For the love of Produce...

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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,639 Member
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    Wikipedia has a list of astringent and non-astringent persimmon cultivars.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 452 Member
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    Thank you all. It sounds like they need to hang out in the fruit bowl for a bit, but I'm excited to try them!
  • o0Firekeeper0o
    o0Firekeeper0o Posts: 416 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I think it matters what type of persimmon they are?

    Here in stores in my part of the US, we most commonly see Fuyu or Hachiya types. Fuyu are kind of a squat shape, while Hachiya are more elongated. The Fuyu are pretty sweet even when firm (as long as nicely orange), but the Hachiyas are astringent until very soft-ripe.

    I know other varieties exist, and the astringent vs. non-astringent categorization seems to apply more broadly to other varieties, but I don't have experience with others specifically.

    That’s exactly what I read the other day. Fuyu are good to eat even when a little crisp, but Hachiyas are a better choice for things like cooking or baking as they need to be mushy-ripe to be their best (I read they should be genuinely squishy, like a bag of goo). I was trying to help my mom find a recipe for persimmon cookies :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,293 Member
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    Hmm... they've been in the fruit bowl with some apples and other things for a few days, and it sounds like they're almost ready to eat. The Hachiya is definitely squishy. As silly as it might sound, I'm kind of excited. I love trying new foods!

    Report back what you think, maybe, eh? 🙂
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 452 Member
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    Definitely! 🙂
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,598 Member
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    Hmm... they've been in the fruit bowl with some apples and other things for a few days, and it sounds like they're almost ready to eat. The Hachiya is definitely squishy. As silly as it might sound, I'm kind of excited. I love trying new foods!

    Let us know what you think! My grandma always made persimmon bread and cookies out of Hachiyas. I was laying in bed watching a live video of my farmer's market and they showed fuyu persimmons so I got dressed and picked some up. I love them in salad with feta and poppyseed dressing. They're super hard, I usually get them firm with a little give but the farmer assured me they're really sweet.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,293 Member
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    Katmary71 wrote: »
    Hmm... they've been in the fruit bowl with some apples and other things for a few days, and it sounds like they're almost ready to eat. The Hachiya is definitely squishy. As silly as it might sound, I'm kind of excited. I love trying new foods!

    Let us know what you think! My grandma always made persimmon bread and cookies out of Hachiyas. I was laying in bed watching a live video of my farmer's market and they showed fuyu persimmons so I got dressed and picked some up. I love them in salad with feta and poppyseed dressing. They're super hard, I usually get them firm with a little give but the farmer assured me they're really sweet.

    That sounds intriguing. My wonderful local produce market has had fuyus recently, and I'm kind of oversupplied with my favorite local goat feta currently, so I think I need to try this. Thanks for the inspiration!
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 452 Member
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    Athijade wrote: »
    I am always nervous trying new things though because I have a medical condition that is food sensitive. So I worry if something will flare me.

    Me too, actually. It sucks! I'm thinking about scooping the Hachiya into my smoothie this morning. I have no berries and the mangoes aren't quite ripe yet. I've never tried longan, rambutan or mangosteen but I love lychee, so it sounds like I should keep an eye out for those, too. I love this thread!
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,248 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    I imagine a city the size of Cincinatti would have some asian supermarkets with good produce sections. The last time I saw fresh rambutan it was in a Vietnamese supermarket. I remember eating fresh rambutan and mangosteen for the first time on vacation in Thailand, so that means they must be in season in the winter because that was best time to visit SE Asia in terms of local weather. Longan is like a smaller version of lychee but I remember my mother telling me it has a different season.

    I am actually in the Indianapolis area. We have a bunch of asian markets, but I had never seen rambutan before. I had heard of it thanks to YouTube and TV, but never had been able to get my hands on some. Now I wish I had bought more! I have to make a trip out this weekend to at least 1 asian market (need a specific type of curry paste) so maybe I will hit the major ones near me to see if I can find anything.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,639 Member
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    A quick google says rambutan season is fall and winter. Mangosteen traditionally August to October, but there has been a technical breakthrough in the Phillipines that will make it an all season fruit. I saw on Wikipedia that Mangosteen has been introduced as a crop to Puerto Rico. You might be too late for lychee (late spring to early fall) and longan (July to September).
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,639 Member
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    I see rambutan has been introduced to Mexico, so that is good news for wider availability for North Americans.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,293 Member
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    I saw rambutan at our market here in Michigan last week - that may be a good sign for availability in Indy, for you, I hope!
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 452 Member
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    I put the Hachiya in my smoothie. Awesome decision!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,639 Member
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    I just put my lychee sorbet in the freezer using tinned fruit. I more or less used this recipe but skipped the coconut and replaced vanilla extract with rosewater because I wanted to emphasize the floral scent of lychees. I also added 2 tablespoons of vodka. I will probably still need to blitz with an egg white in the food processor tomorrow. Hoping this gives a lychee fix when they are out of season. That said, tinned lychee is fairly close to fresh fruit in the same way that tinned pear or pineapple are reasonably similar to fresh counterparts. Not the case with peaches for example.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZNEIij5W6s
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,296 Member
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    The kimchi was probably ready yesterday, but I didn't pull it out of the fermentation vessel. I did today. It's pretty good, and I decided to mix in the last of the other batch that was way too salty. This one is pretty spicy!


    When I put it away to ferment on Monday:

    44y0mwj9447k.jpg



    One of the half gallon jars that is now in the fridge:



    usoc6hey6c66.jpg


    What a pleasant stink!