Green Plum Extract Aged with Care for Deep Sweetness
A natural beverage base made by layering equal weights of green plums and brown sugar, then aging for 3 months.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This green plum extract is made by alternating layers of firm green plums and brown sugar, then letting them ferment for 3 months. Stirring periodically from top to bottom dissolves the sugar evenly, yielding a rich, fragrant syrup free of mold. Dilute the finished extract with water for a refreshing cold drink or a warming tea, or use it widely to add sweetness to everyday cooking.
- Servings
- about 10–12 servings
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
- Green plum (maesil)10 kg
- Brown sugar10 kg
- Glass jar20 L
- Choose firm green plums without blemishes; overly ripe yellow plums become mushy and are not suitable for pickles or preserves.
- Spread clean paper in a cool, well-ventilated area to let the remaining moisture evaporate; drying them for too long will turn the plums yellow and soft.
- Remove the plum stems using your fingers or a toothpick to prevent bitterness.
Steps
1. Choose firm green plums without blemishes.
Overly ripe yellow plums become mushy and are not suitable for pickles or preserves.
2. Swirl and wash them several times in clean water, then drain them in a colander.
3. Spread clean paper in a cool, well-ventilated area to let the remaining moisture evaporate.
They will dry in about half a day. Drying them for too long will turn the plums yellow and soft.
When making pickles or preserves, it is best to prep and bottle the plums as soon as you purchase them.
4. Some plum stems fall off easily by hand, but for those that do not, gently nudge them off with a toothpick.
Leaving them on causes bitterness.
5. Place a moderate layer of plums into the glass jar.
6. Sprinkle enough sugar to cover the plums, then continue packing the jar in alternating layers: plums, sugar, and so on.
7. Cover all the way to the rim with sugar at the very end.
8. It will look like this.
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9. Cover with a cloth, then close the lid securely.
10. This is after 4 days. The sugar starts dissolving from the bottom.
Even though sugar was packed all the way to the rim, as it dissolved, it settled down to the shoulder of the jar.
Stir it after a week or ten days so the sugar mixes in.
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11. This is the tenth day after packing the plums with equal parts sugar.
The sugar has dissolved a lot in the middle, but you can see thick layers of sugar settled at the top and bottom.
12. Stir well with a sanitized, dry wooden spatula so the sugar at the bottom can dissolve.
For large quantities of plums where stirring with a spatula is difficult, sanitize your hands with soju before mixing.
If the sugar syrup concentration is uneven, mold can form on the top layer, so stir once every week or ten days to swap the positions of the top and bottom plums.
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13. These are the plums after 20 days, aging cleanly without any impurities.
14. Now the sugar has completely dissolved.
You only need to stir it occasionally during the aging process.
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15. Finally, here is the green plum extract after 3 months. You can start enjoying the extract after 3 months.
The juices have been drawn out of the plums, leaving their surfaces wrinkled.
16. Strain the green plum extract through a sieve.
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17. Pour the green plum extract into bottles and keep them in the refrigerator for use.
If you have too much to store in the fridge, you may let it continue long-term aging.
18. During the 3 months of aging, the bitterness and harsh sourness fade, leaving a sweet extract infused with rich plum aroma.
Mix the plum extract with water at a 1:4 (5) ratio to enjoy as a refreshing cold drink. In winter, pour in hot water and enjoy it as a tea.
Use it in place of corn syrup (mulyeot) or oligosaccharide syrup (oligodang) in cho-gochujang, meat marinades, or seasoned vegetable dishes that need sweetness to add rich flavor.
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Ppunwife's tips
- If the sugar syrup concentration is uneven, mold can form on the top layer, so stir once every week or ten days to swap the positions of the top and bottom plums.
- For large quantities of plums where stirring with a spatula is difficult, sanitize your hands with soju before mixing.
FAQ
Do I really need to remove the plum stems during prep?
Removing the stems with a toothpick or your fingers prevents bitterness in the finished extract.
Why do I need to stir periodically during aging?
If the sugar syrup concentration is uneven, mold can develop at the top, so stir from top to bottom once every week or ten days to distribute the sugar evenly.
How do I drink or cook with the finished green plum extract?
Mix it with water at a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio to enjoy cold or as a warm tea, or add it to cho-gochujang and seasoned vegetable dishes in place of sugar or corn syrup to deepen flavor.
How can I use the leftover plum flesh after straining the extract?
Remove the pits and toss the flesh with gochujang (Korean red chili paste) to make a pickled side dish, or simmer it with sugar to make jam.
