RAINY DAYS & UME
From mid-June to mid-July, Japan usually experiences its fifth season of the year - the rainy season, or tsuyu (梅雨).
The word tsuyu is composed of two characters — ume (梅), the Japanese apricot, and ame (雨), the rain.
So why is Japan’s rainy season associated with the apricot? Because it is during the time of constant, gentle rains that the ume trees bear fruit.
As you may recall from the March entry of my Omotenashi blog, ume trees first blossom as the winter snow and ice begin to melt, preceding the famous sakura as a harbinger of spring. And once the ume trees bear fruit, the fruit must either be pickled or steeped in alcohol before consumption.
GET PICKLING
Being a fan of the pickled Japanese apricot or ume boshi, I decided to participate in a workshop to learn how to make the little mouth-puckering delights.
The workshop was being held in an idyllic location - Takara-no-niwa in Kita Kamakura, which is a one-hour drive or train ride from Tokyo Station.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Takara-no-niwa, which can be translated as “The Treasure Garden,” is a beautiful event space known for its 80-year-old traditional Japanese house (kominka) with an ample garden and labyrinth-like pathways that allow one to reunite with nature. Additional “treasures” include a cafe and a pottery kiln.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Upon arriving at Takara-no-niwa, and prior to the start of the pickling workshop, I was served a delicious and healthy bento lunch of simmered pork, steamed rice, and sides dishes that included a Japanese omelet and four vegetable-based dishes. Another special touch was that over 70% of the bento was composed of ume-based food - all prepared by the workshop instructor herself, Suenaga-sensei.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
The workshop began with the obvious mission of picking the ume fruit from the garden trees. Nine students, eager to learn the art of pickling, put on insect repellent spray kindly provided by our sensei, and followed her into the garden. It was a stroll accompanied by explanations of the edible garden plants often used in Japanese cuisine.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
We worked together diligently to reach the fruit bearing branches - and were successful in harvesting what turned out to be almost 20 pounds of ume. I actually was “honored” to have a couple Japanese apricots land precisely on my head!
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Upon our victorious return to the workshop space, we proceeded to wash the harvest, pat the fruits dry, remove the stems, and separate the riper, yellow fruits. With only about two pounds of yellow ume, we were lucky Suenaga-sensei knew a quick trick to overcome the late ripening this year: drop the still mostly green ume in boiling water for 20 seconds!
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
This turned their color a pale yellow and we could then proceed to the next step as we waited for the ume to cool.
After dividing the fruit into two-pound portions and measuring out the salt for each portion, we covered the ume in the salt and combined the salty fruits with some distilled sake called shochu (焼酎). By the end of the day, each of the workshop participants was the proud owner of a Ziploc bag full of fresh ume boshi!
Courtesy of Olivia S.
The workshop took about 2.5 hours, but felt much shorter, filled with the numerous tasks mentioned above. We all worked together in an assembly-line-like operation, closely guided by Suenaga-sensei.
Our busy teacher did not want us to leave too hungry or thirsty, so she prepared a sponge cake filled with ume syrup and a soda made from shiso leaves, an herb in the mint family. Needless to say, these homemade treats were truly delicious and felt so rewarding!
We all received some homework, too! A couple of weeks following the initial pickling process — when the pickled ume mix generates enough ume vinegar — the fruit must be allowed to dry out in the sun for three consecutive days. The rainy season has been a record short one this year, so this process of drying out the ume naturally has already started.
Once the drying process is complete, the dried ume and the ume vinegar will be reunited, and the ume will be allowed to ferment for another two or three months, so that the full flavor develops.
So…. I still have a long way to go until I get to taste my first homemade ume boshi, but I am optimistic that they will be edible! Fingers crossed!
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
While it was hard to remember all the steps in the pickling process during the workshop, the handwritten instructions (yes, handwritten and even containing small illustrations!) have proven to be priceless. I was surprised by this analog approach then too, especially considering that Suenaga-sensei regularly shares updates on her social media accounts. But now, as I reread her instructions at home, I feel the care with which our teacher approaches ume pickling and her passion for sharing her culinary skills with others.
RAINY DAYS & FLOWERS
As rain falls for days and sometimes weeks at a time during the rainy season, I have found that one of the best ways to overcome the seasonal dreariness is enjoying the beautiful hydrangeas or ajisai (紫陽花).
The ancient city of Kamakura, Japan’s capital during the 12th century, is probably the most popular destination in the Tokyo area for enjoying the hydrangeas. Temples like Meigetsu-in or Enkaku-ji offer such beautiful hydrangea gardens that to visit, even on rainy weekdays, requires a large amount of patience.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
This year, in my quest for a less-packed hydrangea experience, I discovered the Kita Kamakura Kominka Museum. As per its name, it is located in a traditional Japanese mansion, which hosts regular exhibitions throughout its ample two-floor space. I had the chance to enjoy an adorable collection of pottery and paintings, focused on animals such as hippos, dogs, cats, and turtles.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
This museum also boasts over 100 hydrangea shrubs along the narrow walkway encircling the building. For visitors keen to walk the grounds in the rain, these splashes of color are a feast for the eyes.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
Courtesy of Olivia S.
There are over 100 varieties of hydrangeas of various colors in Japan today.
Here’s to enjoying all that the rainy season promises and more!