzhi in Pingtung, they ripen progressively northward, from Baoshan in Hsinchu, Fuxing, Daxi and Guishan in Taoyuan, Muzha in Taipei, to Bali, Wugu and Sanxia in New Taipei. There are two production peaks: in the south, the "main shoot period" or "big shoot period" runs from late April to late May, while in the north it is from mid-June to mid-July; the southern "autumn shoot period" is mid-July, and the northern one is late August. During the rainy June plum rain season, shoots sprout endlessly after the rain, with fine flesh full of water, tasting especially fresh and tender; after July, as rain gradually decreases, they are less tender than early shoots but have higher sweetness. The flavors that vary with the season are all good eating moments of the season.
The deliciousness of green bamboo shoots goes without saying; everyone loves green bamboo shoots, and their excellent quality and good price have also prompted many famous production areas to launch their own brands one after another, such as "Green Gem" from Guanyin Mountain in Wugu, pear bamboo shoots from Wuliao in Sanxia, golden bamboo shoots from Bali, water honey pear bamboo shoots from Pingxi, "Emerald Shoots" from Xindian, and so on. The task of identification is, of course, the definition of differences and characteristics, which can roughly be discussed from two aspects: terroir conditions and human effort.
Sunlight, soil, cultivation, regular production area characteristics
A youthful green bamboo shoot must pass strict aesthetic standards to become a beauty: white, short, stubby, plump; recognize this and you will be right. For most people this classification is quite sufficient, but of course it can be further graded, such as by production area, first crop/second crop, one-year-old shoots/two-to-three-year-old shoots, the degree of opening of the shoot sheath and sheath leaves, etc. The development potential of the industry lies in the setting of standards by practitioners; for the industry to progress, specifications must be differentiated. This is true whether in agriculture or not, but for the agriculture of such a small island as ours, it is not only important but necessary.
As for ways of eating, as the number one diehard fan of green bamboo shoots, I, the editor, really have strong objections to the monotonous pairing of cold platters with mayonnaise, so I tried various salts, soy sauces, vinegars, oils and so on in turn, and then discovered that if it is a shoot of peerless beauty grade, if there is no suitable pairing, it is better not to pair it at all.
The editor's tasting team's personal recommendation: if you have top-grade virgin olive oil on hand (get the best you can, do not hesitate), the fresh olive aroma happens to complement the shoot's faint scent, neither masking nor harming the shoot's sweetness, and just happens to add the lubrication of oil to the crisp fiber bite, elegant beyond words; if you are still not satisfied and want to play with variations, honey, lemon juice, wine vinegar and so on are all good partners to mix in. The key is that it must not be cloying, remember this well.