My Trick for Homemade Persimmon Jam without Pectin

TL;DR

You might remember that I had mentioned my love for persimmons in the past here.

Those unique, kind of odd fruits are in season during fall, and every year again, I have been digging into the orange-colored fruity craze once again.  

Persimmons are also known as kakis! Soon, I realized that the fruit was good for making jam.

When cut open a cracked, ripe persimmon, you will realize, besides the bright orange-red color, that the fruit was left for us by nature to turn it into a fulfilling jam.

The persimmon fruit is shiny and jelly-like but dense and not transparent; it has some fine fibers just like a mango, and from the outside it looks like a tomato.

Ingredient Notes

• Persimmon — Fresh. I explain the persimmon choices in detail further below.
• Sugar — Plain sugar
• Lemons — Freshly squeezed lemon juice and the lemon halves.

Persimmon Choice

There are 2 main commonly known persimmon types available.

Last time, I only used the very astringent Hachiya persimmon in the tart recipe, which is high in tannin compared to the Fuyu (square flat) persimmons; however, this time I used both.

Before coming up with this final recipe, I had tried cooking Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons separately.

My conclusion was that a mix of Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons will get you to the best result, or the use of only Fuyu persimmons, in case you don't get Hachiya persimmons in your supermarket.

For the how-to video, I used Fuyu Persimmons.

I have come across both versions, but if you are living somewhere else in the world, then be aware that different persimmon types might contain more or even fewer amounts of tannin.

Both persimmon varieties have their perks!

While the Hachiya needs to be eaten when naturally cracked, the Fuyu only requires it to be red-ripe.

Serving

Enjoy this persimmon jam on your breakfast roll, or in your yogurt as a dessert or breakfast snack.

I like it as a substitute for jellies in cookies and cakes, as it has a gorgeous, shiny orange color. That could be a thumbprint cookie or a layer of this jam in a torte or cake, as in the Esterhazy Torte.