The story of plum powder starts with the history of plums and the first domesticated plum, Prunus mume or ume, grown in China over two thousand years ago.

Plums belong to the genus Prunus along with cherries, apricots and almonds. Plums have been cultivated for thousands of years and are a species native to Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Plum trees are celebrated for their resilience and endurance, blooming in late winter often amid snow, symbolizing hope and perseverance. Their blossoms are also associated with prosperity and longevity, regarded as auspicious and frequently depicted in art, poetry, and festivals throughout East Asian culture.

Plums, particularly the Chinese plum (Prunus mume), are believed to aid digestion, relieve bloating, and stimulate appetite, while their "cooling" nature helps balance excess heat in the body and prevent dehydration, especially during the summer.

Plums are also thought to support liver function and overall detoxification, ease nausea or hangovers, and soothe mild respiratory discomfort.

Because plums are highly perishable, humans have been preserving them for over 2,000 years to extend their life and make them available year-round.

Plums were salted, dried, and sometimes smoked or fermented as a way to preserve them. Then, they were eaten as snacks, brewed into drinks, or used medicinally for aiding digestion and cooling the body during the summer.

Plum powder comes from preserved plums (hua mei, wu mei, or suan mei), which have been part of the Chinese food culture for over a thousand years.

Over time, dried plums were ground and mixed with sugar, salt, licorice root, or other flavorings to make powdered versions that were easier to sprinkle on fruit or dissolve into drinks.

The powder balanced the five tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami), creating a way to add distinctly wonderful nuances to dishes.

This plum powder, from Taiwan, is full of memories of a taste we recognize from trips to Hawaii, candies and dishes found in Asia.

This plum powder has the distinct flavor of the salty plums from China that are called Huamei in Mandarin and Li Hing Mui in Cantonese, without the eye clenching, overpowering salty hit.

The central and southern regions of Taiwan have a long tradition of cultivating plums. The producers of the plums have perfected the art of preserving them with a refined balance of sweet, sour, and salty flavors. This harmony of flavors is what makes Taiwanese plum powder distinctly different from all others.

It was in the 20th century that plum powder really took off in Taiwan's famous night markets. It was here that the powder was sprinkled over tart slices of guava, green mango, pineapple, and even cucumber, where its sweet-sour-salty balance heightens the fruit's natural flavor and adds a refreshing kick. Sometimes it's also dusted onto shaved ice or worked into drinks, giving desserts and beverages a bright, tangy edge!

This just might be one of the best ways to get traditional medicine on your French fries or vanilla ice cream. Or, if you prefer, dipping your candied fruit in as an afternoon pick me up.

And don't forget your nightcap rimmed cocktail!

This plum powder is not for everyone, but if you like it, you love it!

Click Here To See the Plum Powder!

Made on a whim and an idea. The end result was special! The best thing made at the retreat! Make sure to use the most gingery ginger beer you can find.

See the Tropical Tamarind Plum Punch Drink Recipe here!

Fee Brothers Plum Bitters is a fruity blend of plum and spices, reminiscent of the flavor of British plum pudding. Add a few dashes to create new depths of flavor.

Fee Brothers is one of three remaining original bitters makers in the US that had its start before prohibition and the Great Depression. It started in 1863, when Margaret Fee converted the family butcher shop in Rochester, New York, into a delicatessen and saloon. Soon thereafter, son James opened a liquor and grocery store, and then moved into making, importing and distributing wine. In 1881, James died of heart failure, and the business was passed to James' brothers, and the name was changed to Fee Brothers.

In 1920 when prohibition hit, the Fee Brothers had to become creative to survive. Besides producing altar wine, they started making wine and beer in individual's homes which was still legal. They also started making flavorings, including Benedictine, Chartreuse, Brandy, Rum and dozens of cordial syrups which could be added to homemade alcohol to flavor it.

By 1933, the prohibition was lifted, but then the Great Depression took its hit. The company shrunk, and was then passed onto cousin John. Soon many of the liquor products were dropped and John decided to concentrate on wine and cordial syrup sales. John also developed an easy-to-use concentrated product called Frothy Mixer. It gave a delicious lemon flavor to Whiskey Sours and Tom Collins and an attractive frothy "head". This became very popular along with the motto, "Don't Squeeze, Use Fee's."

Fee Brothers slowly began to grow again. But as the 1950s approached, the wine business was receding, so John slowly exited that portion of the business and concentrated, instead, on the non-alcoholic products which were gaining in popularity. And in 1953, two years after John's death, his son quit his job at Eastman Kodak and took over the family business. Jack knew very little about how to produce and market drink mixes. However, he started with the already established Frothy Mixer and from there continued on a never-ending quest to develop new products. Before long, new products such as Grenadine and Bitters began to appear on the display shelves in the Fee Brothers front office. Soon Fee Brothers was again hiring employees to help keep up with the orders.

