Homegrown goodness (and a Japanese market)

Salmon and albacore sashimi, homegrown lettuce dressed with a miso/ponzu/balsamic dressing [pictured above].

We bought this lovely sushi-grade fish at Mitsuwa Japanese Market on Centinela Blvd. in Santa Monica.  The market is a Japanese food paradise comprised of rows and rows of intriguing Japanese ingredients, including the freshest sushi-grade fish, an isle's worth of green tea, and at least 200 different kinds of rice.  The market also has a food hall in the back where you can get yummy bowls of ramen with salt or miso broth, among other delicacies.

Mitsuwa Marketplace

3760 Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066

This is a ripe, luscious, immaculate strawberry grown by my father.  He has started a rather impressive backyard garden, in which he grows strawberries, a variety of lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes, and herbs.  It cannot be denied that cooking with freshly picked, home-grown ingredients elevates one's cooking to another level entirely.