Growing an edible garden has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. In Tokyo, finding enough land for a proper garden is tough, but I've learned to make do with planters, and my balcony has become a little haven of fresh produce. This year, the weather has been kind, and my cucumbers and shiso are thriving.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy these fresh cucumbers is to salt and season them with simple ingredients to make a dish that's somewhere between a salad and a pickle. For this version, I'm using some salty and puckeringly tart umeboshi, along with a handful of fresh shiso from the garden.

I like to cut the cucumbers using an oblique cut, slicing at a 45° angle and then rotating the cucumber 90° before the next slice. This technique creates a ton of surface area for the salt and ume paste to soak into.

Salting the cucumbers draws out their excess water, preventing the salad from becoming soggy and transforming their texture from crispy to crunchy.

If you can't find ume paste in a tube, you can easily make it by removing the pits from whole umeboshi and mincing the flesh until it forms a paste.

This simple yet vibrant dish is perfect for a quick snack with drinks or a refreshing side salad, bringing a touch of summer in Japan to your table.

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