• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to footer-bottom navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kimchimari

Authentic Korean recipes even YOU can cook!

Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
POPULAR: our 10 takeout favorites
Facebook YouTube Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Authentic Korean Recipes Anyone Can Cook

  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Alphabet
    • Latest on the Blog
  • Ingredients
    • Korean Ingredient Glossary
    • Pantry Essentials
    • Pantry – Beyond Essentials
    • Korean Ingredients in Depth
  • How To
    • Cooking Basics + Tips
    • Buy + Use
    • Meal Plan
    • Make from scratch
    • Korean Veg Garden
  • Travel
  • Videos
    • Video Recipes
    • Web Stories
  • About
    • About Me
    • Press Interviews and Mentions
  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • SHOP
  • Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
  • Facebook YouTube Instagram Pinterest Twitter
Home Drinks

It’s Green Plum (Maesil) Season!

Posted:4/28/20166 Comments
Japanese Green Apricot Plums or Maesil
Japanese Green Apricot Plums or Maesil

On my recent visit to our local Korean markets (Gyopo and Galleria), I saw to my pleasant surprise, that they were selling fresh Maesil (Japanese Green Plums or Ume)!! I don’t know why but I was so happy to see those little beauties!!

And I was able to pass them by because I told myself that since I still had two bottles of maesil chung (매실청) left (which came from Korea last year via sea), I didn’t need to make any new batch of Maesil Chung (Korean Green Plum Syrup or Extract). And I patted myself on the back as I left the store. But a long time friend came for dinner last weekend and she told me that she needed some maesil chung. Well, I say that’s good timing, wouldn’t you agree?? 😉

So I gave her a bottle and immediately I went to Gyopo market to buy 6 lbs of green plums and organic sugar to make my first batch of Maesil Chung in the US. I know many of you may not be able to get Maesil where you live and so initially, I was not going to post this but I stumbled upon an article that talked about green plums being sold at different markets in San Francisco.

And through them, you can order fresh Japanese Ume or green plums by phone from the Japanese market Mitsuwa (1-877-MITSUWA). Also, recently there are other Maesil farms that will ship them directly to you when ordered online so DM me on IG and I can send you the info. Anyway, that’s why I decided I should let you all know just in case since you can’t always get these green plums. These green apricot plums or maesil are available only for a short time in the spring.

Korean Green Plum Syrup (Maesil Chung)
Korean Green Plum Syrup (Maesil Chung)

The recipe for making Maesil Chung or Green Plum Syrup is here on my blog so I hope you can make some at home. I may not always include Maesil Chung in my recipes because I know many of you may not have access to them but I use it very often and it really makes a big difference in cooking. Also you can make hot or cold maesil cha (tea) which has great health benefits. Here are some health benefits of green plum syrup that Koreans talk about all the time:

  • The large amount of citric acid in the green plums help the body get rid of lactic acid therefore helping the body recover faster.
  • The acidic green plums or ume help with secretion of saliva and digestive enzymes aiding with digestion – this is why Koreans serve Maesil Cha at the end of a meal
  • The Maesil (Green Plum) Syrup’s 100 day fermentation produces a lot of good bacteria and so these good guys kills off harmful bacteria to help with diarrhea and promote healthy and normal bowel function.

Well, hope you will get to make some at home!

take care,

JinJoo

Similar Recipes

  • Korean Green Plum Syrup (Maesil Chung 매실청)
    Korean Green Plum Extract or Syrup (매실청 Maesil Cheong)
  • Korean Green Onion Salad with Grilled Beef
    Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim)
  • Grilled miso pork belly served on cabbage slaw and green onions
    Miso Pork Belly with Green Onions
  • cabbage kimchi (yangbaechoo kimchi 양배추 김치)
    Green Cabbage Kimchi (양배추 김치 Yangbaechu Kimchi)
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:




6 Comments
  1. Charito says

    Posted on 16 January 2021 at 4:30 pm

    Love your recipes! Btw, where can i buy maesil chung in chicago? Tnx for sharing your gift with us. Stay well.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 16 January 2021 at 10:40 pm

      Thank you! I’m not sure where you can buy it in Chicago exactly but most likely from a big Korean grocery store like Hmart. If not, you can always buy it online – at my amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/kimchimari in the Seasonings section. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Nerimaro says

    Posted on 28 June 2017 at 5:58 pm

    Could you discuss further about using Maesil Chung in recipes?

