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Hi, I’m Pomarano.
Today, in the Food category, I’m sharing my notes on making ume juice.
I bought ume plums and rock sugar and made a new batch this season.
This is about my third year doing it, and the process is still simple:
sanitize the jar, prep the plums, layer plums and sugar, then add a little apple cider vinegar.
In this post, I’ll share my exact steps plus one quick ume fact.
Ingredients and tools
- Green ume plums (or ripe yellow ume)
- Rock sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Storage jar (glass jar, etc.)
- Food-safe alcohol spray (for sanitizing)
- Paper towels
The exact amount depends on your jar size, but I usually start with a simple ratio:
ume 1 : rock sugar 1.
How I made it (actual steps)
1) Wash the jar and sanitize with alcohol
First, I wash and dry the jar well, then sanitize the inside with alcohol.
This helps reduce contamination risk.
2) Remove stems, rinse, and soak in water for 1 hour
I remove the little stem tips with a skewer, rinse the ume gently, then soak them in water for about an hour.
I use this as a simple pre-treatment step.
3) Dry well, then layer ume and rock sugar
After thoroughly wiping off moisture, I layer in this order:
- ume
- rock sugar
- ume
- rock sugar
4) Add apple cider vinegar before closing
Before sealing the jar, I add some apple cider vinegar.
I do this to help reduce mold growth and unwanted fermentation.
Then I store it in a cool, shaded place and wait.
One ume fact
Ume’s sour taste mainly comes from citric acid
That sharp, refreshing sourness in ume comes from organic acids such as citric acid.
As summer gets hotter, this kind of clean sourness feels especially good.
What I thought after making it
The process itself isn’t difficult.
My main takeaway is that careful prep makes most of the difference.
It’s not flashy cooking, but as a seasonal routine, it’s really satisfying.
Waiting for the syrup to develop is part of the fun.
Summary
My ume juice workflow this year was:
- Wash and sanitize the jar
- Remove stems, rinse, and soak ume for 1 hour
- Layer ume and rock sugar
- Add apple cider vinegar and store
Simple, seasonal, and very rewarding.
Next time, I want to post a progress update (how much syrup develops over time).
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