Of course leaving the crock totally untouched for two weeks is almost impossibe. One week after reducing the weight on the ume, we sneak a quick peek.
Or rather, a quick sniff. That's how we know how things are going. At this stage the ume don't look much different to a week earlier — a bit paler; a bit more liquid — but the smell certainly has changed.
The brisk tart ume aroma has evolved into a more complex perfume, with lots of annin (almond/apricot kernel) flavours from the pits of the ume.
Young and heady still, time to wrap it up again and wait a bit longer…
[The next step, the colour purple, continues here…]
