This is a results post about the ume-juice I made. Want to find out how I created this? Read all about it here.

It wasn’t as frugal as I was hoping because the first container I bought broke.  Now, I thought, maybe it’s because of my vigorous shaking?  Or perhaps it was already like that when we bought it?  So, I went and bought another one, oh and more fruit and sugar because it had leaked and I created another lot. Day two rolls round and there’s another sticky patch on the floor.  I couldn’t believe it!  Only this time, I couldn’t locate a break, but it was definitely leaking.  So off AGAIN I went and bought yet another jar, this time, one that had been made in Japan and that jar actually worked.

All in all, it cost around ¥4,800 for 3 litres of juice.  That’s ¥1,600 a litre.  Great.  Never mind, I’ve got the strong jar for next years ume juice-making pursuits and the weaker jar that didn’t break for…more clutter.

This is what it looked like on day one.  It’s starting to, I don’t know the proper word, let’s say sweat.

After a week, it looked like this and I then removed the plums and the syrup from the jar – transferring the syrup to containers in the fridge and the ume are also in the fridge with the possibility of making jam?  I tried chomping on one and it wasn’t too bad, I just wouldn’t do it again.

I left the juice sat in the fridge until all the sugar had dissolved, occasionally shaking, but I’m not sure that’s needed.  I’d covered myself this time with a plastic container.

So far we’ve only had it in drinks using a 1:4 ratio of juice to water.  It tastes absolutely delicious and I would encourage you to have a go.  I will definitely be making this again next year and hopefully I’ll be able to keep my cost lower and not spend as much as it would have cost me to buy in a fancy shop.  It takes no time at all and it is very much worth the minimal effort required.

If there is a moral to this tale, it is to not give up and to keep trying or just buy the more expensive Japan-made jar in the first place and you will have no problems.

No, we don’t normally drink it like that.

Did you try making ume-juice or ume-shu this year?  How’d it turn out?

Emily