Japanese plum (ume) season is upon us!
For the past couple of years now– the covid years, I’ve been purchasing the delicious
alcoholic beverage instead of steeping them myself. Mainly because the fruit’s
popularity has hiked its price as people seem to have remembered how easy it is to
make their umeshu at home. And so delicious!
Or wait, I heard it became popular after it was featured in a popular program available
on Netflix.
Whatever the revival, I’m thrilled. At the store, it’s pricey, but you should see how fast it
sells.
Just last week, I uttered, “I want to steep plums this year,” to my husband, and wouldn’t
you know it, the universe heard me: A dear friend with an ume tree in her yard gifted me
4 Kg of the heavenly fruit. Yay!
I got right to it. These beauties need to be unripened, firm, and tart to begin with–not
edible, too tart. I washed and soaked the fruit, talked to each one as I disinfected its
smooth skin, disinfected jars, and *clears throat* finished up leftovers from a time
before covid *wink* (I needed the jars, you see).
And that one night I had them airing, my kitchen smelled heavenly. How heavenly, you want to know– think apricots, think peach and almonds, think marzipan.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, and if you wish to know more, ask
and I’ll be happy to share.
Are you busy with any such chores/traditions at this time of year? Please share
with me, and tell me what your kitchen smells like right now.
Enjoy the season and thanks for reading.
I wish you miracles.
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Loving this. Used to preserve famiily orchard fruit in many ways preCovid and even here in my new tiny home made marmalade, until current cancer treatment is helping me to pass my equipment and skills to my handmaiden Dorota who is newly growing Scottish soft fruit with her partner.
Meanwhile you have granted me miracles of fragrance memoir, in your succulent description of process and product of glorious umi-fication.
Reminding me of myrobylans, Prunus cerasifera, which I used to meld into jam…. In a colour change so gratuitously indolent and miraculous too.
I wish you olfactory heaven! X
I’ve never made marmalade. Well with so many seasonal gifts of marmalade, I’ve never been out. It’s wonderful that people still do. Glad you read and that it reminded you of your fruits. Now that everything’s jarred, the lovely smell had vanished. But with that one day, the memory lingers. Be well, my sweets. I bless you and wish you miracles, K 💕 I’ve never made marmalade. Well with so many seasonal gifts of marmalade, I’ve never been out. It’s wonderful that people still do. Glad you read and that it reminded you of your fruits. Now that everything’s jarred, the lovely smell had vanished. But with that one day, the memory lingers. Be well, my sweets. I bless you and wish you miracles. XoXo . XoXo
Hmm…You are right Selma, the pictures speak for themselves. I can inhale a fruity aromatic fragrance wafting through your kitchen. Glad that you are enjoying the whole process. Enjoy <3 !
Thanks for reading and I’m glad my words and fotos could gift you the glorious aroma. Be well. Stay sweet. XoXo
Great post Selma. Love the amazing pictures. I can imagine the beautiful scent in your kitchen. My kitchen smells like banana bread right now since our youngest recently developed a baking habit.Thanks for sharing.💕
Banana bread. Devine. How lucky for you. Xoxo
Thank you, Selma.💕
BTW, about 🇩🇴 I read that in one of your profiles. Either Spillwords or Masticadores. Forgot where. I remember.
As for me, 🇧🇿 Nacida en Belice. No lejos de la República Dominicana 🇩🇴.
Me gusta saber q tu tienes raises por allí.
Muchísimo gusto, Amiga. Un abrazo a tu mamá en celebración de su día de cumpleaños. 😘 un abrazote caluroso 😃 XoXo
Oh yes. It was in my Spillwords interview.I have so many Belizean friends and now one more. Muchas gracias mi amiga.💕🙏💕
You do? Wow. Happy to know. Pleasure to be in your group. Xoxo 💋 small world.
Yes. There’s a pretty big community in N.Y. I live in N.C. now but still keep in touch. Have a wonderful weekend.💕
So usefully & informative post. Very nice smell your kitchen. My kitchen smells in Banana, Mango, ripe Mango pickle and some fruits. Whic is green fruit in picture? I steeping amla, ripe Mango very nice test. I like your post. .
Gosh, Raj. Love the smell of your kitchen. Mango pickle. Ripe Mangoes. The best.
