California Organic Umeboshi Plums and Recipe

Umeboshi plums offer really good medicinal benefits for everyone. During the holiday season, most of us eat too much; Umeboshi Twig Tea (Kukicha) Remedy Drink helps our intestines and alkaline levels (recipe below).

Umeboshi Plum with Twig Tea (Kukicha) Remedy

The combination of umeboshi plum and twig tea (Kukicha) is good for strengthening the blood and circulation through regulation of digestion.

MAKES ONE SERVING

one-half or one umeboshi plum
1 cup Kukicha (twig tea), brewed

To make the drink:

  1. Place the umeboshi in a tea cup.
  2. Pour in hot tea and stir well. Drink while hot and eat the plum.

Resource from Love, Sanae cookbook which has  many recipes of Umeboshi plums.

650-umeboshi-kukicha

Photo: Umeboshi Plum with Twig Tea (Kukicha) Remedy

 

We have been offering California organic umeboshi plums since 2011. My longtime friend Kazuko and her husband, Jyunsei, planted about 450 ume plum trees after they move to the US in 1968. It was their dream to make California organic umeboshi plums. They also grew organic red shiso leaves (Japanese medicinal herb beefsteak) on their property in order to make umeboshi plums (the plums’ color comes from red shiso leaves).
They made their umeboshi plums in the truly traditional way: They grew the ume trees organically, picked the plums by hand, and sun-dried them for three days under California’s long hours of sunshine. When I went to help them make the plums, I learned to continuously turn each one for hours so it wouldn’t get burned or stick to the bamboo mat.

650-umeplum-drying-on-bamboo-mat

Photo: Drying ume plum before pickling with red shiso leaves

 

For many years, Jyunsei and Kazuko have used only selected sea salt and organic, home-grown red shiso leaves to make their premium hand-made California organic umeboshi plums.

Jyunsei passed in 2000, and Kazuko kept up the work by herself, but she eventually retired in 2008. Since Jyunsei passed, Kazuko was not able to promote her umeboshi plums widely. Settled in a retirement home now, she still has the plums but no access to sell them. We decided to help her and seize this opportunity to spread the love and care with which she and Jyunsei prepared these plums. We have sold at least 400 pounds of them all over the US. I even gave them to Japanese friends as gifts, and they said they never see such high-quality aged organic umeboshi plums in Japan anymore.

The plums we received from Kazuko were made in 2003–05, so they are aged. They contain more alkaline and super enzymes with high healing properties than any umeboshi plums you can find anywhere.
Umeboshi plums are like wine; the aged ones are rich in enzymes and have a naturally sour, delicious flavor. Most companies limit their production to a yearly basis, and many of them are not organic, while others use preservatives. So, this is a rare occasion to find aged, organic umeboshi plums.

 

We have a limited quantity, so if you want to get these special California organic umeboshi plums, click here to order.

650-umeboshi-plum-in-a-container

 

When you receive the plums, transfer them to a glass jar or container and keep them in a cool dark place—but not in the refrigerator—to preserve the enzymes and healing properties.

 

Hope you get to taste these rare umeboshi plums before they are all gone.

Love,

Sanae💖

 

Pumpkin Season’s Healthy Tips and Recipe

Happy pumpkin season to all of you!

650-many-pumpkins-cr

Here are the Pumpkin Benefits for you:

  • Good for eyesight: Pumpkin is high in beta carotene and contains vitamin A, which is good for our eyes.
  • Helps weight loss: Pumpkin is high in fiber and low in calories, so we can get a full feeling with fewer calories.
  • Supports the heart: Pumpkin seeds help reduce LDL, or bad cholesterol.
  • Protects the skin: Pumpkin’s orange hue is from carotenoids, wrinkle-fighting plant pigments that help neutralize free radicals in the skin.
  • Mood booster: Pumpkin seeds are rich in the amino acid L-tryptophan, a compound that improves mood naturally and may even be effective against depression.

 

Seasonal Recipe:

MILLET with KABOCHA (Japanese Hard Squash)

This is one of my favorite recipes for this season. It is easy to make and very delicious!

650-millet-kabocha

 

1 cup millet
3 to 4 cups purified water
1 cups Kabocha, diced
1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt
 or 1″ square kombu sea vegetable
roasted pumpkin seeds as you like

① Wash the millet and lightly dry roast the washed millet in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until it smells toasty.
② Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium- high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add millet, kabocha and sea salt, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20       minutes.
③ Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds as garnish.

 

Hope you try it.

Love,

Sanae 💖