Umeboshi salted plums – Part 2

My plums have had a week drying naturally in the sun. I have now bottled them up and will leave them for another couple of months before eating.

The whole process started back on June 28th at a Kitchen Nippon class. Any one living in Japan or even visiting and who wants to learn about Japanese cooking should check these guys out.

Preparing the plums

Our tutors sourced us beautiful organic plums and organic sea salt, all very high quality ingredients. We prepped the plums and laid them in the salt. We prepared the akashiso, a red leaf herb that gives the final product it’s red colour.

Photo from Kitchen Nippon

Photo from Kitchen Nippon

Photo from Kitchen Nippon

The plums were left in these bags in a dark cupboard for 4 months. For the first week or so I had to regularly turns the bags. The salt pulled the liquid out of the plums and made a brine. after a week I added the aka shiso.

The Drying Process 

After four months the plums were soft and “pickled” they were a lovely red colour. I laid them out on a bamboo rack and dried in the sunlight for about a week.

The final stage

Today I took the sun dried plums and placed them in a jar. The leftover brine solution was poured back on them. Now they sit for another 2 to 3 months in a dark cupboard and I will eat them from January! It is a long process old fashioned process but a sneak nibble revealed a very rich and delicious taste that will be mellowed and refined with patience and time. The final product will not only be delicious but very satisfying. A labour of love.

The detailed recipe can be found on Kitchen Nippon

Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu

Leanne