How to dry and dry persimmons at home

Drying persimmons, as practice shows, can be done at home. Harvesting this product for the winter will not only increase the shelf life of your favorite treat, but will also provide your family with a supply of valuable vitamins and nutrients.

Choosing persimmons for drying

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

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

The stem should be tight and dry. Green color indicates the immaturity of the fetus. The dried tail should not easily separate from the fruit.

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

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

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

Kinglet is an early variety, which is distinguished by the presence of small seeds. Ukrainian is a variety whose fruits are heart-shaped. Due to the absence of bones, it is she who is most often taken for blanks.

Bull’s heart is the variety with the largest fruits. You can dry it only in a climate where there is consistently dry weather 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, therefore it is only suitable for cooking in an electric dryer or in the oven.

Preparing persimmons for drying

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

When drying in the open air under the sun, fruits are not recommended to be washed. Moisture on the stalk will provoke rotting. Therefore, before hanging the fruit, they just wipe it with a soft cloth or paper towel, removing particles of the earth.

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. Too long stalk with petals is cut off, leaving only a dried tail. Due to this, air circulation is improved, 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 cooking 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, it is necessary to perform a certain sequence of actions:

1. Remove the stem.
2. Cut the fruit into slices 4-5 mm thick.
3. Remove bones.
4. Drizzle the slices with lemon juice.
5. Arrange the blanks on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
6. Send to the oven for 6-7 hours at a temperature of 60 ° C.

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

With the whole fruit drying method, the following must be done:

1. Place each fruit in boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove the skin from it.
2. Lay the peeled fruits on a lined baking sheet.
3. Send everything to 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 adverse 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 harvesting fruits and vegetables, but also for drying mushrooms, herbs, berries, and even curing meat.

The use of an electric dryer implies the following algorithm of actions:

1. Cut the stalk, chop the fruit into thin slices, remove the seeds.
2. Arrange the fruit pieces in a single layer on the wire 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 blanching whole fruits in advance in a boiling soda solution (5 g per 5 liters of water). You cannot dry whole fruits in this household appliance. But there is an opportunity to experiment with their cutting.

You can also make fruit chips in an electric dryer

Dried persimmons in the microwave

In the absence of an oven and a dryer, you can cook dried fruits in the microwave.

To do this:

1. Separate the stalk, cut the fruit into thin slices, remove the seeds, if any.
2. Spread 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 ready.

The microwave drying option is considered one of the fastest

How to dry persimmons on threads in the fresh air

You can wither persimmons at home in a natural way. This requires favorable climatic conditions or a dry, well-ventilated area. Most often, this method is used by residents of the southern regions.

The drying method is as follows:

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

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

Store dried fruit covered with a breathable cloth

How to dry a whole persimmon

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

Pre-peeled fruits are laid out on a tray so that they do not touch each other. Fruits are dried during the day, taking them 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 process takes 2-2,5 months. It allows you to save the largest amount of vitamins and beneficial nutrients.

Drying persimmons in Japanese

The Japanese method is very similar to the method of drying on a thread. However, there are also differences. Before stringing the fruits, they are blanched in boiling water for 3-5 seconds. After that, the fruit garland is hung in a dry room and every four to five days the fruit is kneaded by hand. Drying in Japanese takes about 5 weeks.

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

This natural sweet in Japan is called “hoshigaki”

Drying persimmons in Armenian

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

1. First, a syrup is prepared (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 blanks 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 blanks should be inspected regularly.

Drying persimmon in Abkhazian style

The main difference between the Abkhazian method and other methods is the use of unripe persimmons. Fruits are hung on a thread or twine in a well-ventilated area. From insects, fruits are covered with clean gauze and left for 1,5 months, checking every three days for rot and black spots.

Naturally dried persimmon tastes like marmalade

How to know that persimmon is ready

You can determine the readiness of the product by changing the size, color, structure and the appearance of a whitish coating (Armenian drying method). On average, the fruits after cooking are reduced by two to three times, become more elastic, do not give juice when pressed and lose the characteristic stickiness of the skin.

What is the difference between dried persimmon and dried persimmon

Dried is called whole fruits, dried in a natural way. They are distinguished by a long cooking time – 1,5-2 months. Dried persimmon is a product that is dehydrated using an oven or electric dryer. It is cooked no more than 20 hours.

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 a breathable cloth or gauze.

You can store dried persimmons at home in a glass container. 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.

White coating on persimmon is crystallized glucose

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

Conclusion

There are many ways to dry persimmons. Their choice depends on the climate, variety and equipment available. Subject to all the rules, you can get a healthy product that can easily replace any dessert.