Kaki (persimmon) perhaps the most under-appreciated fruit (to me at least). So interesting! Looks vaguely like a tomato with colour of an orange, firmness of apple or soft pear sometimes, texture like passionfruit or something – Only drawback is tricky to peel and prepare for clumsy folks (me).
The neighbourhood is loaded with full trees right now – i can’t eat fast enough!
Update: my first kaki jam experiment was reasonably successful, second batch will be even better I think… Right now I’m tempted to eat it out of the jar with a spoon.
Note: photo is technically batch 2 or 3… Shown here with a few different pickling/fermenting experiments
The very ripe / soft ones make for easy jam making.
This is vaguely the process i am using (can’t recall where i found, of course i fiddle)
Persimmon Jam Recipe
Serves: 3 cups Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 35 mins
Ingredients * 6 large persimmons (peeled) * 1 cup sugar * 1 lemon (juiced) * 2 tablespoons water * 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
1. Make sure you use ripe persimmons.
2. Clean persimmons, peel, if you spot any seeds, discard them. Puree the fruit using a food processor. You should have between 1 1/2-2 cups of puree.
3. Peel the persimmons, chop and place in a food processor. Pulse until you are left with a smooth puree.
4. Transfer persimmon puree into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the sugar. Boil for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
5. In a small bowl, mix water and corn starch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the mixture to the persimmon puree followed by the lemon juice and boil on low – medium heat for another 15 minutes, (stirring occasionally), or until slightly thickened.
6. If you want the jam thicker, add another round of cornstarch and water mix. Just don’t add the cornstarch directly, it will create lumps if not dissolved with water first.
7. Let the jam cool down to room temperature.
8. Pour into sterilized jars and seal, store in the freezer.
9. Or pour into mason jars, that can be closed airtight and store in the refrigerator for immediate consumption for up to 7-10 days.
We received a batch of dried ones which are magnificent.
Rather than a rack, they fruits are woven by their trimmed stems into a wire for drying.
Ryoko came home with another batch! Shared with parents and neighbours of course.
For the next instalment of the kaki diaries, comes a handmade quilt featuring a tree in bloom in a lovely scene of life.
Pingback: Diary: New Year’s Holiday “Kojo Piano Club” Friends Music Party — Story Making with Dave Olson