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How to Ripen Green Ume at Home for Umeboshi
Umeboshi need yellow, ripe ume. If yours are still green, let them ripen for 2–3 days. How to do it, and what to watch out for — based on information from Tanabe, Wakayama.
Umeboshi need yellow, ripe ume. According to the Kishu Tanabe Ume Promotion Council, green ume make hard skins and flesh, and the brine does not rise well, so the batch may fail. If your ume are still green, ripen them first.
How to ripen ume
- Wrap them in newspaper in the shade, or if they came in a cardboard box, leave the lid open.
- They turn yellow in 2–3 days.
- Do not soak them in water while ripening.
If ripeness varies, pickle the ripe ones first and add the rest (with their share of salt) after 2–3 more days.
Some ume will not ripen
Very young, green fruit will not turn yellow. Use those for umeshu or ume syrup instead.
If they turn brown
Browning during ripening comes from small scratches or over-ripening. If there is no mould, pickle them in salt straight away; the brown fades after drying. Throw away any that are very brown and smell rotten.
See homemade umeboshi.
Note: Do not eat green ume raw (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
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