I need to know how to start cooking from absolute scratch because the area I'm moving to is a very remote area of Montana and you can't just go to the market and get things for dinner. The nearest food store is an hour away in good weather. I went to school for Horticulture and passed with honors, so growing the food is no problem. I have a supplier of Japanese garden seed and another for things like nori and rice, but I need to know how to make my own fermented, pickled, dried, and canned produce.

Hello JB! :D This is my first forum I create, and it's a question that has been perplexing my little mind for quite awhile. :] I am wondering three things: 1) What is the differences between the types of miso *red, white, etc.? 2) What kind of miso is best to use for miso soup? 3) Is there a way to make the condensed miso (like I've seen for other soups) to pack into a bento? Thank you very much for your time minna, Ari~

I have always used the twinings green tea that comes in teabags and I was wondering (and I guess it is stupid question) if japanese green tea is very different from chinese or indian green tea... Also, is the flavor of tea made from tea leaves very different from that of tea made from teabags?

Do you have a recommendation for a cookbook in Japanese that has all the basics of Japanese home cooking plus lots of recipes - a sort of Japanese equivalent of Mrs Beeton's cookbook? Pref with some pictures, to help me with my fairly basic Japanese language skills, whicn I'm currently trying to brush up again. A few years ago I spent 4 months in a homestay in Sapporo and have kept a note of the tasty meals we ate most days - I'd like to re-create some of them, but haven't got a clue where to start.

Hello Maki :D I love your website and your posts have been helpful and entertaining. I was wondering if you could suggest, is there any substitute for nori sheet? because I don't eat nori/ seaweed. The main use is for making cute face using onigiri punches. Thank you

I bought some sriracha chili suce but I do not know how to "use" it. Actually, I do not even know if it is something suitable for japanese dishes... any suggestions?

Hello Maki (and everyone else out there)!

are dried shiitake mushrooms very different from other dried mushrooms, or if I don't have them I could just use, for istance, dried porcini mushrooms?