The pickled ume were aired under the sun in the clear sky for several hours each for a couple of days, then bottled. It seems to be so delicious! Now those are in stock in my pantry.
こんなに美味しそうになって 我が家のパントリーに並びました。
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Not only eating with rice as traditional eating way in Japan, but also the Umeboshi can be used as condiment for dishes.
UME & HONEY PASTE : After taking the pit out, chop the umeboshi and make it a paste, then add a little bit of honey, mirin, and soy sauce. Mix well.
For Yakitoriささみの焼き鳥に For Tsukune (meat balls) 鶏つくねに
For Chicken Katsu This is one of the cooking class menu this month. Don't miss it!
チキンカツに。 今月の料理教室でご紹介します。
Umeboshi savoury egg custard with an-kake sauce： I sometimes serve it to my guests. Nice and gentle taste as one of the breakfast menu..
梅干し茶碗蒸し： B&Bの朝食に時々登場、大好評の一品です。 優しい味のあんをかけて。
Oiled sardines rice with Umeboshi : Mix with daikon and bits of fresh ginger, sardines and rice were cooked gently in dashi broth. Drops of olive oil was a finishing touch. Choice of the toppings such as lemon wedges/thinly sliced spring onion/chopped shiso-leaves on the table are great, then Umeboshi. Try a tiny amount of the soft pulp of Umeboshi together with the rice. Characteristics of each ingredients work well and delicious in the mouth. We can take great nutrients of DHA/EPA/Culcium/Vitamins from the sardines into our body, which is the bonus!
Midsummer, it's the season to make "Umeboshi". In early January, I got the harvests from the orchard of "Yume-sato farm" near Christchurch, then my anuual work started.
After towel-dry, I put 1kg each of Ume in each zip-lock bag, sprinkle one table spoon of vodka over for sterilization. It is also help to promote moisture to get "Ume-zu" (juice) in early stage which is the key to success.
One of what I learned in Japan, making Japanese sweets. I had to devise something own way to make sweets always when I had opportunities to serve a bowl of Matcha (tea of Tea Ceremony) here. Because it was impossible to find out appropriate sweets in this area. Even it's difficult to get the ingredients for making those by myself. So I searched a single lesson which I could join during my short stay in Japan, and I found it. What I learned there seems to be useful for future in NZ.
CHA-TSUMI (The name of this sweet, with meaning of tea-picking)
Green tea pikelets which wrapped Gyuhi-mochi (rice cake) of sweet Matcha flavour. Yes, it was tea-picking season in May!
茶摘み 抹茶の求肥を抹茶の生地で包んだ焼き菓子。
The ingredients:
あ、この材料ならNZでも作れる！ 良質の抹茶をこっちで買って帰ろう。
Making Gyuhi-mochi / 求肥作り
Baking pikelets / 生地作り
NURE-TSUBAME (The name of this sweet, with meaning of Swallow in the rain)
On Nerikiri-paste of delicate sky colour, a swallow and raindrops were decorated. Something like story seems to be appeared. (sweetened Azuki bean paste is inside)
It was completed! I love this swallow, so cute! ようやく完成！ 袋に入れ、箱に入れてみたら・・・ まあ素敵な和菓子の詰め合せに！
When I packed my works in a box... It looked like a wonderful sweets gift. Good to share with family at home. I will surely make those after I backed to NZ.
The season passed from winter to spring. 考えているうちに季節は巡り、冬から春へ。
Sakura cherry tree has now started blooming in my garden. It will be great to do outdoor Tea Ceremony, in front of the view of snowy mountains and the Sakura.
Let's eat SAKURA-MOCHI when we enjoy the scenery of Sakura cherry blossoms. I made those sweets, but the weather became worse...
その後、天気下り坂・・・
寒い雨の一日、 今日は室内でお抹茶一服。
Then, I enjoyed it with Matcha tea in inside on this chilly day. It's nice, too, to see the Sakura in the rain through the window. We can feel the full of love the seasons in Japanese sweets.
After the un-usual weather through January and February, I finally got some great summer-like days for the pickled ume which was needed to be aired under the sun.
梅を干すなら今！ 塩漬けからすでに 4週間が経過。 チャンス！
Perfect timing! I let those get the sunlight on the swing at the terrace.
