Nobiru, yama-udo, kogomi, taranome... Mountain vegetables line supermarket and greengrocer stalls. Eaten as tempura, briefly boiled and dressed, their distinctive aroma and gentle bitterness taste of spring. Bitter mountain greens are said to help prevent colds, beautify skin, and slow aging.
Among seasonal mountain fare, butterbur sprouts appear first. Besides tempura, they are delicious minced and stir-fried with miso, or in ohitashi and osuimono. The bitterness is also said to stimulate appetite.
You know butterbur sprouts are the flower stalks of butterbur—but did you know male and female plants differ? After flowering, female stalks grow tall—the "tou ga tatsu" stage—and white fluffy seeds drift away on the wind. Male plants simply wither once their job is done.
Some will soon head to hills and fields to gather mountain vegetables. We found butterbur sprouts in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace just south of Palaceside Building in Takebashi, central Tokyo—perfectly in season, looking as tempting to wild-vegetable fans as those in stores. Given the location, surely no one would be foolish enough to pick them; I cannot say exactly where.