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Persimmons - What to do?

gardengrl
14 years ago

Our local grocery has Georgia Persimmons on sale this week. I don't think I've ever done anything with a persimmon...heck I don't think I've even TRIED one!

Sooo, does anyone have a fun recipe that involves persimmons? How do you eat or prepare them?

Comments (10)

  • digdirt2
    14 years ago

    The link below is to several previous discussions about persimmons, recipes included.

    We dry most of ours, what we don't eat fresh. Wife makes persimmon jam with some and we like Raisin-Persimmon cookies too. Recipes in the threads linked below.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: Persimmon discussions

  • gardengrl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Dave....wayyyy ahead of you! LOL!

    I did a search before posting and those older posts don't mention canning recipes. The baking recipes sound good though.

    Sooo, has anyone canned persimmons? Any yummy canning ideas? What do they taste like?

  • digdirt2
    14 years ago

    Other than canned as jam, no we haven't. They are very tart so some sort of sweetening is needed. They are a low-acid fruit (like figs) at 4.5-4.7 so will require some added acid of some form.

    I have seen some recipes for persimmon butter but I would think it would have the same problems as canning pumpkin butter. But I don't see why you couldn't pressure can them plain in chunks like the pumpkin guidelines at NCHFP. And I have read they will freeze well but have never tried it.

    Dave

  • Linda_Lou
    14 years ago

    The ones I buy are not tart, they are very sweet. Hard to describe the flavor. I only buy a few and just eat them, never preserved any since it would just be me eating them.

  • rachelellen
    14 years ago

    I would like a persimmon chutney (for canning) recipe if anyone has one. Or a suggestion from you more experienced canners as to what fruit I might sub them for...say if I had an apple chutney recipe I liked or a tomato chutney recipe...what fruit might have a similar acid level as persimmons? I don't mind adding extra lemon juice if necessary though most chutney recipes already contain vinegar. I've got baskets of the fuyu (hard-eat type) persimmons and I don't really bake all that much as neither my husband nor I really need a lot of baked goods around.

  • malna
    14 years ago

    The only jam recipe I could find was for a freezer jam and marmalade. The marmalade had a note (in capital letters) "Do not seal in a RWB - rolling water bath - without pH testing first." I did find recipes for persimmon pudding (steamed), persimmon sauce, persimmon pie and candied persimmons.

    Here's the pH list for fruits:
    Apples
    Delicious 3.9
    Golden Delicious 3.6
    Jonathan 3.33
    McIntosh 3.34
    Winesap 3.47
    Juice 3.4 - 4.0
    Sauce 3.3 - 3.6

    Apricots 3.3 - 4.0
    Dried 3.6 - 4.0
    Canned 3.74

    Bananas 4.5 - 5.2

    Cantaloupe 6.17-7.13

    Dates 6.3 - 6.6

    Figs 4.6

    Grapefruit 3.0 - 3.3
    Canned 3.1 - 3.3
    Juice 3

    Lemons 2.2 - 2.4
    Canned juice 2.3

    Limes 1.8 - 2.0

    Mangos 3.9 - 4.6

    Melons
    Casaba 5.5 - 6.0
    Honey dew 6.3 - 6.7
    Persian 6.0 - 6.3

    Nectarines 3.9

    Oranges 3.1 - 4.1
    Juice 3.6 - 4.3
    Marmalade 3

    Papaya 5.2 - 5.7

    Peaches 3.4 - 3.6
    In jars 4.2
    In cans 4.9

    Persimmons 5.4 - 5.8

    Pineapple 3.3 - 5.2
    Canned 3.5
    Juice 3.5

    Plums 2.8 - 4.6

    Pomegranates 3

    Prunes 3.1 - 5.4
    Juice 3.7

    Quince (stewed) 3.1 - 3.3

    Tangerines 4

    Watermelon 5.2 - 5.8

    Maybe use a chutney recipe that has papaya in it and substitute persimmons? Never having eaten one, I have no idea what flavors would be complementary :-)

  • digdirt2
    14 years ago

    As you can see from the list posted by Malna (thanks Malna I hadn't seen a pH that high for them)) you could sub them for any of the other low acid fruits (figs or melons) in one of their recipes and use a BWB.

    But there aren't that many BWB recipes to choose from on them either and you'd still have a potentially unsafe pH. Otherwise you have to add more acid and how much is an unknown. NCHFP calls for 1/4 cup lemon juice added to papaya as the closest equivalent I can find. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/papaya.html

    Link below discusses mango chutneys so some related info.

    So freezing or at least pressure canning any recipe using persimmons is the best bet. How long to PC? Unknown too.

    They just aren't a popular fruit. Insufficient demand/use so insufficient testing has been done on them so they fall in the can at your own risk class. Safest - make your own persimmon chutney and freeze it.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Chutneys (Mangoes)

  • rachelellen
    14 years ago

    I guess I might just have to stick to freezing for chutney. There is a bright side to that in that I can "have my way" with the ingredients, ha ha! The one real frustration for me in canning is that I am a born experimenter. Never saw a recipe I wanted to follow to the letter. But, I'm not crazy about the idea of poisoning anyone either! :0

    I guess I'm just going to have to spring for a pressure canner for next season as it seems there is a bit more leeway. In the meantime, my husband has already worked his way through most of the cherries and strawberries I dried for our Winter hot cereals, so perhaps I'll do a couple of dehydrator loads as well.

    Thank you for the Ph list, Malna, it will come in handy for other uses.

  • malna
    14 years ago

    In case anyone would like the entire pH list from the USDA/FDA, it's available at the link below. It comes in handy for reference :-)

    Here is a link that might be useful: pH Values of Various Foods

  • digdirt2
    14 years ago

    I guess I'm just going to have to spring for a pressure canner for next season as it seems there is a bit more leeway.

    It is much more than a "bit". ;) If you want to can anything other than very acidic fruits or pickle-type vinegar-based recipes then a PC is mandatory.

    Pressure canning opens up a whole new world, one that is far more tolerant of experimentation than BWB will ever be. It's an entirely different and constantly expanding world of canning.

    Dave

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