How to dry and cure persimmons at home

As practice shows, you can dry persimmons at home. Preparing this product for the winter will not only increase the shelf life of your favorite delicacy, but will also make it possible to provide your family with a supply of valuable vitamins and nutrients.

Selecting persimmons for drying

The taste of dried or sun-dried persimmon directly depends on the quality of the raw materials used. When selecting, they look first of all at the ripeness of the fruit and the condition of its stalk.

Overripe, too juicy fruits with cracked skin are not suitable. Also, do not take astringent fruits for drying. The best option is a moderately ripe persimmon of bright orange color with intact, clean skin without defects (cracks, spots). Even the smallest drying damage can become a breeding ground for mold.

The stalk should be dense and dry. Green color indicates the immaturity of the fruit.The dried tail should not be easily separated from the fruit.

Fruit without a stalk is not suitable for whole-fruit drying

You should not take fruits that have undergone long transportation or storage for drying. Too small specimens are also not suitable for blanks. During the drying process, they will significantly lose size.

The quality of the finished product also depends on the selected variety. Most often, the persimmons chosen for drying are Ukrainka, Korolek, Shokoladnitsa or Bull's Heart.

Korolek is an early variety that is distinguished by the presence of small seeds. Ukrainian is a variety whose fruits are heart-shaped. Due to the absence of seeds, it is most often taken for preparations.

Bull's heart is the variety with the largest fruits. It can only be dried in climates where the weather is consistently dry for two to three months. When dried in the oven, this species loses some of its taste. The chocolate maker ripens later than everyone else, so it is only suitable for cooking in an electric dryer or oven.

Preparing persimmons for drying

Before making dried persimmons at home, you need to properly prepare the main ingredients and equipment. This process directly depends on the chosen method of drying the fruit.

When drying outdoors under the sun, it is not recommended to wash fruits. If moisture gets on the stalk it will cause rotting. Therefore, before hanging, the fruit is simply wiped with a soft cloth or paper napkin, removing particles of soil.

If the oven is chosen as the drying method, then the fruits are rinsed, then laid out on a towel and left to dry naturally.If the stalk and petals are too long, they are cut off, leaving only the dried tail. Thanks to this, air circulation improves and the fruit dries faster.

How to dry persimmons at home

Drying persimmons at home can be done in several ways. However, each of them requires constant monitoring. Depending on the chosen method, the preparation process lasts from several hours to 2.5 months.

How to dry persimmons in the oven

When choosing between gas and electric ovens, preference should be given to the latter. They are not characterized by temperature fluctuations, so the drying process in them occurs more evenly.

Fruits are dried in the oven, most often in the form of slices or whole fruits.

When drying slices, you must perform a certain sequence of actions:

1. Remove the stem.
2. Cut the fruit into slices 4-5 mm thick.
3. Remove the seeds.
4. Sprinkle the slices with lemon juice.
5. Place the preparations on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
6. Place in the oven for 6-7 hours at 60°C.

You can improve air circulation by opening the door slightly or turning on the fan mode.

With the whole-fruit drying method, you must do the following:

1. Place each fruit in boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove the skin.
2. Place the peeled fruits on a lined baking sheet.
3. Place everything in the oven for 8 hours at 60°C.
4. Turn on convection mode (required).

Persimmon dried in the oven loses some of its taste. However, this is the only way to dry the product under unfavorable climatic conditions.

Drying persimmons in an electric dryer

You can also make dried persimmons at home in an electric dryer.The dehydrator is great not only for preparing fruits and vegetables, but also for drying mushrooms, herbs, berries and even drying meat.

Using an electric dryer implies the following algorithm of actions:

1. Cut off the stem, chop the fruit into thin slices, remove the seeds.
2. Arrange the fruit pieces in a single layer on the rack.
3. Set the “Fruit” mode or the temperature to 60 °C.
4. Cook for at least 6 hours.

You can speed up the process by pre-blanching whole fruits in a boiling soda solution (5 g per 5 liters of water). This household appliance cannot dry whole fruits. But there is an opportunity to experiment with cutting them.

You can also make fruit chips in an electric dryer.

Dried persimmons in the microwave

If you don’t have an oven or dryer, you can cook dried fruits in the microwave.

To do this you need:

1. Separate the stem, cut the fruit into thin slices, remove the seeds, if any.
2. Place the slices on a flat dish.
3. Cook for 20 minutes on the “Defrost” mode or at the lowest possible heat.
4. Open the appliance door (10 minutes) and allow excess moisture to escape.
5. Repeat the “heating-evaporation” cycle until the product is completely ready.

