９月下旬から１０月上旬にかけて見てきたニューイングランドの初秋を紹介します。 市街地から少し離れたところにあるマーケットで、いつもトマトや新鮮な野菜、果物、花、チーズ、パンなどが豊富にあります。奥様が日本人だと聞いたことがあって、日本食で使う野菜なども結構そろっていて、きのこ類も豊富です。そこにマツタケがありました。日本では貴重なマツタケがこんな風に無造作に置かれることはないのでびっくりしました。そっと手に取ってみると確かにマツタケ。でも香りはそれほどではありませんでした。ワシントン州やニューハンプシャー州で採れるそうですが、アメリカの人はマツタケを食べる習慣はないので店頭に並ぶことは珍しいです。１ポンド（約450g)$19.98(約2000円）で他のきのこより割高ですが日本ほどではありません。マーケットの外に小菊の鉢植えや大小のかぼちゃ（パンプキン）がたくさん置かれてアメリカらしい秋の光景でした。お客は好みの大きさのかぼちゃを買って帰って玄関に置いて、ハロウィンが近づくと中をくり抜いてジャック・オー・ランタンを作って当日の夜は仮装した子供達を迎えます。Let me introduce early autumn in New England, where I was there for about two weeks. I went to a grocery store which is located a little bit away from downtown Boston. The store usually has many kinds of tomatoes, fresh vegetables, various kinds of fruits, flowers, cheese, bread and so on. I heard that the owner's wife is Japanese, so we can find many vegetables used in Japanese cooking. They also have many kinds of mushrooms. When I visited this grocery market, I found Matsutake mushrooms and I was surprised because they were placed in a display box carelessly. I gently picked one of them and examined the exterior. It was certainly Matsutake, but the smell was mild. I heard that Matsutake mushrooms are picked in such places like Washington state and New Hampshire state in the US. Since people in the US do not have a custom to eat Matsutake, it is rare to find them in a common grocery store. The price is 1Lb=$19.98, it is expensive but not as high as Japan. Outside of the market, there are small chrysanthemum pots and pumpkins of various sizes, all representing fall colors. Customers purchase the pumpkin of their favorite size and bring it back to their home. When Halloween is approaching, they make a Jack-o'-lantern to welcome kids who will wear costumes and visit their house to get candies.
