I was super excited last winter when our old neighbor (I call her Obachan) told me she will teach me how to make umeboshi. I love ume and delicious organic umeboshi ate always welcome with a simple bowl of rice. I was even more enthusiastic after she gave us some of her umeboshi, thinking that if I could made some as simply delicious I’ll be very happy. And with all the plums we can harvest every year I can have enough for a whole year and offer plenty to our friends. On the due date I harvested the plums, with the guidance of Obachan I prepared them, plenty of them. After a week the juice (umezu) started to fill the container. Everything was doing good and smelling delicious. Then a few weeks later two of the containers were covered with mold and the juice was corrupted, I threw them away. Half of my production gone… I gave extra care for the remaining ones and it looked perfect. Last weekend was beautifully sunny and windy so I decided to dry half of the remaing plums. I carefully manipulate them, dry them and put them in a bin. Again they smell delicious and I was excited about trying them. Since a few were smashed I decided to extra rhe flesh and prepare a dip of umeniku 梅肉 for cucumber and rice balls (onigiri). And then I tasted them…
They looked really good (see on the picture), they were a bit salty but I guess that is ok, but worst of all they had a little mold or rotten after taste, something earthy and not right… I threw them again. I have a last chance with the one that haven’t dried yet but I’m very skeptical.
It is very rare I mess up with food. Sometime a recipe doesn’t go as supposed but there always a work around and it is always edible but here… So many fruits wasted really pissed me off. But I not through! I will try again next year!
