dried persimmons111912a

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Dried Red Persimmons

Hachiya persimmons prepared in the

traditional hand-dried way of Asia.In Japan the dried fruit is called

hoshigaki(),In China it is known as

shi-bing(),In Korea it is known as

gotgam (hangul: ),and in Vietnam it is called hng kh.

byGary Westendorf

Fall 2012

1WILLOW STREET


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Hachiya Persimmons

Hachiya persimmons areprized by some for when they

are eaten at the peak of

ripeness, the fruit turns in to

a succulent sweet pudding.

This fruit is translucent on

the outside and the gelatin

on the inside can be eatenwith a spoon.

Harvest SeasonHarvest takes place during

October and November

while the astringent fruit isstill hard. Here leaves are

beginning to turn color.

Picking

The persimmons are removed from their branches using

pruning shears. Cutting branches with multiple fruit higher

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up and pruning away wispy branches

will strengthening next years growth.

Pruned away all but 1/2" on both

sides the stem, leaving a "T" which

will be used to hang the fruit to dry.Fruits can be stored in fruit crates for

several weeks if kept in a dark, cool,

dry place. Ethylene gas

is a product of decayingfruit and will accelerate

the ripening process,

along with other gasses

like alcohol and carbon

dioxide.

Pealing

Here I leave a quarter todime sized peal on the tip

of the fruit. I am told this

will prevent the ripening

juices from dripping out during the drying process. 3WILLOW STREET


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HangingUsing a fairly heavy

weight string (13lbs test), I

tie a knot about every 6".

This

results in about 16 loops per string

when hung from the eaves in the

back of my garage. The exposure

here is Westerly and with the

winter sun low

in the sky, there

is very little

direct sun

exposure. The

fruit can toleratesome sun but

most of all need

air, lots of it. 4WILLOW STREET


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Drying ProcessAfter the fruit are hung,

they are gently messages

by hand every few days to

break up the insides and

smooth the outside. In

about 45 days, they form

a white residue on the

surface called the bloom.

This when we like to serve

them on a wine and cheese platter. Paring which wines and

cheeses will have to wait.Summary

The results are not in for this years harvest. I have picked

and processed some 800 fruit. I expected to have some loss

due to varmints (squirrels, raccoons, skunk, and yes my

trusted dog Jester) to eat some. What I found very interesting

is that although Jester has taken quite a liking the raw

persimmons, he does not have an interest in the pealedhanging fruit. I read somewhere that due to the astringent

nature of the fruit, a pealed persimmon forms a second

skin that seals in the sweet ripening fruit and somehow

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renders the fruit less appealing to prey, both insect and

mammalian.

Now after 2

weeks, I have lost

only a few fruit.

Overly ripened

or wounded fruit

drop off their

stems into a

sizable "SPLAT". That's all for now! The challenge is to figure out how to post a PDF document

on Facebook?

6WILLOW STREET

dried persimmons111912a

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