It also required some research. If you Google "persimmon jam recipes," you'll find lots, but nearly all of them end with, "ladle into jars and seal according to manufacturer's directions." There's nothing about processing them, and since I don't want to give my family botulism, I don't do unprocessed jams. There are a few freezer jam recipes out there too, but my freezer is full of pureed pumpkin (more on that in another post), so that wasn't high on my list either. Finally, after an hour or so of digging, I found an old article from Sunset on preserving persimmons, and the mystery was solved. [Update 10/11/12: this link is broken, but I found what I think is the same article here] Apparently, the astringent varieties can't be cooked very long, or they become bitter, so canned jams aren't an option. Fortunately for me, my giant pile o' persimmons were all Fuyu, a nonastringent variety that can be cooked. So I was back in the jam business.
I followed the recipe in the Sunset article, using powdered pectin (the recipe calls for either liquid or powdered). I had some trouble with the "skim off foam" step though. The entire pan of jam was foamy! I tried skimming off a layer, but it didn't seem to make any difference. The results were delicious, but the contents of the jars look a little foamy, and there's a clear jelly at the bottom. Next time (and, in the immortal words of Joe Elliott, there will be a next time) I'll try liquid pectin to see if that improves the consistency and appearance. I don't think anything could improve the taste, though. Persimmon jam is my new favorite jam. Yum!
2 comments:
are you doing the touch of butter thing? It seems to reduce foaming and/or makes it easier to skim. Then again, I've never worked with persimmons so I haven't a clue!
I'll have to try the touch of butter trick. Maybe then I won't have an entire pan of foam!
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