Homemade Umeshu
Monday 15 June 2009
This year's ume (Japanese plum) has arrived and it's making umeshu time! We can get good ume for making umeshu only at this time of year - we use unripe green ones for this and they need to be really fresh. Oh they smell beautiful.Normally Umeshu is made with shochu or sake, but I love using brandy. This is my third year of making "brandy umeshu" - it's the best!
After about 10 hours, rock sugar start to melt and it looks like this.
And after a year (of waiting and tasting), this! Look how they've gone so smaller and wrinkly, all the good stuff has come out.
They don't really look so beautiful now... I probably should have taken the ume out sooner but anyway. They say you can start drinking it after 3 months, but I wait at least for 6 months. When it's over a year old, it gets really good :) I always try to keep them for years but it's hard to resist and my 3-year-old umeshu is almost gone.... Can't wait till December to try my new umeshu now!!!
Check Umeshu on Wikipedia, and here is a really good all-you-need-to-know-about-umeshu post.
Wow that is really interesting, I hadn't seen how it was made before, the plums look like little brains at the end of the process.
ReplyDeleteOh wow. I've been seeing Ume everywhere here is Seoul lately and wondering what I can do with them. I will have to try this! Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh...so interesting. I've not heard of umeshu until now. Fascinating!
ReplyDeletewow, that looks like a really cool process. i've never heard of umeshu, but the pictures explain it really well.
ReplyDeleteWhen seeing home made preserved food, there is a sort of primitive instinct inside me that gets stimulated. It is like gathering food for the winter. I would love to taste this one.
ReplyDeletepeapods - yes they do look like little brains don't they!
ReplyDeleteStephanie - I just learned that they do make Ume liqure in Korea too. I wonder what else they use ume for over there!
jen laceda & Anna - Umeshu is very very popular here, easy to drink and they say it's good for you. If you ever come to Japan, please try!!
at swim-two-birds - yes home made preserved food always sounds nice. Thank people in the old days to have come up with the ideas!
do you eat the plums or as well as drinking the sake or brandy?
ReplyDeleteinteresting post and beautiful images to go with it.
such a contrast between the vivid green to start with and the final product!
Mary - yes you can eat the plums and in fact they taste really good! BUT... they need to be taken out after about 3-4 months, what you see in the picture above has been left for too long and there's not much to eat! Ume plums are very good to eat when you're tired and also has anti-aging effect!
ReplyDeleteoh just adding that unripe green plums are not edible but when it's done in sake/brandy it's okay to eat.
ReplyDeletethat's so interesting! i've seen somewhere else a picture of it without description, i thought it was green olives!! i start my day with a new knowledge, thanks ;-)
ReplyDeletewonderful! do you get your ume from your own tree i wonder? or buy special ones? i love its colour in the lovely jars:)
ReplyDeleteit looks so good! my mouth is watering!
ReplyDeletethis is such a neat and fascinating process! i really enjoyed your series. it sounds like such a treat! :)
ReplyDeletelovepics - I guess they do look like green olives in a way if you don't know the actual size - it's 4-5 times bigger than olives! Interesting how you saw it though :)
ReplyDeleteii-ne-kore - No, I wish I had good ume tree that gets enough ume to make this but no I don't. Every year I get them from organic ume farm :p
Make it Easy - haha, yea it's really tasty, did you try it when you were in Japan?
Jenna - It surely is a treat, for me at least! I get so excited when I open the jar for the first tasting after 6 months ;)
ah umeshu! my parents used to make it too
ReplyDeletei can imagine how good yours must taste!!
Hi hiki, I'm new here! I love (and miss) Japan and your blog! Will be popping by often :)
ReplyDeleteOh! wow!
ReplyDelete'Umeshu rokusu ni chotto soda hitotsu onegaishimasu!' is probably the thing I say the most at Japanese bars and izakaiyas! haha!
And I always have umeshu in my fridge at home too!
BUT i am so super impressed that you make your own! I want to too! I wonder if I can buy the right ume plums here. :(
This looks so wonderful!
Also I am so sorry and I haven't forgotten about you - I have just had the busiest week (not even updating Hello Sandwich!) BUT this weekend I am sending you your prize. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long! Its really hazukashii for me to take so long! Gomen!
xxx
these images are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteall the best,
david john
yasu
ReplyDeleteHomemade umeshu tastes special, doesn't it? Making umeshu is something to look forward to in June ;)
Wei Wen
Hi, welcome to my blog!!
I hope you enjoy it and thanks for visiting :)
Ebony-chan
oh you have umeshu in your fridge! I have never seen ume plums sold in Australia, if there is any ume farm then you might be able to get the right ume plums for umeshu....
Next time you come to Japan, please try "brandy no umeshu"!
And about my prize, don't you worry about it no need to feel hazukashi! I can still enjoy my time looking forward to it to arrive ;)
david john
Hello! I'm happy that you like these images, thank you! hope you have a lovely week :)
Dearest Hiki-chan! I would love to post about your gorgeous ume-shu on Hello Sandwich if it is okay with you and I was wondering if you would also allow me to use three of your gorgeous images? I would completely reference of course. No problems if not. Lots of love
ReplyDeleteHello Sandwich
xxx