We continue to be very busy at the orchard lately, with lots of people who want to see the hoshigaki drying process and try different types of persimmons coming to visit. This past week's publicity about the orchard has definitely brought a lot of people out. The PBS television show California Gold featuring the orchard was shown multiple times, and the Sacramento News and Review had an article about persimmons that mentioned us. The Sacramento News and Review article was accurate and very informative about the different types of persimmons. To see the article, click here.
Drying persimmons for hoshigaki was a bit trickier this past week, because of a few episodes of rain. They dry more slowly when it rains because of dampness in the air and less sun exposure for the persimmons after first being peeled. Also the weather is getting colder and we are hurrying to peel as many persimmons as possible before the cold softens them too much for peeling. Once the persimmons are too soft to peel, the persimmons that have started drying are all the hoshigaki we'll be able to make for the the season.
Other news is that we now have mandarins for sale at the orchard. Here's a list of what at the fruit stand now:
We are still taking mail orders for hoshigaki (massage-dried persimmons) and mandarins, but have now stopped taking orders for both Asian pear and fresh persimmons. Soon the fresh persimmons will get too soft to ship out, and we need to finish getting out the orders people have already put in.
To order hoshigaki (massage-dried persimmons), get to the order form. We don't take orders online, so you have to print out the form and mail it to us with a check. We can only accept checks, no credit cards or Pay Pal. Another way to get to the order form is to go our home page and click on "2009 Mail Order Form for persimmons now available".
Edit: We're now sold out for 2009
Above is a photo of the hoshigaki gift box. We mail it out with a small hand-made tag with an origami persimmon on the front. The regular one pound size of hoshigaki is sent in a clear bag with a paper label inside.
Here's a recipe for making a persimmon pumpkin pie, or pumpkin pie with persimmon added, if you'd like to think of it that way. I made this by taking a persimmon pie recipe and substituting half the amount of persimmon called for with pumpkin. It tastes like a pumpkin pie with added persimmon flavor, and with a slightly smoother texture. I've also made this using winter squash instead of pumpkin, since winter squash is usually sweeter and we still have them from the gardens.
The original recipe was called "Persimmon Cream Pie", and comes from The California Persimmon, a persimmon cookbook published by the University of California Cooperative Extension, Placer and Nevada Counties.
Persimmon Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup persimmon pulp
3/4 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin
1 2/3 cup evaporated milk or light cream
1 8 in. uncooked pie crust
Combine beaten eggs, sugar, spices and salt. Mix well. Add pumpkin and persimmon pulp, evaporated milk or cream and stir again. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Fuyu persimmons are a variety of persimmon that is sweet and ready to eat when they're hard, in the same way an apple is. It's okay to wait until fuyus get softer to eat them also, but people usually prefer them firm. The colder weather lately is starting to help soften some of the fuyus, so if you like them to be firm, try and come to the fruit stand soon. We have lots of fuyu persimmons picked now, and are selling them by the pound and at a discount for a flat or box.
At the Fruit Stand now you'll find:
