{"product_id":"hana-donko-flower-shiitake-from-oita","title":"Hana-Donko Flower Shiitake from Oita","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"cg-pdp\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"cg-lead\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe cap cracks open like a flower only in the years the weather allows it — and only once, in spring.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHighlights\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHana-Donko, the Top Grade: \u003cem\u003eDonko\u003c\/em\u003e are shiitake picked in the cold months, while the cap is still thick and curled under. In a hard winter a few of them split open across the top in a pale, petal-like pattern. That splitting cannot be induced or farmed for — it is weather — and those are \u003cem\u003ehana-donko\u003c\/em\u003e, flower donko.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSorted, Not Grown: Selected by Himeno Ichiro Shouten in Oita by colour, shape and size against national competition standard. Caps approx. 5–6cm, about 16 pieces, presented in a gift box.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne Ingredient, Two Years: Log-grown on felled oak in Oita over roughly two years, then dried. Shiitake and nothing else — no salt, no additives, no fish.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShipped directly from Himeno Ichiro Shouten in Oita — not from a US warehouse.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"cg-acc\"\u003e\n\u003cdetails open=\"\"\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eDetails, ingredients \u0026amp; allergens\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContents:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160g, approx. 16 caps (count is a guide, not a guarantee) in a gift box, 33 × 25 × 6cm, with a leaflet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCap size:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approx. 5–6cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIngredients:\u003c\/strong\u003e Log-grown shiitake (Oita, Japan) — single ingredient\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAllergens:\u003c\/strong\u003e None. No fish, no animal ingredients, no wheat, no soy — plant-based and naturally gluten-free.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStorage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unopened, keep somewhere cool and dark and use within a reasonable time — dried shiitake draw moisture from the air. For long keeping, freeze. Once opened, move them to a sealed container and refrigerate. \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/guides\/how-to-store-miso-soy-sauce-and-dashi\"\u003eSee our full storage guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Oita, Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails open=\"\"\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eProducer's story\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHimeno Ichiro Shouten has been a shiitake merchant in Taketa, Oita, since 1877. Not a grower — a grader. Oita produces about half of all the dried shiitake in Japan, grown the slow way on felled oak logs over two years rather than on sawdust blocks, and what the house has done for a hundred and forty-nine years is look at that harvest and sort it: by size, by the thickness of the cap, by colour, by how the edge curls. Seven grades come out of one forest. It is unglamorous work and it is the whole business, and it is why Isetan in Tokyo and the department stores of Kyushu have bought from them for generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe same house sorts the small-cap donko in our \u003ca href=\"\/products\/kombu-shiitake-dashi-set-from-japan\"\u003eKombu \u0026amp; Shiitake Dashi Set\u003c\/a\u003e — the everyday end of the same forest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails open=\"\"\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eA note on the harvest\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHana-donko are gathered once a year, in spring. Whether there are any at all depends on how the cold ran that winter — the flowering of the cap happens when conditions are severe and steady, and in a mild or unsettled year the crop simply does not come. This year's harvest was very small, and what remains is at the smaller end of the size range.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would rather tell you that than imply a shelf that refills. When these are gone, the next chance is the following spring, and only if the weather agrees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails open=\"\"\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eCooking ideas\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRehydrate them slowly — cold water, in the refrigerator, overnight rather than in a hot rush — because the flower pattern is worth keeping intact and heat makes the cap slump. Keep the soaking liquid: it is a clear, faintly sweet dashi in its own right, and pouring it away is the one mistake worth naming. Simmer the caps whole in that liquid with a little soy sauce and mirin until they are glossy and yielding, and serve them as they are, cap up, so the pattern shows — this is how they appear on a New Year's table in Japan, and the reason anyone pays attention to which mushroom cracked open and which did not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eShipping from Japan\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gift box is flat and wide, so it travels in a larger carton than its weight suggests. Import duties are calculated and collected at checkout, so nothing is billed to you after the box arrives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"cg-foot\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eShips from Japan · Order more, pay less per item\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Himeno Ichiro Shouten Co., Ltd. (株式会社姫野一郎商店)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49158062309611,"sku":"HIMENO-HANADONKO-160","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0731\/2520\/0107\/files\/hana-donko-flower-shiita.png?v=1788754345","url":"https:\/\/cookgood.jp\/products\/hana-donko-flower-shiitake-from-oita","provider":"CookGood.JP","version":"1.0","type":"link"}