Hello, I’m Yumi, stylist at VIANGE HAIR. The topic today is “Something I recently started.”

I recently began pickling my own dried plums. I actually started making my own dried plums last year. This year’s plum season I began pickling them. Umeboshi (dried plum) season happens around May. 

Last year I pickled some dried plums in salt and also marinated them in sake to make Umeshu (plum liqueur). This year I decided to try my hand at pickling them in rock sugar to make crunchy candied plums. You start by placing the plums and rock sugar in a jar with a weighted lid. Two to three days later the juices in the plums will begin to get drawn out and the sugar will melt making a plum syrup. The same process occurs when pickling them in salt. 

My candied plums didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, but I still enjoy eating the dried plums I pickled myself. I hope to try again next year and improve so I can become good at pickling my own dried plums.