Small Bites How-To: Drying Persimmons

Drying persimmons is a Japanese tradition called “Hoshigaki” (the word for dried persimmons). When done the exterior has a white sugar bloom and the inside a firm jelly.  Use persimmons that are just-ripe and you'll get what Wan Yan Ling of Grocery Ninja calls “honeyed sunshine”. I call them the perfect antidote to cold grey days.

1. Choose fruit on the tree that is fully orange, but still hard.  Cut the persimmons off the tree so that the stem remains intact.
2. Using a small sharp paring knife, cut the shoulders off the fruit so that they are even with the flat disk of the calyx, with one circular motion.  Remove the loose part of the calyx, leaving the stem and a ring of calyx the size of a quarter.  Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off from top to bottom.
3. Loop a string around the stems and hang 2 similarly sized persimmons on either end of the string.  Hang over a pole or drying rack in a warm, dry environment. 
4. After 7 to 10 days, gently massage the fruit every 3 or so days for about 4 weeks.  Near the end of the process, sugar will come to the surface, leaving a white bloom.
5. For short-term storage, refrigerate.  For long-term storage, they can be frozen.

Bonus Events for December

Hand pick your holiday tree

Tree Lighting/Food Bank Fundraiser at The Boonville Hotel

Foraging for Edible Mushrooms with Tom Shaver

Shop at home for the holidays

This is the best time of year to share the bounty of Mendocino County with your friends and family. A gift-giving theme could be “all locally made items and adventures”. The Word of Mouth magazine winter issue can get you off to a great start with our Give it or Live it Gift Guide.  We highlight some creative gifts like a Shared Table locally sourced feast from Glendeven Inn or Mendocino harvested Seaweed Goodies from Rising Tide.  

I am partial to locally brewed beer and find the Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout as yummy as eggnog. Black Dog Farms offers an array of creative jams such as Summer Tomato Jam or my favorite Strawberry Meyer Lemon. Or you could spice up the holiday by giving Piment d’ville in its snazzy metal tin. Grown only in Anderson Valley this sweet-smoky spice adds an exotic kick to chocolate brownies, popcorn or holiday turkey. Many of these treats can be found at Westside Renaissance Market, Ukiah Co-op, and Harvest Market.

Nothing says cozy like a hot cup of joe and Black Oak Coffee has rolled out a delicious Holiday Roast. Or you could cross off your entire shopping list using only Mendocino County wines. For the vinofile in your life, consider gathering a basket of our regions best Alsace varietals. Handley, Navarro and Husch Gewürztraminers are divine, topped off with a ticket to the Alsace Festival Grand Tasting in February. Many of the best gifts are made by your neighbors and can be found in our local shops or holiday fairs. So try shopping at home this holiday season.