Homemade UMEBOSHI Photo Journal

There are so many varieties of UMEBOSHI in asian grocery store to choose from.  The ultimate winner that find its way into my home is the one that meets my expectation.  Less salt, no heavy corn syrup, no preservatives and no artificial color.  It's challenging to find them.  This year, my family gave me some Japanese UME / Plum.  I didn't work with it right away, so it became a bit ripe to make UME wine.  The alternative is to try making UMEBOSHI.  I used coarse sea salt, but a finer salt give a better result.

I am not too sure about using the plastic container either, but it says to press down on the plum after sprinkling salt for a few days.

The coarse sea salt took too long to liquify to ferment UME.

Transfer them onto dry tray.  Keep the liquid and container intact.  They will be used again for 3 days.  Dry them out in the sun.

I used a net cover to keep bugs away.

Because the sun is so much hotter in Sacramento than in San Jose area, the salt crystallized on the surface much faster. 

At night, take it back in and put back in the same container.  Repeat the drying process 2 more times.

Because the sun is way too hot in Sacramento at 100'F, I only did the drying process 2 times.

Sanitize mason jars.

Gather and clean SHISO leaves.  Place them in the jar.  I added a little bit of ground Sumac.

Cap the jars and store in refrigerator for a couple of weeks.  It's read when SHISO leaves are shriveled.