Fuyu Persimmon Preserves, a little sweet, a little tart, and simply perfect when spread on some buttered toast.
Every year I get my yearly gift of Hachiya persimmons from my friend, Roselyn. I use them to make persimmon jam and eat some as-is. But recently, Scott brought home some limes and Fuyu persimmons from a friend at work. I always feel like I'm swearing when I say that word...Fuyu. Because I had never tasted Fuyu persimmons, I was excited to try them!
How to Make This Recipe
1. Wash, peel, and chop the persimmons; add to a medium-sized pot. Cover with five cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, until tender.
2. Drain all the liquid, then add the cinnamon, cardamom, and lemon zest.
3. Sprinkle with two cups of sugar, then heat over low to medium heat until the sugar begins to dissolve.
4. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice halfway through the cooking process.
5. Mash with a potato masher to get the consistency that you prefer.
6. Remove from heat when the syrup is thickened. This should take approximately 30 minutes.
7. Ladle the preserves into two eight oz. sterilized mason jars. Run a knife along the edges of the filled jars to bring any bubbles that might have formed up to the surface. Tighten the lids on the jars and process in hot water for ten additional minutes.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Fuyu persimmons are a lot milder in taste than the Hachiya variety. Hachiya persimmons aren't fit to be eaten until very ripe, due to the high tannin content. By the time they're ripe, the flavor is quite intense! They are perfect for making Persimmon Bread.
Fuyu persimmons, in comparison, can be eaten when they're still firm, but have a milder taste. What I was surprised to find out is that if you let them continue to ripen, they will reach the same consistency and intense flavor as the Hachiya persimmons!
Fuyu persimmons don't need to peeled, though I peel them in this recipe. The peel is nutritious and thin enough to bite into. Similar to apples, Fuyu persimmons can be eaten with their peel or without.
- It took me a few tries to perfect this recipe. In my first attempt, I peeled and sliced the persimmons, then cooked them in the sugar/lemon mixture. The end result was a little disappointing. Although the persimmon preserves had great flavor, the persimmon slices were not very tender. I achieved better results on my second attempt.
- I recommend boiling the persimmons first, then cooking them with the sugar and spices.
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Fuyu Persimmon Preserves
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. fuyu persimmons (peeled and chopped)
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- 1 medium lemon (juiced and zested)
- 2 cups sugar
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and chop the persimmons; add to a medium-sized pot. Cover with five cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, until tender.
- Drain all the liquid, then add the cinnamon, cardamom, and lemon zest.
- Sprinkle with two cups of sugar, then heat over low to medium heat until the sugar begins to dissolve.
- Stir frequently to prevent burning. Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice halfway through the cooking process.
- Mash with a potato masher to get the consistency that you prefer.
- Remove from heat when the syrup is thickened.
- Ladle the preserves into two eight oz. sterilized mason jars. Run a knife along the edges of the filled jars to bring any bubbles that might have formed up to the surface. Tighten the lids on the jars and process in hot water for ten additional minutes.
Notes
- It took me a few tries to perfect this recipe. In my first attempt, I peeled and sliced the persimmons, then cooked them in the sugar/lemon mixture. The end result was a little disappointing. Although the persimmon preserves had great flavor, the persimmon slices were not very tender.
- I recommend boiling the persimmons first, then cooking them with the sugar and spices.
Cynthia Johnson says
I look forward to making some of your recipes I have persimmons in my refrigerator and I'm going to attempt to make the persimmon jam. Thank you Hilda for all of your comments and suggestions. I look forward to buying you a cookbook you have such wonderful delicious recipes.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Cynthia, I always appreciate the comments and feedback!
Et Shreeves says
My sister's persimmon tree was over loaded this year. We have mailed them as for away as Nebraska from NC. I can not eat them fast enough. They are getting very mussy. What can I do with the over ripe ones? I attempted to make bread last year, it never got done in the middle. Please help.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi, You can make bread (https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/persimmon-bread-with-cream-cheese-frosting/), jam, and freeze the pulp to use throughout the year. Don't forget shakes and persimmon cookies!
Jay says
Well, I had 10 pounds of persimmons to process, so I used the little calculator tool which auto-figured all the ratios. I sure hope those were right because it was SUPER wrong about how much the batch would turn out. The good news: I had enough jars, seals and lids in our rural house to complete the project anyway; we're set for persimmon preserves (and gifts) for 2021. The bad news: none of it is setting at all. Not enough pectin in these fruits and lemon? Hmmm...time will tell whether this batch holds up. I feel like we need to eat it all right away. Oh...and there's NO WAY prep time is as short as noted, what with the need to peel.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jay,
I'm sorry to hear that this recipe did not work out for you. I've never had that many persimmons to do a giant batch like you did, however, I've never had an issue with this preserves not setting up. I'd be curious to know if it thickened once it cooled off. It's always a good idea to try the recipe with the original amounts then increase them once you know you like the recipe or have success with it.
MARGOT HARRIS says
I'm going to try this, but with using apple juice to cover, to boil the slices in until tender. Will reduce the amount of sugar added later. Will retain the lemon juice because I know that persimmons by themselves are not acid enough to use a water bath (I've been making orange persimmon marmalade, and orange persimmon jam). You have put a lot of effort into this and I was so happy to find your site!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks for stopping by, Margot. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Emily Ogburn Givens says
DELICIOUS!! I have a Fuyu persimmon and it was loaded this year. Thank you for sharing this!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Emily! Thank you so much for the comment. I just bought some a few days ago and excited about making some more. 🙂
Cathy says
I made this and it left almost a drying felling on my tongue. It’s hard to describe the taste. Is this because they were not ripe enough?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Cathy, I would definitely say that it's a distinct possibility. I haven't experienced this with Fuyu persimmons, however, I've definitely tasted the taste you are describing with the Hachiya variety. Hachiya persimmons are very astringent-tasting when not fully ripe.
DIANNA says
Are you using ripe persimmons for the Preserves?? If I use ripe and cook with 5 cups water and drain all the flavor goes down the drain.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Dianna, I'm curious, have you actually tried the recipe, or are you speculating that would happen? Fuyu persimmons are pretty firm, but they were ripe. When I tried cooking the preserves the way I would with other fruit, the persimmons were pretty firm. Then I tried precooking the persimmons before adding the other ingredients. The persimmons became tender and the preserves was still very flavorful. I hope that answered your question.
Jude knapp says
Hey Hilda, how many cups is in two pounds of persimmons? I prepared the pulp but I need the cup measurements. Thanks for your assistance.
HildaSterner says
I haven't made the preserves in a while, but going by memory, it should be between 2 to 3 cups, just based on the amount of sugar used in the recipe. I hope that helps!
Ruth says
Can this preserve be made without sugar, stevia perhaps, to make it diabetic friendly?
HildaSterner says
Hi Ruth,
I've never tried making this jam diabetic friendly, but from what I've read, it's not recommended. I believe you can substitute sweeteners for jams that are stored in the freezer, or refrigerated, as jams made with sweeteners tend to spoil faster than sugar-based jams.