The fruit is Japanese Plum. Called Ume in Japanese. Glad you read and liked. Stay cool. I bless you. XoXo
We pulled out our garden and planted fruit trees, yum. Enjoy
Yum, indeed. And they flower too. How lovely. Thanks for reading and commenting
I bless you. XoXo
Oh, those photos make my mouth water, Selma. I can smell the gorgeous aromas from your kitchen here in the UK! Anything that smells like marzipan is wonderful in my books. I love the stuff and have been known to peel off the layer of marzipan from around a Battenburg cake, eat the sponge first and save the marzipan for last (and best). Do you have Battenburg cake in Japan?
My sister lives in Australia and has two orange trees in her garden. This year, she made something like 6kg of marmalade. She gave lots away to friends and family. I asked her to save some for me (not that I’ll ever get over there). It’s a nice thought, though. I once made strawberry jam after a pick-your-own session in the field. It just would not set and ended up being strawberry sauce. Very delicious on ice cream, but not so much on toast! Thanks for a lovely post. Ellie xx 🌞💞🌻
Marmalade — gosh. That’s lovely.
About Battenberg cake— I’ll have you know that yes, we have that here in Japan. Only I never knew it as Battenberg ever before. I came to know that cake here! Known as Mosaiku cake. You can guess why.
I’ve never made it. But I have been buying it yearly in May as it’s my husbands fave. Gosh. Now I know.
I love it how we’re learning so much from each other. Love it!
Stay sweet. Glad you read this one too. I’m running late with my reading. Will get to yours soon.
I bless you and wish you miracles. Always and forever. XoXo
This sounds delightful! Are they alcoholic, once steeped? If so, I would have to avoid them 😅
You’re in good company with me, dear Ingrid. But I hope you and vinegar are ok. Half of the plums are soaked in Rock sugar and apple vinegar. The other half in spirits of 35%.
We’ll go with the vinegar-ed one, you and I. Yay! 👏
😊 😃 💗
The perfect solution 🤗
I’ve never made marmalade. Well with so many seasonal gifts of marmalade, I’ve never been out. It’s wonderful that people still do.
Glad you read and that it reminded you of your fruits.
Now that everything’s jarred, the lovely smell had vanished. But with that one day, the memory lingers.
Be well, my sweets. I bless you and wish you miracles. XoXo
How delicious this sounds! I can imagine what it is so popular, and I am loving the sounds of the smell, texture, and taste. Marmalade and marzipan are both delicious indeed! <3
Quite an ambitious project Selma. Looks impressive and yummy!! 💖👏
Yeah. Fruit from Mother Earth— she’s still giving. Impressive. Xoxo
What an enticing project, Selma! Lovely photo.. I love cutting up fruits and vegetable to make beautiful salads and stir fries. That is about as ambitious as I get in the kitchen these days. <3 Enjoy!
I just couldn’t let all the lovely fruit from nature go to waste. Not me. It was a labor of love. I was spent after that. Still recovering ❤️🩹 🤣
Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate you. Sending you cool breezes. XoXo
I’ve not heard of that beverage. I’m not a big drinker. I do some white wine, beer, or spiked cider now and then.
We do have some Italian Grapa… home made hooch! Hubby isn’t big on canning. So freezing would be the next best thing.
I’ve made some Mulberry jam… takes quite a bit of berries and sugar! Hubby trimmed that tree last year so I think most of the berries will be out of my reach. I suppose though you can add fruit to anything hard to change the flavor 🙂 Bottoms up or sip slowly 🙂
(PS I recived your letter… Thank you)
Those little plums are so delicious!
Heavenly! ❤️
Selma, I think some of the heavenly scented made its way all to way over here! 😀 A wonderful post and I loved learning about the ume season! It was serendiptious that you friend passed by with so many of the fruit! Of course you had to have a little taste from previous years to ensure you had enough jars 😀 ! Wish I could try some!
Just pulled this out of SPAM: not spam. Sorry for the delayed response… I’m glad the heavenly scent made it to your window too. Glad that happened. Means, you’re recovering nicely. I bless you. Also, happy you agreed that I had to have a taste… I knew someone would understand. hehe. Thanks. I’d send you some if I could. Stay sweet, dear friend. And safe. xoxo
Nice post🤠