Jack, his wife Margaret, their eight children and some very dedicated employees helped Fee Brothers get through the next two decades. Fee Brothers become nationally known, selling to bars and restaurants all over the country. They continued to expand their operations, although with that growth, they continued to stay focused on making a clean and quality product. By 1991, three of Jack's children, John, Ellen and Joseph were all working in the business, expanding the company and bringing the company into the modern age.

Now, at the beginning of the new millennium, the fourth generation of Fee's is looking ahead with positive anticipation. The product list boasts over 80 drink mix products including the newest additions. Fee Brothers' market stretches from coast to coast in the United States, and their products are also shipped to such far away places as Austria, The Virgin Islands, and Korea.

Shop now for Fee Brothers Plum Bitters!

More easy ideas for your plum powder:

Plum Powder Guava Snack
Ingredients:
1 fresh guava (or substitute with green mango, apple, or pear)
1-2 tsp Taiwanese plum powder

Instructions:
Wash and slice guava into wedges
Sprinkle plum powder evenly over the slices
Serve immediately as a refreshing snack


Sparkling Plum Drink

Ingredients:
1 tsp plum powder
1-2 tsp honey or sugar (optional, to taste)
1 cup sparkling water or soda water
Ice cubes

Instructions:
Stir plum powder with a splash of warm water until dissolved
Add honey/sugar if you want it sweeter
Pour into a glass with ice, top with sparkling water, and stir
Garnish with a slice of lime or lemon


Plum Powder Shaved Ice (Baobing-style)

Ingredients:
Shaved ice (or crushed ice)
Fresh fruit (mango, pineapple, berries)
Condensed milk or syrup
1-2 tsp plum powder

Instructions:
Pile shaved ice in a bowl
Drizzle with condensed milk or fruit syrup
Add cut fruit on top
Sprinkle with plum powder before serving

Shop now for Plum Powder for these ideas!

Refreshing, lightly sour-sweet, great on a hot day and simple and crazy easy!

See the Plum Powder Chicken Wings Recipe here!

The first thing you notice is the very delicate shape of the bottle and it is indeed a reflection of the treat inside.

To the nose, the flavor of the smell is distinctly different than other Japanese shoyu. This soy sauce is gentler, not as round or filling in the nostril, it feels thinner or perhaps the descriptor is lighter.

To my nose and olfactory memory, when smelling the Japanese Tamari shoyu to this Soy Sauce from Taiwan, they are distinctly different!

The Amber River Soy is clear, complex, where the flavor rolls through the mouth and then rises in the back leaving a salty tongue. More pointy in its presentation. It lingers longer in a nice way. And when it leaves, it leaves with almost no trace. And that is nice.

This Amber River Soy Sauce is made from black soybeans, unlike the yellow soybeans used in many other parts of Asia.

The black soybeans grown in the south of Taiwan are known for their rich, black color and sweet, nutty flavor. They have a mellower taste compared to the yellow variety, and are rich in protein content with a richer concentration of certain antioxidants and phytonutrients due to their dark outer shell, compared to other soybean varieties. This protein gives the Amber River Soy Sauce its exemplary savory feel.

The process of making this traditional Taiwanese soy sauce is an intricate one. At its core, it consists of just a few ingredients: local black soybeans, sea salt, water, and sugar. But the magic lies in the meticulous methods of fermentation (8 days instead of 2) and aging in earthenware pots in the sun, which can take up to a year or more.

This results in a soy sauce that is complex in flavor, with a depth not found in the mass-produced soy sauces.

Shop now for Amber River Soy Sauce here!

Excellent balance of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as recommended by such organizations as the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization. Approximate lipid breakdown: 0-2% Omega 3's, 34-39% Omega 6's*, 38-42% Omega 9's, 0-3% Stearic Acid, and approx 18-21% Omega 7's (Palmitic Acid), known to help decrease C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and increase HDL cholesterol.**

*As compared to Sunflower and Safflower oils, which contain approx 65% and 85% Omega 6's, respectively.

**Journal of Clinical Lipidology

Shop now for Rice Bran Oil!

It took just enough work, easy-to-do and always a success! It reminds us of my Dad when we have it!

I am thinking that I will try cooking half the garlic and add the second half just before serving to get even more garlic punch and the goodness of the garlic.

See the Three-Cup Chicken Recipe here!

This is special! It is so good I can't keep a bottle available at home because every time I taste it with a chef they take it with them!

Even before you pull the top of the Shoyu you can smell the smokiness eking out! Wow! Exciting!

You will first notice that it pours out perfectly into a spoon. The color of the dark shoyu is a deep, rich brownish red.

The whiff is smoky for sure, but not fake and not overpowering at all. The taste is smokey, yet incredibly gentle. The shoyu part of it is mellow and participates in the flavor, yet it is not salty.

This smoky shoyu is delicious and you could definitely sip it like an aperitif! You recognize it, even if you have never had it before, somewhere hidden in your taste memory is this flavor.

If you want to add some smokiness in your relationship this is the perfect way!

