Umeboshi are Attention Seekers

Plop.

A small fruit rolls out of the plastic bag.
A yellowish plum.

A soft, refreshing scent drifts through the air.

These are green plums that ripened a bit too much at the supermarket.
If I were making plum wine or plum syrup, I could use them as is. But for umeboshi, it would probably be better if they were a little riper.

Day by day, the sweet, full-bodied scent of plums fills the room.

Is it about time?

My first time making umeboshi.
I don't know how much to let them ripen.

For me, 'plum work' has always meant plum wine and plum syrup.
It's not that I didn't admire the idea of making umeboshi. But I had an image that it was difficult.
That changed completely when I saw a morning information program that made me want to try it.

You can pickle as little as 1kg in a zipper bag.
Just sprinkle with 13% salt and use a plastic bottle as a weight.
White umeboshi, without using red shiso.

Can it really be that easy? I want to try it!

I ran to the supermarket.
However, 2024 was a bad year for plums. Even when I went to stores that should have had them, I couldn't find any. After visiting several shops, I was only able to buy two bags of green plums.

I selected 1kg of unblemished fruit from the ripened ones.
I disinfected the plums and the zipper bag with Pasteuriser.
I sprinkled them with salt according to the recipe and placed two plastic bottles on top as weights.

It was too easy.

Every day, I turned the bag over and checked for the plum vinegar rising.
Every time I opened the storage cabinet, I could smell the sweet scent of plums, which made me feel happy.
Whenever I had a spare moment, I would open the door to check on them.

Yes, they're doing well.

I smiled to myself as I watched the plums soaking in the abundant plum vinegar.
It's fun.
So, umeboshi is something you nurture.
Just as I thought that, I let my guard down.
Umeboshi are unexpectedly attention seekers.
After just one night and two days of taking my eyes off them, a thin white film appeared.

Huh? No way. Is it mold?

I frantically searched for how to deal with it, then disinfected the removed plums with shochu for fruit liquor. I heated and filtered the plum vinegar.

I managed to recover and sun-dried them earlier than planned.
I kept a close eye on the weather, moving them to sunny spots and turning them over. When I went out, I worried about the sky and brought them under the roof.
I was constantly with the umeboshi, as much as I possibly could be.

Yet, strangely, I didn't find it a bother.
Worried about mold, I dried them for four days instead of three, avoided night dew to protect them from rain, and the finished umeboshi were rock-hard and coated in salt.
When I took a bite, the skin was tough and there was almost no flesh.

'So salty.'

It wasn't what I imagined, but I couldn't help but smile.
Next year, I'll start by selecting the plums.
The moment a new seasonal task was added.
I wanted to make rice balls with the first umeboshi I ever made.

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I am participating in Rinka Sanjo's project again this month.

I've been soaking the salt-covered, rock-hard umeboshi in plum vinegar to soften them up a bit before eating.
For my 2025 plum work, I ordered several types of plums through the hometown tax program.
It seems the results are better if you start by selecting the plums.
Bamboo shoots, plums, and in autumn, chestnuts.
My fun seasonal tasks have increased.

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A first-generation member of the 'Tokimeki Kaji Lab' (Specialized Housework Lab) who loves roses, cherry blossoms, and airplanes.