🪻 Colleen Chesebro, Author & Poet 🪻

Crafting Magic through Prose & Poetry

Pickled Cherry Blossom Leaves, haiku

This haiku is for #TankaTuesday where we’ve entered the Beginning of Summer, (May 5 – 19) Rikka 立夏, based off of the lunisolar calendar, often called an agricultural calendar. The traditional Chinese and Japanese lunisolar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. cured sakura leavesa salty, sweet confectionspring inside your mouth© Colleen Chesebro I was fascinated by the kigo…

Colleen Chesebro
1 minute
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This haiku is for #TankaTuesday where we’ve entered the Beginning of Summer, (May 5 – 19) Rikka 立夏, based off of the lunisolar calendar, often called an agricultural calendar. The traditional Chinese and Japanese lunisolar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms.

cured sakura leaves
a salty, sweet confection
spring inside your mouth

© Colleen Chesebro

I was fascinated by the kigo words: Picking cherry blossom leaves, suggested by seasonbyseason.org. I’d never heard of pickling sakura leaves, so did a bit of research.

Image credit: justonecookbook.com

The Japanese use the pickled sakura leaves in a dish called sakura mochi as a spring themed desert. Clearly, they savor the season with their eyes and taste buds!

Interestingly, the cherry blossoms are also pickled and added on top of the cherry leaf.

I love sticky rice (I’ve only had the Thai variety) but I can imagine how the flavors explode in your mouth! What a great way to celebrate spring!

sakura mochi

Thanks for Sharing!

50 responses to “Pickled Cherry Blossom Leaves, haiku”

  1. robbiesinspiration Avatar
    robbiesinspiration

    Nice, Colleen 💖

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      I’d love to try sakura mochi! It sounds delishious!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    This is one for the senses! Yum.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thanks, D. I’d love to try this dish!

      Like

      Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Anonymous? Hmm. That’s me up there, D. Avery

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      I get that anonymous sometimes too. I’m signed in. I don’t know why it happens.

      Like

      Reply
  4. willowdot21 Avatar
    willowdot21

    thats made me hungry 💜💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      It sounds really yummy! 😋

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. Darlene Avatar
    Darlene

    I love this haiku and the sakura mochi looks deliciuos.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thanks, Darlene. I wish we had a Japanese restaurant nearby. I’d definitely try this dish.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. Marsha Avatar
    Marsha

    How beautiful. I love the phrase, “spring inside your mouth.” Fun poem! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thanks, Marsha. I bet the flavors explode in your mouth. I read the cherry leaves have a delicate taste of cherries.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Marsha Avatar
        Marsha

        We had a cherry tree in CA, and I never thought to taste the leaves. Grandma had a cherry tree in Indiana, and I can’t tell you how many cherries I’ve picked and pitted in my life – but again, no leaves.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
          Colleen Chesebro

          The Japanese are so connected to nature through their food sources. I’m sure this was a dish that was initially served to royalty, but I don’t know this for a fact. Japanese food always looks so appetizing!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. Marsha Avatar
            Marsha

            It is. Their gardens look so attractive. Beauty must be very important to the Japanese. When we lived in Portland, one of my favorite places was the Japanese Garden. I love the little red bridges over tiny rocky streams, the little gazebos, and the manicured trees and bonsai trees.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
            1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
              Colleen Chesebro

              If you get a change to see the FX show, Shōgun, watch it. You get a sense of the Japanese from early roots and how they viewed life: you live and you die. Nature is very important to their way of life. 💜

              Like

              Reply
              1. Marsha Avatar
                Marsha

                It should be to us, too. We just have too many things interfering with it. Of course, they do, too, now. 🙂

                Like

                Reply
  7. Annette Rochelle Aben Avatar
    Annette Rochelle Aben

    Fascinating… I love mochi but I have never had it prepared like this. xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      I read they use the cherry leaves in some types of sushi, too.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. Eugi Avatar
    Eugi

    Lovely haiku, and the sakura mochi sounds delicious. “spring inside your mouth.” is a great line, Colleen. 💗

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thanks Eugi. It’s like watermelon or strawberries… they always remind me of summer. ☀️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Eugi Avatar
        Eugi

        You’re welcome, Colleen! ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
          Colleen Chesebro

          Eugi ❤️

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
  9. Gwen M. Plano Avatar
    Gwen M. Plano