気持ちの良い青空の下、 今年もテラスのブランコの上で日光浴
Together with the bottles of Ume vinegar beside
梅酢も傍らで
赤紫蘇がないので、白梅干しですが、 これがまた美味しいのです。
I made the pickles without red Prilla because I couldn't get it here, but these pickles are still delicious enough. I love it.
After the airing for 2-days (6-hours each day), it was completed. I put the Umeboshi in jars and store them in dark cool place, together with the bottles of Ume vinegar.
2 pcs umeboshi --- Chop finely the pitted ones to make the paste. 1/2 tea-spoon honey (I used Manuka honey) 2 Table-spoon sake 1 Table-spoon mirin a little some Kobu-cha (or dashi) powder to adjust the taste.
The "Ume-dare" sauce can be used for various food, as a dipping or dressing for grilled meat or fish, tofu, fresh or cooked vegetables, etc. I enjoyed it with the dish such as follows.
**Dipping sauce of chicken cutlets** I usually use "Bull-dog Tonkatsu sauce" for it, but this "Ume-dare" was also great. The mellow acidity of the sauce lets deep-fried food refresh and the taste lighten.
**Topping on Soba-noodles** Just drop a little of this "Ume-dare"sauce. The harmony of all ingredients (Soba & the sauce, avocado, green shiso-perilla, and "Ume-dare") was wonderful. We had another servings several times each! **もりそばのトッピングに、アボカド・刻んだ青じそ・マヌカ・ハニーの梅だれ** あ、つゆに入ったスタイルだから、かけそば？ しゃっきりそばと、つゆに絡まったアボカド・青じそ・梅だれが美味しいハーモニーで、 おかわり続出！
***Dipping sauce for "Daikon-chips"*** Do you know Daikon-radish? The good fresh Daikon is juicy and delicious. I sometimes deep-fry it. After chop it smaller pieces, sprinkle little-some salt, coat with cornflower, then put into the hot oil. It is like potato chips, but it's more juicy texture. Perfect snack for beer. And... It becomes perfect snack for "Shochu", when it's dipped with the "Ume-dare".
The taste of "Umeboshi" is gradually matured from now on, and it becomes more delicious. It is one of my preserving at home. Not only at the meal time, but also the "Umeboshi" is useful as a medicine when my body is out of condition.
In addition, the "Ume-zu" vinegar, which is the by-product, is usable for the making of sauce or dressing, and is useful for making of cherry blossom pickles in October. I toast this splendid Japanese food culture!
Do you know Ume-boshi ? It is pickled Japanese ume (apricot), and can be said that it is the representative of Japanese traditional food of preserving, having a strong acidity and saltiness. Foreigners who don't know about it are surely surprised at the taste at their first bite. However, Umeboshi was an essential side dish in Japanese dietary habits that people ate rice mainly. The eating habits changed little by little, and we Japanese eat various food as well as rice nowadays. But Umeboshi is still the food I yearn for now. And, I have passion toward the making of Umeboshi, of course!
Fresh ume arrived the other day. I got "NANKO-UME" (which is known as a high quality ume in Japan) from YUMESATO FARM near Christchurch. Yes, I make Umeboshi this season again.
After a couple of days while I waited it gets ripen a bit more, I started. Washed them carefully, took the calyx from each piece, then divided them into three portions to make separately in zip lock bags.
～ Seasonings for making UME-BOSHI ～ just salt or salt & "Shochu" (Japanese distilled liquor) are used commonly, however I use a little of sugar to add to this. The purpose is to make the taste round and deep, not to make it sweet.
***** SALT 塩 ***** I used "Marlborough Sea Salt (Flakes)" for one portion, and "Himalayan pick rock salt" for other two. Because the rock salt was too coarse to use, I ground it.
***** SUGAR 砂糖 ***** Brown sugar or raw sugar?? I used raw sugar for one portion, and brown sugar for other two, using with only 4% of weight of the Ume.
I put all ingredients in each bag and tried to mix them carefully to blend gently. But there is no sign that they are blending in, even if time passes for a while. Is everything too dry...?
Four days later, 
The misterious figure there! 
Then, add salt and sugar, mix carefully well.
I observe it everyday for the next 4 weeks
Making Gyuhi-mochi / 求肥作り
Baking pikelets / 生地作り
Sakura cherry tree has now 
I finally got some 
Perfect timing!
赤紫蘇がないので、白梅干しですが、
今回はブラウンシュガーかローシュガーで
I put all ingredients in each bag and 