Even though I keep saying that I would love to stop time, I am sometimes glad that every year we seem to go round in circles. Well, if we're honest, there are always new highlights throughout the year that we definitely don't want to miss.

And that's the case again these days, as May is bamboo season. To be more precise, it is time for bamboo sprouts, because the new shoots of these large grass plants are now growing and pushing themselves upwards inexorably. However, over time, ingenious people have discovered that these fresh shoots can be quite tasty, at least while they are still fresh and not too hard. And although I was perhaps a little skeptical at first, I can now confirm that this is true and was therefore delighted that a few bamboo shoots found their way into our home again this year.

At first they look really thick, but after peeling off the many layers of skin, it can look quite different. Nevertheless, we still had enough left over to cook some tasty treats with.

Bamboo goes really well in rice and miso soup, but also when braised. This time we sautéed small pieces of pre-cooked bamboo in butter and then stewed them together with a few beans. The result was extremely tasty and won me over immediately. Fortunately, we still had a little left over and haven't eaten it all yet, so I don't have to worry about tomorrow.

But ultimately, bamboo shoots are a seasonal product for us, so we'll probably have to wait another year before we can repeat the bamboo party. That way, at least we'll always have something to look forward to throughout the year. But the party isn't over yet, because tomorrow I will get another second helping. And I'll certainly be enjoying it...