    “Spring inside your mouth” – how lovely! Beautiful post and poetry, Colleen. 🌞

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thanks, Gwen! 💗

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  10. SelmaMartin Avatar
    SelmaMartin

    oh, Colleen. How thorough you are…

    yes, yes, yes! This. You’ve reached the heart of the season with this. I know. That taste just melts into your soul (from your tongue) and you know you’ve inhaled something divine, ephemeral. How beautiful that you did this. Thank you. Gorgeous Sakura celebration.
    I love consuming this. You can even eat the leaves if you like but they tend to be chewy.
    But the fallen flowers-salty- you just want them to linger long, but they don’t. (Ephemeral after all) thanks. I enjoyed this. Bless you. Xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thanks so much! I guessed at the taste, but cherry blossoms and spring are so connected. I bet the tastes explode in your mouth! 💖

      Like

      Reply
  11. merrildsmith Avatar
    merrildsmith

    So interesting, Colleen! Literally tasting spring. 🌸

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      I would love to try this dish. The Japanese weave so many flavors into their foods. Thanks so much, Merril.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. merrildsmith Avatar
        merrildsmith

        You’re welcome, Colleen.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  12. E.C. Avatar
    E.C.

    Mighty tasty, tempting treat of a poem. I’d not heard you could eat the leaves, That’s so neat.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      I thought so, too, E.C. The Japanese use so many lovely flavors in their dishes. This looks really good!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. D. Wallace Peach Avatar
    D. Wallace Peach

    I’ve never heard of that either, Colleen, which isn’t that surprising, really. The use of the pickled leaves in that desert sounds wonderful. I love unusual flavors, and the the sakura mochi looks beautiful too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Japanese food is an explosion of flavors. Selma Writes lives in Japan, and she says sakura mochi does taste like spring! Sweet and sour!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. D. Wallace Peach Avatar
        D. Wallace Peach

        Yum. I’d love to go there some day.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
          Colleen Chesebro

          Me too! A girl can wish, right? LOL!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. D. Wallace Peach Avatar
            D. Wallace Peach

            ❤ ❤

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
  14. msjadeli Avatar
    msjadeli

    Those look heavenly! Thanks for choosing that kigo, doing the research, and sharing what you learned.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      It was fun! Thanks so much, Lisa. I can imagine the taste. Selma lives in Japan and she said sakura mochi is “spring in your mouth!”

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. msjadeli Avatar
        msjadeli

        ❤

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  15. judeitakali Avatar
    judeitakali

    Sakura mochi. Are we in Elysium? I’d definitely want to try that.
    Your haiku was stunning as well.🩵🩵

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Thank you! I want to try this too! It sounds amazing. How savory- sweet and salty! 💖

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  16. Jules Avatar
    Jules

    There are many young plant leaves that can be eaten. Looks like an interesting ‘dish’. I just picked up some Matcha tea – I haven’t tried it yet. The package says there are three organic green teas. Sencha, Pin Ho Wild Jade and Indian green teas with Matcha 9Jeju Island Emrald (2%)

    I have heard one can eat young poke weed and Dandelion greens like salad. Though I haven’t either of those 🙂

    (Just got a belated Mother’s day call, and while on the phone the Great Blue Heron landed in my yard for about ten minutes!) 💙

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      Oh, I love the green teas. I’ve had machta tea but I think the American version is different from the Asia one. Lucky you to see a Great Blue Heron. What a gift. 💙

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Jules Avatar
        Jules

        The heron often flies over the creek. I get to see ’em often. Not usually in my yard tough. That was a gift!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
          Colleen Chesebro

          I know what you mean. I feel the same way when I see the sandhill cranes fly over too.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. Jules Avatar
            Jules

            …pure magic?…

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
            1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
              Colleen Chesebro

              Exactly! It feels like a gift!

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply
  17. balroop2013 Avatar
    balroop2013

    I love the info that you share along with your lovely poetry. Thank you Colleen.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Colleen Chesebro Avatar
      Colleen Chesebro

      You’re so welcome. Wasn’t this interesting? I love Asian food. I helped to raise my husband’s two Thai daughters. I love Thai food, but I can’t eat it hot 🥵anymore. Curries are a favorite! Thanks for enjoying!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Thanks for your comments ❣️

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