Let’s Make Ume Shu 4’38” (28.7 MB MP4)
…starring Tracey Northcott as the barkeep…
As promised, here’s a how to video with everything you need to know to make ume shu (Japanese plum wine). Learn how to choose plums, wash and dry them, sterilse the bottles, layer the fruit with sugar and fill. It’s surprisingly easy.
For your shopping and kitchen convenience, here’s a recipe to print out.
Ume Shu
1 kg green ume (Japanese plums)
1 kg rock sugar
1.8 liters white liquor (35% alcohol)
Sterilise a 4 liter glass jar by filling it with boiling water, rinsing and drying carefully. Wash the ume, culling any fruit with bruises or broken skins. Dry the ume and remove the waxy bit in the stem end. Dry the fruit again. Layer ume and sugar in the jar, pour in the liquor. Seal tightly. Upend theh jar once a month until the sugar is completely dissolved. The ume shu is drinkable after 6 months, and fully mature at the end of a year.
Posted by kuri at May 31, 2004 05:29 PMgreat film Kristen.. Sorry your narrator wasn’t more experienced or prepared..
Tracey
Oh - wait…
“Ume” means “Plum”??!!?
I thought it meant “Sea Urchin”.
No wonder mine came out tasting weird…
I think my narrator was superb—her delivery is very natural and friendly. And she was so accommodating on short notice!
(Jim, try pickled uni mashed together with avocado and lots of lemon. It’s a surprisingly tasty guacamole!)
Posted by: Kristen on May 31, 2004 07:15 PMForgot to mention… after the ume shu is ready to drink, only use plastic or wooden materials to fish out the plums.. metal objects just don’t work.
The plums on their own are great over ice-cream… or will give your fruit salads some zing…
Posted by: Tracey on May 31, 2004 08:32 PMGood job! I have always enjoyed reading your blog and watching your real-life videos. This one is very informational and came just-in-time for my posting on Japanese wines. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: カレン on June 1, 2004 05:44 AMgreat video! if only it was that easy to run down to the store in NYC and pick up those ingredients. i love plum wine.. mmm. tasty.
Posted by: gleek on June 1, 2004 12:10 PMWe had lots of approving looks from middle aged Japanese ladies at the supermarket as we were putting the ingredients into my big string shopping bag (no plastic bags!!)
Making traditional Japanese Ume-shu during the correct season is steeped in history and I guess these ladies were pleased to see two non-japanese looking girls keeping the tradition alive.
Posted by: Tracey on June 1, 2004 12:43 PMwe have to wait a WHOLE year to drink it???
Posted by: mj on June 1, 2004 02:47 PMExcellent! Ive been waiting for that lesson for ages!
(MJ! Patience is a virtue!)
Posted by: j-ster on June 2, 2004 12:52 AMKirsten,
Great umeshu recipe, I read it at home in Kelowna, just before going out to pick the fruit of the prunus mume that my Mum planted for me when I was living in Japan between 1997-2002.
We always made umeshu in Japan and its value as establishing your henna gaijin credentials was equal to its value as a refreshment. We used to make a couple of batches with 35% alcohol and we would vary the sugar from 500g to 1kg per batch and then select a sweet or drier umeshu depending on the occassion.
Keep up the good work!
David
Kirsten,
Great umeshu recipe, I read it at home in Kelowna, just before going out to pick the fruit of the prunus mume that my Mum planted for me when I was living in Japan between 1997-2002.
We always made umeshu in Japan and its value as establishing henna gaijin credentials was equal to its value as a refreshment. We used to make a couple of batches with 35% alcohol and we would vary the sugar from 500g to 1kg per batch and then select a sweet or drier umeshu depending on the occassion.
Keep up the good work!
David