The microwave drying option is considered one of the fastest

How to dry persimmons on threads in the fresh air

You can also wilt persimmons at home in a natural way. To do this, you need favorable climatic conditions or a dry, well-ventilated room. Most often this method is used by residents of the southern regions.

The drying method is as follows:

1. Rinse the fruit and dry it naturally.
2. Prepare a thin rope or strong thread and an awl.
3. Start stringing the fruit onto the thread, piercing the dried stalks. The distance between the fruits should be 10-15 cm.
4. Hang the preparations indoors, cover them with gauze to prevent insects.
5. Dry for 7 to 14 days, then store.

To prevent dried fruits from sticking together when storing, you can lightly “powder” them with flour.

Store dried fruits covered with a breathable cloth

How to dry whole persimmons

Drying whole persimmons at home is very simple. This method was used many generations ago.

Pre-cleaned fruits are laid out on a tray so that they do not come into contact with each other. The fruits are dried during the day and taken indoors at night. During daylight hours, they are turned over 3-4 times, thus preventing the occurrence of mold.

The duration of the process depends on weather conditions and size

On average, the method takes 2-2.5 months. It allows you to preserve the largest amount of vitamins and beneficial nutrients.

Drying persimmons in Japanese

The Japanese method is very similar to the thread drying method. However, there are also differences. Before stringing the fruits, they are blanched in boiling water for 3-5 seconds. After this, the fruit garland is hung in a dry room and the fruit is kneaded with your hands every four to five days. Japanese drying takes approximately 5 weeks.

Thanks to blanching and “massage,” the persimmon acquires a jelly-like pulp inside and can be stored for a very long time.

This natural sweetness is called “hoshigaki” in Japan.

Drying persimmons in Armenian style

The Armenian method also includes hanging fruits on threads.After this, the algorithm of actions changes:

1. First, prepare syrup (50 g of granulated sugar per 1 liter of water), into which each fruit is dipped for 5 seconds.
2. Then the garland is fixed vertically so that the fruits do not come into contact with anything.
3. Dry the workpieces in a dark, dry room.
4. After a week, when the surface becomes less sticky, the garlands are covered with gauze.

Syrup makes dried fruits sweeter

It must be remembered that candied fruits attract many insects, so the preparations should be inspected regularly.

Drying persimmons in Abkhazian style

The main difference between the Abkhazian method and other methods is the use of unripe persimmons. The fruits are hung on a thread or twine in a well-ventilated area. From insects, the fruits are covered with clean gauze and left for 1.5 months, checking for rot and black spots every three days.

Naturally dried persimmons resemble the taste of marmalade

How to know when persimmons are ready

The readiness of the product can be determined by changes in size, color, structure and the appearance of a whitish coating (Armenian drying method). On average, after cooking, fruits shrink two to three times, become more elastic, do not yield juice when pressed, and lose the characteristic stickiness of the skin.

What is the difference between dried and dried persimmons?

Dried fruits are whole fruits that have been dried naturally. They are distinguished by a long preparation time - 1.5-2 months. Dried persimmon is a product that is dehydrated using an oven or electric dryer. It takes no more than 20 hours to prepare.

How to store dried and dried persimmons at home

There are several ways to store dried and dried persimmons at home. The product, prepared in a natural way, can be left in the form of garlands, having previously covered them with breathable fabric or gauze.

You can also store dried persimmons at home in glass containers. The main condition is tight closure to prevent moisture from entering. Another way is to pack dried fruits in wooden boxes, where each layer is covered with gauze.

The white coating on persimmons is crystallized glucose

The storage room should be dark, ventilated and dry. The product can also be placed in an enamel container, covered with a cloth and placed in the refrigerator.

Conclusion

You can dry persimmons in different ways. Their choice depends on the climate, variety and available equipment. If you follow all the rules, you can get a healthy product that can easily replace any dessert.

Recommended Posts

How to dry hawthorn

Dried figs: benefits and harms

Homemade dried peaches

Homemade candied melon

Candied papaya

How to dry pumpkin seeds at home: in the oven, in the microwave, in a frying pan

Raw and dried chanterelles for parasites: recipes, use

Dry chanterelle recipes: how to cook mushrooms, dishes

Dried cherries for the winter at home: how to cook in the oven, in an electric dryer, in the sun