Drying Persimmons

Trish Stretton

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This is the second year my sweet persimmons have fruited well. Last year I dried one to see how it would turn out, it was delicious, so this year, I decided that the birds could only have the ones at the very top of the tree that I could not reach from my 'ladder'- 2-300l drum. I find it is more stable on dirt than my step ladder.

After watching some you tube vids on how people in Asia dry these by peeling them first and then hanging them, I have done half a dozen like this to see how they differ from just drying them with the skins on.
Because it was raining, I did not put them out in the sun and wind like I was supposed to and have had to put them in front of the fire to stop them from falling apart....so far so good.
They do need to be massaged frequently this way compared to the one I did last year.

Some were cut from the tree with a small piece of branch still attached, leaving a nice 'handle for the string to hold them with. these are tied up on string in my porch. The ones without the 'handle' are sitting on my living room window sill. Its quite deep and can fit 44.

There are still some fruit on the tree, I just cut them off when they get that really burnt orange look.
The last lot will have to cut with a piece of branch and hung.
 

Trish Stretton

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Persimmons grow in Japan where they get snow too, so it should grow for you.
There are two types- sweet and astringent. Apparently, the sweet type is a sport that turned up in Japan. This is the one that is fruiting now. The skin is quite tough- reminds me of sausage casings, lol...edible plastic, but the fruit itself reminds me of rock melons, very smooth texture, slightly sweet.....a gentle elegant flavour.
I a considering replacing those apple trees that I dont like with more sweet persimmons. Jack,(dog) loves fruit except for citrus and feijoas and right now, his absolute favourite is persimmons. He even sits under the tree waiting for the left overs from the birds to fall.

They are deciduous, with lovely reddening leaves. These apparently have uses in the kitchen too. I still need to find out more about that.

I was so taken by how we the peeled ones have been doing, I just spent a very relaxing day sitting in my courtyard peeling and stringing up all the ones I just cut off the tree.
These were hung up on a taller type clothes drying rack so they are touching and I covered the whole thing with a curtain netting type canopy that you hang over your bed- cant remember the name for it. With my high ceilings it just didnt work and looked silly. It was a present so I have hung on to it for years, hoping to find a good use for it. Works perfectly, with a little kitchen peg clip to close off the opening.
It was a beautiful warm sunny day with just a hint of wind so they have got to a good start and now that its cooling down, they are all back inside in front of the fire.

The first lot have shrunk to less than half the original size and have a reddish brown colour almost like Medjool dates.
 

Ridgerunner

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In Arkansas I grew the native persimmon, an astringent type. I'd wait until they had dried on the tree so that they were waxy, otherwise they were pretty unpleasant to eat. Pretty ugly to look at but really nice tasting at that stage. Even after a frost, if they were not dried to that waxy stage they were very astringent. I tried making persimmon bread and persimmon jam with them, mashing them through a wire mesh strainer to get the pulp and separate the seeds and skins. I wasn't all that satisfied with the bread of jam but it was a good way to clean them. I finally quit looking for a use and just picked a few off whenever I walked by after they were ripe, spitting out the skin and seeds. My dog loved any that dropped too. I never tried drying any to preserve them other than on the tree.

I've never eaten a sweet persimmon that I know of. What you have sounds totally different and will probably taste great dried. Do they still have the seeds in them? That may limit their use. Not being familiar with them but their astringent cousins, I'd think they would make a great jam fresh or use them in a chutney dried or fresh if the seeds aren't a problem. I'd be surprised if they didn't make a great pie. Maybe fruit dumplings.

I've dried a lot of different things with my dehydrator. For blueberries or cherry tomatoes they dry a lot faster if they are split open. I don't know how hard they are to peel but that will make all the difference in how fast they dry.
 

ninnymary

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i've never knowingly eaten one to know what they taste like. i'm envious of all the fruit trees you can grow there. :)
I am addicted to Fuyu persimmons. Once our harvest is done here, I drive 3 hours to visit family in Fresno. Their season is just beginning and I buy a box to keep me going for almost 2 more months! haha

Mary
 

Trish Stretton

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The one that is fruiting now is a Fuyu type.
I just love them fresh and did enjoy the one I dried last year.
I did just try one that is still in the process of drying.....there is no polite way of putting it, snot! albeit sweet.
Jack loved his half, he should have got the other half as well.

Even so, I just have to get more of this. There just are not enough of this fruit here for the both of us.(lol, I probably should have done my sentences in a different sequence).

I did recently buy an astringent one after learning that when the unripe fruit was crushed and fermented, it was used as a waterproofing agent as well as a preservative for their timber parts of their buildings.
This one is still only a baby and all its seeds will be collected back by the man I bought it from....I'm into paying it forward, I dont need the seeds, he will grow them to use as root stock for either type. Thats all good to me.
 

Trish Stretton

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Oh well, my first lot of dried persimmons are still looking good. The second and unfortunately larger lot went moldy after I had to leave them inside for a couple of days while I stayed over at a friends place.
My dog loved them.

I still have a lot on the tree, so the next ones I try drying, I dont think I will peel this time. I'm sure I didnt last year either.
 

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