Light, yet present, finish with it, add it, drops of it, or create an amazing smokey cocktail!

This is a definite wow!

Shop now for Suehiro - Kunsei Kaoru Murasaki Sumoku Shoyu here!

This pouch of salmon is almost like cooking your own piece of fish. Not only is this wonderful sockeye, it is caught in one of the most special unique ways of fishing in the world.

The first thing you notice when you open the package is how soft the fish is. Unlike canned salmon or tuna, this piece of salmon is gentle soft and just right.

There's just a tiny hint of smoke, it's there, just the right amount. The liquid in the pouch is small, but worth keeping to add to the lentils or rice you might be having.

Plan on savoring and enjoying every little bite that you take because it could easily disappear before you know it.

Plan for a super duper picnic with a cracker and a loved one.

Or, as a perfect nighttime treat with a little bit of rice or toast.

Pair with something smooth like a peach or to have with a slice of avocado.

This sockeye salmon has a good flavor, like an excellent canned salmon, but different.

Shop now for Lummi Island Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon here!

Gorgeous Spanish sardines in olive oil—carefully made, getting each of these pieces (about 5) into the jar intact takes practice and mastery. Hand-cleaned, one by one, they are then fried in olive oil. Made fresh and then aged to improve the flavor over years, making a mellow and delicate sardine.

Not to be compared with other sardines, these Spanish sardines in olive oil are special. If you like sardines, then you will love these! Just holding the jar in your hand, you can't help but be awed by the quality.

Shop now for Ortiz Sardines in Olive Oil!

Honey is a difficult food to describe. Similar to olive oil, to each palate, the nuances are different. We share Mieli Thun's descriptions here:

The front note in the bouquet is of apple cider, followed by grassy lychee, moss, and baked pippin apples. The incredibly mild taste, which is different from the aroma, begins with floral and plant notes, followed by more well-defined sensations of cardoon and boiled artichoke. Although apple trees bloom up and down the peninsula in Italy, finding an apple honey is a true rarity.

This apple tree honey works well with meats and with cooked fruit or quince mustard. Consider using for brining fowl and game. It also works in cocktails with apple brandy, fermented apple cider, or apple juice.

This apple tree honey is perfect to dress a roast pork or a salad made of wild spring greens. Combine with horseradish, mild mustard, sesame seeds, and a cream of hard-boiled eggs, or as a sauce for asparagus.

Shop now for Mieli Thun Apple Tree Honey!

More than a few years ago, Albert set off on a course to make mead vinegar, combined with one of the many wine options available to him in the Napa Valley.

As a chef, he loves to use honey, an ingredient that he passionately incorporates into his dishes.

Taking almost two years to create, along with many trials and tribulations, in the process he decided to experiment and switched to a wine originally from the Rhone Region but now grown in California and Oregon. It was this switch that changed the course of time, or at least it changed Albert's thoughts on how to create this perfect Honey Vinegar.

Starting with Late Harvest Viognier, often described as fruity, flowery, and even honey-like, it was a brilliant revelation and ultimately the great combination that made this match heavenly.

No longer a mead-based vinegar, it is now a vinegar with honey. The Katz honey is added into the vinegar at a later stage in the vinegar-making process.

I got my first taste of this amazingly perfect vinegar many moons ago, and it still is one of my all-time faves. Full of sweetness, sharpness, and combined with the ever-so-vibrant nuances that the honey has created within it, this vinegar tests the imagination, inspiring thoughts of chicken, garbanzo salads, and as a way to deglaze a pan of princely perfect scallops. It was love at first sip!

I wanted it then. And now, almost a zillion years later, better than ever, I still crave it. This is one vinegar that can explain the joys of both vinegar and honey as two perfect ingredients!

Shop now for Katz Late Harvest Viognier Honey Vinegar!

The first whiff smells just like you want it to! The richness of olives with a hint of tang. Pour a little into a snifter, swirl it around and draw in the aroma! Wow! Lovely!

There really is nothing like the oil that's pressed right after the annual olive harvest.

It's the blend of olives in varying states of ripeness, in this case Tonda Iblea olives from a winery estate in Sicily.

The first sip of oil off a spoon is full of rich, buttery, olive flavor. You'll notice hints of green tomatoes and artichoke, which give it a lightly bitter edge. It will tickle and kick the back of your throat with light, peppery notes that are vibrant but never overly aggressive.

Savor it with a swirl in your mouth and enjoy the fresh grassiness. Be surprised at the lack of an oily slick.

It's so refreshing that you look forward to another spoonful as your mind travels to how perfectly wonderful this would be on a simple plate of spaghetti! Add a few capers and Parmigiano-Reggiano to dress it up if you must. The oil is perfection for a simple meal. I could eat this combination for days and never get bored.

Shop now for Spedalotto Tonda Iblea Olive Oil - DOP!

Just a little time is all it takes.

See the Basic Simple Easy Shio Koji Recipe here!