Keller Family Blog

This month’s entry was going to be the last in our Keller family blog series. Even though Persimmons are a Fall fruit and there won’t be any at farmers’ markets or in grocery stores for months, I knew I couldn’t end our project without sharing this special memory and really great recipe. When we decided to continue the Keller family blog for a while longer, I debated whether I should tuck this one away for another time or not. I finally decided to go ahead and share it anyway. I know the timing is a little crazy. If you wanted to make this recipe tomorrow and didn’t have leftover persimmon puree from last year, you couldn’t. But this story is such a happy memory for me. And so, even without access to persimmons, here we go!

During a visit in 2010, right before Thanksgiving, Dad/Grandpa suddenly declared that Larry and I, Jim and Jenness, Grandma and Grandpa would all drive north on Highway 101, just past Cloverdale, and pick up some persimmons at a local family orchard. These were the Hachiya persimmons, which are great for cooking and baking. They are bulb-shaped with a soft point at the end.

These were not the round Fuyu persimmons that you eat like an apple, as in the image below.

It was a beautiful drive, especially that time of year, and all too soon, we were driving up a private road toward the front of a large, old house. On the front deck of the house were benches covered with baskets full of handpicked persimmons, all perfect and ripe and being sold for an incredibly low price! As with so many other fruits, all the persimmons from the owner’s many trees came ripe at the same time. Their persimmon trees were huge. I have no idea how old they were, but they obviously had been there a long time. The birds ate the fruit at the top, where the owners couldn’t reach. But below that, the fruit was still beautiful and plentiful. It didn’t take long before we had made our purchases and were driving back to Santa Rosa with our treasures. Mom/Grandma had already given me her recipe for steamed persimmon pudding, which I made that same Christmas as one of our desserts. It’s absolutely delicious with a lemon or vanilla sauce over the top. For a celebratory dessert, you may want to try that great Hard Sauce from the recipe. I didn’t make that one (although it sounded awfully good!) because kids would also be eating my Persimmon Pudding. You will find Grandma’s Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce on page 59 of the Keller family cookbook.

Dad/Grandpa had a wonderful trick for turning a trove of persimmons into puree in no time at all. You put the persimmons into freezer bags and freeze them for at least overnight. When you’re ready to use your persimmons, let them thaw (make sure you leave them in the bag while they’re thawing. They get super mushy and keeping them in a bag will contain the juice for you). The pulp will come off from the skin easily, and now, your pulp is ready for the blender. I bag and freeze my persimmon pulp in 1 and 2-cup portions. That way, I’m ready to make pudding, muffins, or persimmon bread any time! Persimmon bread is especially delicious when you include raisins and toasted walnuts. If you have never made anything with Hachiya persimmons, I urge you to give them a try when November comes around. You’ll be so glad you did!