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 28 June 2017 at 11:24 pm

      Sure! Maesil Chung can be used in lieu of sugar in many recipes but especially with recipes that can benefit with a little bit of sour flavor. I like to use it in combination with sugar in marinades, gochujang sauces, fish jorims and salad dressings. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  3. This Cake is Desi says

    Posted on 29 April 2016 at 6:18 am

    Hmm, i wonder if I’ll be able to find these things in Pakistan. The idea of a plum tea sounds really really refreshing and I’d love to try it. Seems like the perfect tea for the summers here.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 29 April 2016 at 5:07 pm

      I wonder too?! I hope you can find it.Yes, ice cold green plum tea really takes care of your thirst. Thanks so much for your comment! Have a good day~

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

JinJoo from KimchiMari

Welcome

Hi! I'm JinJoo! Thank you for visiting my Korean Food blog where I share detailed Authentic Korean recipes that even YOU can cook!

My Story

browse by type

gf Gluten Free df Dairy Free pc Pressure Cooker Recipes vg Vegan lc low carb <30 30min or less kf Kid-Friendly ls low-salt
  • by Course
    • Drinks
    • Soup+Stew
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts and Snacks
  • by Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Rice
    • Noodles
    • Tofu
    • Vegetables
    • Egg
    • Paste/Sauces
  • by Korean Basics
    • Eumryo 음료
    • Bap 밥
    • Bokkeum 볶음
    • Gui 구이
    • Guk 국
    • Hangwa 한과
    • Jang 장
    • Jeon 전
    • Jeongol 전골
    • Jjigae 찌게
    • Jjim 찜
    • Jorim 조림
    • Kimchi 김치
    • Myeon 면
    • Namul 나물
    • Tteok 떡
  • by Type
    • Easy Meals
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Lunchboxes
    • Condiments and Sauces
    • Cooking for One
    • Street food
    • Pressure Cooker Recipes
Free Korean BBQ Favorites ebook
free recipe book!

Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

join now!

Nutritional facts, MSG & gluten free

Nutritional Facts in my recipe cards are provided PER SERVING and it’s an estimate and may not be accurate. Due to different brands of ingredients having different nutritional values, the values I provide here may be different from your preparation.

– Gluten-Free recipe assumes you are using gluten-free soy sauce (since many soy sauces contain gluten or wheat) and/or gluten-free gochujang.

– MSG & Corn Syrup FREE – these are never used in my recipes

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
baked chicken on parchment paper with onions caramelized

닭고기

Chicken

소고기

Beef

Spicy Pork BBQ - Korean Pork Bulgogi

돼지고기

Pork

Garlic Scape Stir Fry with Shrimp (Maneuljjong Bokkeum 마늘쫑 볶음)

해산물

Seafood

Soondubu Jjigae or Soft Tofu Stew

두부

Tofu

곡식

Rice

READER FAVORITES

Trending Now

Mini Kimbap tray - kimbap two ways

Mini Kimbap (Mayak Kimbap) with Carrot or Cucumber

Chicken Bulgogi Rice

Easy Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi) for Korean BBQ

After stew has boiled for 15 min with cheese melted on top

Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

Korean Sweet Pancake - Hotteok/Hodduck (호떡) www.kimchimari.com

Hotteok (호떡)- Korean Sweet Dessert Pancake

featured on
ny times logo
  • COOK
    • Recipe Index
    • Pantry Items
    • Videos
  • LEARN
    • Starter Guide
    • Korean How To’s
    • Travel
join the kimchimari family
Receive Free Cookbook and New Recipes by Email
join now
  • Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
© 2025 Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

free recipe ebook!

Get my FREE cookbook + newsletters + lessons!
Choose all that you wish!
Thank you for subscribing!
  • 351