British plum umeboshi

Method

1. Inspect your plums and set aside any that are bruised, split or withered for another recipe – you need fruit in peak condition. Discard any stalks, rinse the fruit in water, then leave to dry.
2. Sterilise a 1 litre jar (see Know How) and set aside. Pour the vodka into a small bowl. Ensure your hands, knife and chopping board are very clean, then, one by one, dip the plums in the vodka and wipe dry with kitchen paper – this gets rid of any bacteria remaining on the surface of the plums. (The vodka is fine to pour back in the bottle and use as normal.) Halve the plums and remove the stones.
3. Weigh the plum halves and work out 10% of this weight in salt – for example, if you have 400g plum halves, you’ll need 40g salt. Beginning with a layer of salt, layer the plums into the sterilised jar, sprinkling each layer with more salt. End with a final layer of salt, then seal the jar.
4. Leave the plums to ferment in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, turning the jar upside down from time to time, and opening and closing the lid every few days (this ensures the salt is evenly dispersed and that any built-up gases can escape). The salt should draw out the juice from the plums to create a brine. After 2 weeks, the plums are ready to use. Once opened, keep them in the fridge and use within 3 months.