Fruit Leather: persimmons

The astonishing colour of persimmons … and this is the last post of this fruit, I’m sure you’ll be relieved to read!

I think I am in love with this beautiful tree that graces our garden.

We’ve not grown tired of this bounty though, and the fruit kept beautifully on our front porch in a wicker basket all this time since picked in autumn.

Why don’t we use the natural chill of winter to keep fruit and veggies chilled and fresh? I am designing a front porch storage unit in my head as I write this, but I’m sure it’s already done somewhere! I remember the cool room on the farm that I visited for the holidays when I was a child in South Africa. They were built with porous bricks on a higher raised foundation – and a type of sack over or in the bricks if I am remembering correctly – with a tank on the top that drizzled water down slowly in summer and the fresh eggs, fruit and veggies stayed wonderfully cool throughout the arid dry heat of the Karoo.

I should have counted how many persimmons I used, but I ended up with 9 cups of pulp that I blended with the juice of a whole lemon and the tip of a teaspoon handle of the concentrated version of stevia powder.

Here’s the thing, though. Making fruit leather in summer would not work, the oven runs for hours and you can use a dehydrator unit outside, I guess, but in winter it’s perfect for warming the house and it smells delicious. It is a very long drying process, though.

Basic recipe that would – I’m pretty sure – work for most fruit this size is:

36 +- soft squishy ripe persimmons
1 lemon
1/6 tsp stevia
Oodles of patience

Cut top lid off the fruit, scoop out flesh, place in blender.

When all done add juice of a whole lemon and the stevia. Blend well.

Line 2 cookie trays with parchment paper, pour in blended fruit and set oven to 200F.

I started my fruit at 10:30 AM and it was ready by 23:30!

I forgot the blade! LOL!

Oh well!

Let’s try this again.

I hope you have patience because after 2 hours it looks like this below. Soft and still squishy under a resistant skin.

After 6 to 8 hours the fruit is set enough to move the parchment paper with the fruit on it, onto a drying rack … which you then put back in the oven until the fruit leather is dry enough to pull off the paper. It is a wet fruit and sweats underneath. Then after another two hours I pull the fruit leather off and flip it over to dry the underside. I assure you, the hassle is worth it!

Dry another 2 to 4 hours depending on your oven and how much fruit you used, and then you’re done! Cut into little squares or roll and cut. We love the squares they are like little candies!