Japanese Pickled Plums (Umeboshi)
Umeboshi are Japanese pickled plums, red and round, with a flavor that runs from sharp and sour to gently sweet. This version relies on salt, weight and time: the plums release their own brine under pressure, then spend three summer days drying in the sun. Red shiso is added at the end and colors the fruit. Depending on the method, the texture can be dry and crunchy or soft and saturated.
Instructions
Sterilize a jar and any utensils you will use, either with potable alcohol or with boiling water.
Sort through the plums and discard any that are damaged. Wash the rest, wipe them dry, and remove the stems.
Cover the plums with water and leave them to stand overnight. The next day, drain them and move them to a larger non-reactive container.
Add the salt and turn the plums repeatedly and vigorously so they are coated. Set a plate on top of the plums and weigh it down with a big, heavy rock or a bottle filled with water, so the plums are pressed firmly.
Wait until liquid has collected in the jar, which takes two weeks or more.
Spread the plums on flat baskets or another flat surface and weather them for 3 days and 3 nights in sunny high-summer weather.
Strain the liquid and boil it to remove impurities. Rub salt into the shiso to draw out the scum, then squeeze the shiso to get rid of the liquid.
Put the plums, shiso and boiled liquid into the jar.
Make it personal.
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