Anne of Green Gardens

Drying Persimmons

whole fruit persimmons Anne of Green GardensOne of my New Year’s Resolutions is to eat healthier in 2016, and I think adding more persimmons to my diet is a great first step. I think a lot of people have made the pledge to be healthy, but it’s important to REPLACE unhealthy foods with healthy ones. So, this year I’m replacing eating cakes, cookies, candy, etc. with dried fruit. Not to say that I won’t have a celebratory cookie or piece of cake once in a while, but that I’ll do my best to eat more in moderation than I have in the past.

Several years ago I planted a fuyu persimmon tree (crunchy type) at my dad’s house. I was looking forward to all the fruit I would harvest to make cookies and dried fruit, since my dad doesn’t like them. About two years later, my dad got remarried. My stepmom is a really nice person, and one of the first things she said when she moved in to my dad’s house was how excited she was to have her own persimmon tree. So, I sadly let go of my persimmon plans.

Now that several years have passed and the tree has gotten bigger, the novelty must have worn off since she offered me several bags of them this christmas! I was so happy. Fuyu persimmons are just like apples so I ate some that way, and then I borrowed a dehydrator to make my own delicious dried snacks.

Dehydrating Persimmons

The dehydrator I used had a source of heat at the bottom but no fan. It took over 2 days to dry one batch, so in the future I may purchase one of my own after consulting Consumer Reports.

I experimented with cutting the persimmons into slices that 1/8” and 1/4.” After drying both I decided I liked the way the thicker ones turned out. They were more chewy.

Persimmons, an Amazingly Healthy Food!

Persimmons are high in Vitamin ‘A’ and ‘C’ and a good source of fiber. Plus when you want something sweet they provide a chewy, satisfyingly scrumptious flavor.

Not everyone is a fan of persimmons, and I wasn’t until I found myself in a situation where I was hungry and the only food were persimmons hanging on a nearby tree. This was the hachiya type and they were absolutely squishy but fantastically delicious.

Needless to say, eating 7 or 8 large persimmons on an empty stomach (or at any time) is not something I recommend. However, it is the way I became a huge fan of this fruit of the gods. If you want to read more about my persimmon experience in detail, check out Persimmons: Squishy vs. Crunchy.

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