How do I dry persimmons at home and why do they turn black?

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Choose fresh persimmons with intact peels, no cracks, sufficient water content, and cores, and peel them, leaving the calyx disk and part of the fruit stem. They are then tied to a rope and dried in the sun. When you see that their pulp has begun to harden, you can squeeze them into cakes with your hands and put them in a sealed container in a cool place. After they soften, take them out and spread them out in a ventilated and cool place to form persimmon frost.

1. How to dry persimmons

1. Select persimmons: Choosing the right fresh persimmons is a key step, otherwise it will affect the taste of the persimmons. It is best to choose fresh persimmons with intact peels, no cracks, sufficient water content, and cores. If persimmons without pits are discarded directly, fresh persimmons must have pits when drying persimmons. In addition, it is best to choose half-raw persimmons instead of overripe ones.

2. Peeling: After cleaning the selected persimmons, peel them with a knife, leaving the calyx disk and part of the fruit stem. Don't throw away the peeled skin, dry it in the sun and save it for later use when the frost comes out.

3. Drying the persimmons: Use rough and strong twine to tie the peeled persimmons to the rope from the fruit stem. Try to keep a distance of about 2 inches between the two persimmons. That’s it. Then hang the tied persimmons in a sunny, warm, dry and well-ventilated place and dry them for about ten days.

4. Knead the persimmon: When drying, you need to Observe the condition of the persimmons. Generally, in about 3-4 days, the surface of the persimmon will begin to turn white and form a skin. At this time, when you feel that the persimmon flesh is soft, you can gently knead the persimmon with your hands to fully soften and remove astringency. Then after drying for a period of time, when wrinkles appear on the surface of the persimmon, you can knead the persimmon with a little more force to break up the hard lumps in the flesh. After another two to three days, knead a third time.

5. Knead the persimmon into a cake shape: Knead the persimmon for the third time, pinch off the fruit handle and calyx disk, squeeze out the core of the persimmon, and squeeze the persimmon into a cake shape with both hands. Then fold the tops and pedicles of the two persimmons outwards and place them on a screen window or bamboo basket to continue drying for a period of time. Keep it in the sun until the persimmons start to harden and are not easy to pinch with your hands. Then you can put the persimmons away and prepare them for frosting.

6. Frosting: Put the collected persimmons into a suitable container, put the two cakes together, put a layer of persimmon skin and a layer of persimmon cake, and cover the top with a layer of persimmon skin. Then wrap it in plastic paper, seal it and place it in a cool place. After 4 to 5 days, when the persimmons begin to soften, take them out and spread them out in a ventilated and cool place to dry, and persimmon frost will form. This step needs to be repeated 4-5 times before the persimmon frost will come out better.

2. Why is it black

Darkening may occur for two reasons. First, it may be that the persimmon pulp has oxidized and turned black. Because persimmons need to be peeled to dry, the fruit will slowly oxidize and turn black as soon as it comes into contact with the air. After a long period of time in the sun, the degree of oxidation will become more and more severe, and the skin will turn black. The second is mold and blackening. If the persimmons are not dried in a ventilated and dry environment and are not turned frequently, the persimmons will easily become damp, moldy, and turn black.

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