Purchasing Umeboshi made from Kanagawa Prefecture's new variety 'Torakohime' at the Yamakita direct sales store 'Toretate Yama-chan'

I headed toward the Yamakita area for a Golden Week drive.
I am fond of the roadside station in Yamakita Town and the nearby direct sales store 'Toretate Yama-chan.' Their lineup is quite unique. Especially at 'Toretate Yama-chan'.

Yama-chan is a fairly compact store. Within a space about the size of a small private shop, they stock a variety of vegetables and fruits harvested during that season—at this time of year, that includes wild vegetables, tree buds, and bamboo shoots. This time, I was able to buy Japanese pepper berries and boiled bamboo shoots, which I had been secretly hoping for. I'm so happy!

As for produce, they have a good selection of slightly tart fruits like citrus and kiwi (for some reason, fruit in Yamakita is tart. As someone who likes tart flavors, I'm happy about this), and since you can buy them quite cheaply, I want to go to Yamakita whenever I feel like I'm lacking vitamins. This time, I bought Amanatsu oranges. According to the staff, the sweet 'Kiyomi' variety is popular right now.

In the refrigerated section, there are also processed goods like Yama-chan's specialty handmade konjac and yuzu kosho, all of which are delicious. I particularly like the yuzu kosho for its perfect level of spiciness and fragrance, and it's a staple in my refrigerator.

The umeboshi (pickled plums) are also good. I like Etsuko Watanabe's umeboshi here, but this time I found a name I didn't recognize among the products from Sugiyama Farm.

'Torakohime'.
It's a name I've never heard before. It wasn't listed in the farm's flyer either, so I was curious and bought it. When I looked it up in the car on the way home, I found out that it isa new plum variety from Kanagawa Prefecture. Wow!

This is wonderful. Truly wonderful!

I opened and tasted it as soon as I got home.

It's a beautiful, large-grained plum with soft skin, similar to Nanko-ume (Torakohime is said to be a cross between Nanko-ume and a local variety). The name 'Hime' (Princess) is well-deserved.
The fragrance is a bit more refreshing than Nanko-ume, which has a sweet scent similar to peaches. The fact that it feels similar to Juro-ume is likely because they are both from Kanagawa.

I tried putting it on my lunch of natto soba (I made natto for the first time. I'll write a separate article about that later).

Yes, it definitely has a refreshing taste.
Although I think it depends on the aging period, it doesn't have the sticky texture of Nanko-ume, and it's easy to eat with a light, crisp flavor. It's a delicious umeboshi. The acidity is also just right.

The light flavor might also be because it's a new variety and hasn't been aged for very long. There is a variety called 'Juro Komachi' that was created in Kanagawa around the same time, and when I bought that umeboshi, I also felt it was 'lighter (compared to Juro)'.

Also, I think it can be said that as a characteristic of plums from Kanagawa Prefecture, they are generally light overall.
Just as Wakayama plums are generally rich, release a sweet fragrance like tropical fruit when ripe, and have a sticky texture when pickled, Kanagawa plums generally have a refreshing scent, a sharp taste, and a clean aftertaste.

This might be a characteristic that can be said of all crops from Kanagawa Prefecture.
Whether it's pears from the western part of the prefecture (Hama-nashi, Shonan-nashi, and Isehara pears are all very delicious and popular, so you can't buy them unless you reserve them or go to a direct sales store) or cabbage from Miura, they are all juicy and have a strong natural sweetness, but they are easy to eat without any peculiar taste. Leafy greens like komatsuna and takana also have no off-flavors and are delicious. I suppose the land and climate of Kanagawa make it so.
Just like those vegetables and fruits, it seems that plums also have different characteristics depending on the production area.
Perhaps what draws me to local plums isn't the 'difference in variety,' but essentially the difference in characteristics brought about by each land. It's profound...

Still, I couldn't find the origin of the name 'Torakohime' anywhere, and I couldn't reach any relevant information. Why 'Torako' (Tiger Child)?
I would like to add an update if I get more information.