Umeboshi Plums

[shelley]

A tonifying food beyond dosha, it's good to regularly include Umeboshi Plums in your diet.

Here's what Jackie Miyasaka has to say about Umeboshi:

These pickled plums taste very tart and salty. They were first used in Japan a thousand years ago as a medicine. The samurai ate umeboshi to combat fatigue, and throughout history, umeboshi have been used as a cure for vomiting, intestinal worms, fevers, coughs and colds, and even morning sickness.

Today the older generation still says, “An umeboshi a day will keep the doctor away.” In fact, there is quite a lot of scientific evidence to support the benefits of eating umeboshi. The alkalinity of umeboshi restores balance in the body when it is in an over-acidic state. Their catechin acid stimulates the secretion of saliva and gastric juices, activating the digestive system. The citric acid increases metabolism and assists the absorption of calcium in the intestine. The pyric acid enhances liver function. In addition, umeboshi act as a sterilizer and antibacterial agent. They contain organic acids that can kill bacteria, so an umeboshi is usually included in Japanese lunchboxes as a garnish on rice to prevent food poisoning.

Umeboshi alone can be overwhelmingly tart, so I recommend that you begin by trying these recipes:

Umeboshi Dressing

1 umeboshi, pitted and finely chopped
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. virgin olive oil
1 tsp. soy sauce

Mash the umeboshi with a fork to make a smooth purée. Stir in rice vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and soy sauce. Serve the dressing over salad greens.

Chicken and Okra Salad with Umeboshi Purée

10 okra, blanched and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 cup boiled and shredded chicken breast (about 1/2 a small breast)
2 umeboshi, pitted and finely chopped
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. honey

Mash together the umeboshi, soy sauce, and mirin until it becomes a smooth purée. Add the vinegar, honey, okra, and chicken. Stir well. Eat as a salad accompaniment to rice.

Umeboshi with Rice

3 cups hot cooked rice
3 umeboshi, pitted and finely chopped
2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp. oil

Toss the hot rice with the other ingredients. The oil makes the rice smoother and easier to mix. Serve hot with a cup of green tea.

Here's a link to a good source:

Umeboshi Plums

They will keep for 1-2 years in your refrigerator.

[Invincible]

I saw some of these in the shops and bought the umeboshi plum paste. I can't say I liked the taste though, so it never got finished.

[shelley]

It is definitely an acquired taste. The trick is to use just a tiny bit at first, just dot some on your rice when you're eating rice with something salty or fishy. It's particularly good with nori, the crisp, black, seasoned seaweed used to wrap sushi or cut up to garnish soups and rice bowls. Then the sourness balances out and makes much more sense.

[jules]

these sound great, ive been meaning to look them up

i know ive seen many times that plums and prunes are one of the very few fruits that actually are not alkalinizing though?

[chickpea]

Hi Jules,
Umeboshi plums are fermented/picked ume plums with sea salt and shiso leaves. As with all fermented foods this changes their chemical make-up and they're very good for changing the acidity of the gut and cleansing the system as Shelley says. They have a high nutritional content and are good for inflammation and haemorrhoids.
Anne

[Kat]

how have people with candida faired with the plums??

[shelley]

it's a great help!

[Flowers]

Is umeboshi vinegar beneficial? I love the taste of it.

[shelley]

It's a better vinegar than most, not as a great as ACV which is the Queen vinegar.

[nianio]

is umeboshi raw(propably not). Can one ferment plums and use it as well, or is it the special properties of japanese plums?