June 16th- June 20th, 2026 is Summer – End of BOSHU (Grain bears and seeds) -27th KOU “UME turns yellow.”
There’s an old UME (plum) tree along my walking path. It’s almost forgotten, covered by other plants, but this year it still produced some fine fruit, though not a huge quantity. I thought they were still green, but before I knew that they had turned yellow.
When talking about representative Japanese foods, you can’t help but mention UMEBOSHI (pickled plums) and UMESHU (plum wine).
Both UMEBOSHI and UMESHU have different tastes and flavors depending on whether green or yellow UME are used.
In this area of NAGNO City, we often eat firm and crispy UMEBOSHI. Of course, green and firm plums are best. However, traditional, soft UMEBOSHI use slightly ripe yellow UME.
The same goes for MESHU. Green UME are suitable for a refreshing UMESHU, while yellow ones are better for making a rich and fragrant one.
As long as it’s delicious, that’s all that matters ^^
2026/06/16