Sakura no shiozuke

 

The cherry blossom trees are in full bloom here, and the petals are now starting to drift off of the trees like pink snowflakes.  We have several different varieties on our block, with petals of different sizes and shades of pink.  As I walked my son to school today, I noticed that the wind had gently blown the petals into several small mounds along the edge of the sidewalk.  Given our historically cold and wet Spring, the long-awaited sight of flowers cheered me up a bit.

I think that I will help myself to some not-yet matured petals from my neighbor's tree(of course I'll ask first!) and attempt to make some sakura shiozuke(salted cherry blossoms).  Sakura shiozuke is used to flavor cherry blossom tea, and in food presentation as a garnish.  You can also use your shiozuke to make sakura rice.  It's a nice way to preserve the otherwise fleeting beauty of the sakura. 

I found a recipe from Tsukublog that I will try and report back to you as to the results:

Cherry blossoms must be picked before full bloom.  It's best to use Yaezakura - more than 5 blossoms per bud. 

Ingredients: 

12 ounces of cherry blossoms
3 tablespoons of salt
3 tablespoons of plum vinegar

Directions: 

1. Wash the blossoms squeeze out excess water.
2. Cover thoroughly with salt.
3. Place heavy item to cover the top of the blossoms, such as a drop lid, and let rest in refrigerator for 3 days.
4. Drain excess liquid.
5. Add plum vinegar, and refrigerate for 3 days.
6. Again, drain excess liquid.
7. Spread out cherry blossoms on a plate and let air dry for 3 days.
8. Store in a glass jar, and add more salt. 
9.  Enjoy!