Persimmon Preservation Recipes Anyone?

[AwakenedMama]

We have a great, heavily producing hachiya persimmon tree, and they are really delicious when they are ripe.

The time has come to get them all off the tree, and I'm not sure what to do with them all.

I have been peeling ripe ones and drying them, which makes a delicious persimmon "candy".

I wonder if you can use them to make persimmon butter, in the style of the fermented apricot butter in NT. And, if so, do you need to let them ripen fully first? Or can you puree them and use them sooner (while they're still astringent)?

They are so delicious when given the time to be at their best I don't want to waste a single one!

[deditus]

I am in love with persimmons -our co-op has the first ripe ones I've ever tasted on sale for .79 each (so I can't go too crazy, but normally they're $2 around here).
I think persimmon butter would be lovely. The NT apricot butter uses dried apricots, though, so I think you could use your dried ones for that. Is there an apple butter recipe in there? I think that would work better for starting with fresh fruit. I think you could puree them and freeze them to use later in breads or puddings.

[cristeen]

With hachiyas, I would not use them while still astringent. You can definitely make a butter from them, don't know about fermenting it, but there's no reason why not.

You can also freeze them whole or scoop them out of the peels and freeze that. I use it in a persimmon pudding recipe, but it's also nice in yogurt.

[AwakenedMama]

Originally Posted by cristeen

You can also freeze them whole or scoop them out of the peels and freeze that. I use it in a persimmon pudding recipe, but it's also nice in yogurt.

Yeah, I have been doing this, freezing them whole, but only when they are fully ripe (soft). Does this work if you freeze them before then? If so, that'd be a great way to get them ready for an apple butter.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Chicky2]

MMM, this reminds me I need to ask my mom if theirs are ready.....

We sometimes cut a whole branch or two and leave them on it til they are ready.

[Cupressa]

Wikipedia's article on persimmon has some ways they have been preserved, including persimmon vinegar, drying (of course), and preserving in lime water (astringent types). There is a link to a Korean persimmon punch recipe, which may be fermented.