Plums and June

Before I knew it, the rainy season had begun.
I didn't really feel it, though...

There is a plum farm in my neighborhood,
and when the harvest season arrives,
I help out with the sorting process, checking for any blemishes.
When this starts,
I feel, 'Ah, it's the rainy season now.'

I usually go to help for the month of June,
and I experience the flow of the season during this month.

At first, I wear long sleeves and feel a bit chilly,
working while rain suddenly starts to fall or thunder rumbles,
but after a period of pleasant breezes,
as it nears the end, it gets hot and I work in the air conditioning.

The condition of the plums also changes.
At first, they are green plums that are still hard and have almost no scent,
but as it nears the end,
they become ripe plums that fill the room with an incredibly fruity fragrance.
I almost get fooled by this scent,
but apparently, they aren't that sweet when you eat them.

I also learned that there are many varieties of plums after I started helping out.
Cute, tiny little plums become the kind of pickled plums you see on top of a bento box.
There are varieties suitable for making syrups or plum wine,
and others suitable for large pickled plums or jam.

Everyone has their own characteristics, and they all have their own uses.
'I wonder what you will become?'
I think to myself as I pick them up one by one.

Plums have long been prepared during this season as a preserved food.
People in the past skillfully incorporated plums into their lives.
Just as the rain of the rainy season moistens the earth, we also pickle plums to prepare for the moisture of summer.

This is a bit of a topic from traditional Chinese medicine,
but it is called 'Sankan Kain',
and it is said that the combination of sweetness and acidity
works to replenish and protect the body's moisture.

Therefore, a 'plum drink' made with the acidity of plums and the sweetness of sugar
is a welcome beverage when your body feels parched from the summer heat.

Summer farm work leaves me drenched in sweat,
so a glass mixed with carbonated water when I get home is essential.

If you want to replenish salt, pickled plums are also recommended.
Plums are very useful for heatstroke prevention.

The blessings of the rainy season live on in a way that supports the body in summer.
I really feel that cycle of the seasons.

Why not find a way to work with plums that suits your life this year?

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