Hi ciara, Ilanit, kaz!
Having had two girlfriends from your side of the planet,
I really like Aussie sheilas, and if I had the means I'd be there, happily keeping you all company!
The squeegees and solution applicators that I use in my work come from Sidney, as well!
Thank goodness for the Internet, then!
I can't believe that no
one has shown you
Burdock, yet, Ciara!
If you buy your gobo from a market, make sure that they are displaying the vegetable properly!
Burdock dries, shrivels up, and becomes limp very quickly, so the roots should either be wrapped up in burlap and kept moist or they should be bundled up in cellophane or plastic.
And the same goes for your storage at home in the refrigerator.
When chopping or slicing burdock before cooking, if you are not going to use it immediately, you might cover with natural or purified water in a bowl until you are ready to use it.
Soon after cutting burdock, you will find that the flesh starts turning a dark colour which means that it is oxidizing, which you don't want!
Asian stores might have farm grown (non-organic) gobo, whereas many natural food stores that have burdock might be organically grown.
Hopefully, you will find this helpful.
Thank you, very much.
Bruce Paine