Spring is here! And there’s no better way to celebrate it by making Salt-Pickled Cherry Blossom. As its name implies, salt-pickled cherry blossoms are edible cherry blossoms. The Japanese use it in various spring-related sweet and savory foods. It’s a beautiful reminder of the fleeting moments in nature.

 

 What You Need

• 2 cups of cherry blossoms (prefer darker pink colour)
• 1/2 cup unami plum vinegar (or pure rice vinegar)
• 50g pink salt

How To Do It

• Rinse and dry flowers on paper towels.
• Layer the dry flowers in a glass jar and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the rest of the flowers.
• Add unami plum vinegar (or pure rice vinegar) and make sure to submerge all the flowers. Leave it for another 3 days
• Drain the vinegar. Lay flat all the flowers on a lined baking tray. Dry in a good sunny day and pack them with salt in a jar. Keep it in a dark, cool place. It can be kept about one year.

Preserved blossoms can be used to make refreshing desserts like konnyaku or panna cotta.

One of my favourite way is to make cherry blossoms butter cookies. Bake the cookies as usual then take them out of the oven. Immediately add dry pickled flowers that have been soaked in water for 5 minutes. Put them on top of the cookies and brush with egg whites. Bake again for another 2 minutes until flowers are set.

Or the perfect sakura onigiri to be devoured under the cherry trees. The choices are really endless.

If you make preserved cherry blossoms at home, do let us know in the comment what's your favourite way to enjoy them?

Linh -

Products in the photos

• Pantry Jar
• Spice Jar
• Spice Spoon
• Wooden Spoon
• Wooden Fork