Annual shiso syrup making / 毎年恒例の紫蘇シロップ作り

The other day, a farmer who grow shiso (the botanical name is "Perilla") for me sent me a message that they had "a little bit of Shiso available." Shiso is a summer herb beloved in Japan. In addition to decoration and toppings, the red ones can be used to make syrup. The refreshing taste from the syrup help us to survive the hot Japanese summer.

I picked up shiso the day before yesterday, and wanting to process it while it was fresh, I decided to make shiso syrup yesterday.

I quietly worked on simmering the shiso and bottling the syrup while listening to the archive of my favorite women doctor's podcast in the silent Sunday kitchen. The autumn sky visible from the kitchen was simply beautiful.

Despite hearing that the harvest wasn’t expected to be great this year due to bad weather, I managed to produce 115 bottles of 200ml each. It should be enough to share with my family, friends, and selling at the local market.

Since I first tried making shiso syrup with shiso from my own garden in 2020, I’ve been producing it every year. In 2021, I received a state funding to increase production. This year, I think I’ve achieved the most beautiful and consistent color yet—a deep red-purple that looks brighter depending on how the light hits it. The flavor turned out just right too.

The syrup can be used to make Shisonade (shiso lemonade with sparkling water and ice cubes), cocktails, and fit well with hot water and ginger slices in this season.

Since the shiso is grown by an organic farmer, I found some little guests like this one while washing the leaves. I gently helped them find their way outside 🐛

After all that work, today I’m taking it easy, enjoying some gentle food and taking a nice, relaxing bath in the middle of the day to let my body rest.

Wishing everyone a great start to the week!

🍷 🍷 🍷

先日お世話になっている農家から「紫蘇がちょっとあるよ」と連絡があって、一昨日紫蘇を受け取り、新鮮なうちに加工したくて、昨日は急遽紫蘇シロップを作ることにしました。

最近大好きな産婦人科医の高尾美穂さんのstand fmのアーカイブを聞きながら、黙々と紫蘇を煮て、瓶に詰めていました。キッチンから見える秋の空が美しかったです。

今年は悪天候のためあまり収穫が期待できないと聞いていたのですが、200mlのボトルが115本出来上がりました。家族や友達、マーケットのお客さんに楽しんでもらうには十分でしょう。

2020年に自分の家の庭の紫蘇を使ってシロップを試作して、2021年に州の助成金をいただいて生産することになり、以来毎年作っていますが、今年は一番きれいにかつ均一に色を出せたと思います。濃い赤紫なのだけれど、光の当たり具合によっては明るくも見える私にとって理想的な色です。味もバッチリ。

オーガニックの農家に栽培を頼んでいるので、紫蘇の葉の間にはこんなお客さんたちが。見つけては外に出してあげていました 🐛

そんなこんなだったので、今日はお腹にやさしい食事をして、昼間からお風呂に入ってゆっくり体を休めています。

みなさん、よい一週間のスタートを！