Remedies for Moldy Umeboshi and the Meaning of Doyo-boshi from the Perspective of Yin-Yang Five Elements [First-Time Umeboshi Making]

I took on the challenge of making umeboshi for the first time this year,
but

when I opened the lid,
there was something white and fluffy...

That's right. It was mold.

"W-w-what have I done..."

My world was plunged into darkness.

***

This year, I've had more
ume-filled days than ever before.

I managed to get a huge amount of ume,
and I tried a huge number of ume recipes.

There were seven types of green ume recipes in total.

And behind the scenes,
I was boldly taking on the
[Emperor of the Ume World: Umeboshi].

This was a forty-something lazy mom's
memorable first attempt at making umeboshi

or so it was supposed to be.

With the appearance of
mold—MOLD—the synonym for failure,
a crisis arrived where everything was about to come to nothing.

Now, what will you do, Kireido?

Today,
I will share the story of my recovery from mold and the perspective I gained through making umeboshi.

I will also talk a little bit about Doyo-boshi (midsummer drying) from the perspective of Yin-Yang Five Elements.

By reading this article,
you should come to love umeboshi even more.

The Beginning of It All

After struggling with a large amount of green ume,
I was thinking, "Maybe I've had enough ume for this year?"
but

*This is also why I'm so full of ume ↓

A few days later,
my mother-in-law said to me,

"Since the green plums I set aside have ripened, if you're going to make pickled plums..."

"I'll do it."

That's right,

had exploded.

Unable to refuse,
I ended up making pickled plums.

Then, I got an old crock my mother used to use from my parents' house,
and in the pouring rain,

I pickled the plums in late June.

One month later.
Finally, the Doyo period has begun.

The reason why I absolutely wanted to do the Doyo-boshi (midsummer sun-drying).

This is the famous
"Doyo-boshi of pickled plums."

However, because of this year's strange weather,
sunny days just don't seem to last.

Even looking at the forecast, it doesn't look good ahead.
I can't predict when I'll be able to dry them.

"If cloudy and rainy days continue like this, won't I be unable to dry them during the Doyo period?"
"But I absolutely cannot let the Doyo period pass by like this..."

If there really are no sunny intervals,
it seems it's okay to go a little past the Doyo period.

But I really wanted to dry them during the Doyo period.

The reason is,
the philosophy of Yin-Yang Five Elements is involved there.

The Doyo season represents
the 'turning point of the seasons.' (Sometimes considered the rainy season as well.)

Currently,
it falls during a period that acts as a bridge between summer and autumn.

Also, the 'Do' in Doyo is the 'Earth' of the Five Elements,
signifying the 'center' that connects all five elements.

Based on this meaning of 'Earth = Center',

this Doyo period is not just between summer and autumn,
but can also be said to be a time when 'the energy of all five elements is flowing.'

By performing Doyo-boshi (midsummer drying) during this time,
the power of the five elements' energy is added to the umeboshi,

and Japan's ultimate superfood,
umeboshi, is born—BAKUTAN!

That is why I was so determined
to dry them during the Doyo period.

So, as a desperate measure,

And then,

today, I opened the ume jar.

And that's when I found mold.

Kireido's First Umeboshi [The End]

…Not quite, it's okay.
They say there is still a way to recover.

Kireido has been saved.

What are the remedies for moldy umeboshi?

Here are the three steps for recovery when mold appears:

Then, wash the container, inner lid, and weight,
wipe them with disinfecting ethanol,
and quietly return the ume as if nothing had happened.

'Yes, this is not a failure.'
That is what you tell yourself.

So, for this time,
since I just wanted to do the Doyo-boshi (midsummer sun-drying),

I dried them.

Mold grows in dark, damp places, right?
That means, in terms of Yin-Yang, it is a mass of 'Yin energy'.

By exposing them to the 'sun', which is the opposite Yang energy,
to charge them with Yang power,
I tried sun-drying the containers and such, not just disinfecting them.

For now, I've tried doing the Doyo-boshi for just one day,
and the rest depends on the weather.

Please be sunny~~~~~. (Inner voice. It's leaking out.)

What I felt through making Umeboshi

There were various things like this,
but after experiencing Doyo-boshi, my view of Umeboshi has changed.

When placing them on the drying basket,

you take the plump red plums,
gently pick them up with chopsticks so the skin doesn't break,
and place them on the basket one by one.

And, every plum has a different color and shape, so to speak, they have 'different faces'.

You place them one by one with care.

Through that process,
the plums started to look so cute to me.

Homemade Umeboshi by grandmothers
are sold at farm stands and such,

and I thought, they must have dried the plums one by one like this.
I thought.

This is packed with energy, I realized.

To the 'plum' which has the energy of 'Earth', a gift from the land,

the 'Fire' energy of the sun,
the 'Water' energy obtained from rain

The 'Five Elements' energy that dwells through Doyo-boshi

And,
the energy held by the 'person' making the Umeboshi.

Only when all of these are packed in
did I realize that it becomes 'authentic Umeboshi'.

Because it contains various energies, it has high energy,
and its benefits must be quite diverse.

I used to think it seemed like a hassle,
so I couldn't quite bring myself to start making pickled plums,

but being made to realize things like this
gave me value far beyond the effort involved.

I truly feel glad that I took on the challenge for the first time this year.

Just a little more to go,
and I will finish making them with love.

Pickled plums are amazing.

It was during the Doyo period of 2022
that I felt I understood
what is contained within this "amazing" quality.

So, here is today's task. (That was sudden, wasn't it?)

I am sure you will be able to receive
something greater than ever before.

Your likes and follows are my encouragement.

Updating on Tuesdays and Fridays.

This was Ayako Furukawa, also known as Kireimichi.