Before I was old enough to drink Japanese Plum Wine (Umeshu), I enjoyed the kid-friendly ‘Ume Juice’ (梅ジュース) made of Ume Syrup (梅シロップ) and carbonated water. It is so delicious, and even until now, I feel nostalgic about its tart and sweet taste. Ever since I found that I can purchase ume plums here in the US (read below), I’ve been making Umeshu for adults and Ume Syrup for my children and my own enjoyment. Now that the warm weather is here, I’m so excited to share the syrup recipe on the blog!
Why You’ll Love This:
Fruity, sweet, tart, and delightful aroma. Absolutely delicious! I overuse this word, but it’s really that good. When mixed with icy cold water, you get the most thirst-quenching and crave-worthy summer drink Bright and refreshing flavoring in a variety of summer drinks, desserts, and more. Make a special edible gift because of the short season and limited access of ume.
Two Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe is super easy to make. You’ll need only two ingredients: You will also need a large glass container to store plums and sugar. The Japanese and Korean grocery stores sell these giant 4-liter jars during the ume plum seasons. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen them sold online but I’ll update you if I find any.
Where to Get Ume Plums
You have to use tart, sour, and firm green ume plums to make the syrup and not any other types of plums you see in the store. These raw green plums are not edible as they are too tart and bitter (also if you eat too many of them, it is said you’ll likely have a stomachache). We only use the extract of the fruits by fermenting them with lots of sugar or salt. Both Japanese and Korean grocery stores sell ume plums around early to mid-May. You can also find them at specialty fruit producers online.
Nicholas Family Farms (Text or call Penny at 559-393-3009) Kudo Farms (organic ume 10 lb per box; ship within the 48 states) Good Eggs (SF Bay Area) GreatPlentifulShopCA (They also sell semi-ripe ones)
How to Make Ume Plum Syrup
It’s really easy and simple, but I have to warn you that it takes 10 to 14 days to finish making the syrup. Mostly inactive time, except for the first and last day. It involves 3 steps: Easy, right? Now take a look at how the ume plums transform from Day 1 to Day 14.
How to Use Ume Plum Syrup
Besides the most refreshing drink, you can do a lot with ume plum syrup. Here’s what I suggest:
Ume Juice or Ume Cider – You can dilute the syrup with icy cold water or carbonated water. Ume Shaved Ice – Drizzle the syrup over the shaved ice and enjoy it with Ume Compote. Baked Goods Jelly or Kanten desserts Salad Dressing
You can use it just like what you would with lemon simple syrup. Stir it over greek yogurt, lavish over vanilla ice cream, or incorporate into tea. For those who are into cocktails or mocktails, I think a touch of the plum syrup can do wonder in the drinks. I like the sound of ume flavored Japanese gin or maybe ume-spiked sake!
Itadakimasu!
Ume plum season in California is from mid-May to early June. If you’re lucky enough to score a batch, making the ume plum syrup is a classic and joyful Japanese rite to celebrate the season. Once you try it, you will want to make it your annual activity. It’s the Japanese version of lemonade syrup. I hope you enjoy!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
