Hodgepodge 3/365 - Persimmons

Yesterday I helped a friend, Peggy, pick many dozens of hachiya persimmons, then prepare them in the hoshigaki manner for slow drying. This involved finding fruits that were orange through and through (no green) and completely firm, clipping their stems to form a T, trimming the calyx, peeling them, tying them in pairs with circles of string, and hanging them on horizontal bamboo sticks so they didn't touch. It's all very focused and aesthetic.

Once the persimmons are hung, after a week or so, they must be gently massaged. This allows the fructose to migrate to the surface. Six or so weeks of this, and you have soft chewy dried persimmons that look like they are dusted with powdered sugar.

It was a perfect day, after a previous day of rain, and nosing around the persimmon trees (three of them) in the fresh air, looking for perfect specimens, was so pleasant. Then, inside, it was a nice opportunity to chat as we both sat peeling over a big white bucket.

As my reward, I got a few ripe persimmons (I plan to make something baked: I love the chewiness of persimmon cookies and breads) and a few of last year's hoshigaki. I have never eaten the dried version before, so I'm looking forward to that experience as well.

Milo got to help!

This opportunity arose because of a brief exchange Peggy and I had on Facebook: she posted a photo of her drying fruits, and I remarked that just that day I'd stumbled on persimmons in the supermarket, and of course had to buy some. They are one of the few truly seasonal foods that exist anymore. Of course, in the market (in the U.S. anyway) you get two choices: hachiya (astringent) and fuyu (nonastringent). There are other varieties, naturally—and Peggy has a few of them. But it's only hachiya that's used for hoshigaki. 

The word persimmon is from the Algonquian language of the eastern U.S., meaning "a dry fruit." They weren't referring to the Asian species, of course (Diospyros kaki), but to a native North American species (D. virginiana: its wood is often used in instrument making, being a relative of ebony). Other species of persimmon are native to Mexico, Texas, West Bengal, the Philippines, and southwestern Asia.

Now to find a recipe or two.

Top photo is courtesy of Peggy Hansen.