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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Alright foodies, let's get it on.

 When a tomato and a persimmon really love one another, they lie verrrry close to one another and something special takes place. It's called salsa!!! I had the incredible luck in the form of a foraging adventure at a friends house. She had more of these than she could handle and I was more than willing to take as many as I could off her hands. Or tree rather.

Fuyu Persimmon


  For those of you unfamiliar with this super strangely delicious ( and hella expensive ) fruit, here is a little info I gathered from various interweb nerd sources for you.

 Like the tomato, persimmons are not popularly considered to be berries, but in terms of botanical morphology the fruit is in fact a berry.

Commercially and in general, there are two types of persimmon fruit: astringent and non-astringent.
The heart-shaped Hachiya is the most common variety of astringent persimmon. This variety has a bitter taste unless fully ripened which is a soft, squishy consistency.

The non-astringent persimmon is squat like a tomato and is most commonly sold as fuyu. Non-astringent persimmons are not actually free of tannins as the term suggests, but rather are far less astringent before ripening, and lose more of their tannic quality sooner. Non-astringent persimmons may be consumed when still very firm, and remain edible when very soft.

In my opinion the flavor is bright and so rewarding this time of year when very few tree fruits are still pickable.


Persimmon Salsa

  • 1 chopped onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 firm persimmons peeled and chopped ( I used freshly picked fuyu )
  • 5 large ripe tomatoes chopped
  • 2 green tomatoes or tomatillos chopped
  • 2 peppers of your favorite strength finely chopped ( I like yellow chili peppers or jalapenos for this recipe)
  • 1 handful of cilantro chopped or minced ( your preference. I like it chunky)
  • 4 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon of cumin 
  • salt and pepper
  I like to refrigerate all of these ingredients mixed together overnight, taste, then can them for gifts using water bath canning method. Just so I can see how the strength of flavors marry before making a permanent commitment. Gives you room to season a bit if necessary.


 This recipe yields a metric ton with the intention of sharing.







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