Wondering if you can freeze persimmons ? They’re such a bright and lovely fruit, and sometimes hard to find ! So if you’ve got yourself a big batch of persimmons (or kaki) you may want to freeze them. But can you ?
Can you freeze persimmons ?
Yes, you can freeze persimmons just like any other fruit. They will turn mushy when thawed, so make sure you use them in something where texture doesn’t matter, like jams or pie filling.
Before we dive into the many great ways you can freeze persimmons, we must first talk a bit about what these interesting things are!
The last time you took a trip out to your local fruit market or grocery store, you may have seen an orange or yellow fruit that looked an awful lot like a tomato! If it had a flower-like leaf atop its bright skin where the stem is located, chances are you found a persimmon!
The persimmon is actually a berry, believe it or not, that is native to Asia, coming in many varieties, two of which you may have seen before. The more popular of the two varieties is the fuyu, its shape a bit more akin to that of normal slicing tomato: round and stout.
The other popular persimmon is the hachiya, which has a longer shape, a bit similar to that of a plum tomato or even a giant strawberry without the outer seeds, if you can imagine such a thing!
Both popular persimmon varieties are quite delicious and actually quite expensive for such a small fruit, ranging from one to two dollars each, on average. So, if you happen to have a lot of persimmons that you want to save, you might turn to freezing to do it.
But, what’s the right way to freeze these wonderful fruits? Well folks, you’ve gotta keep reading if you want to find out!
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How to properly freeze persimmons
No matter how you decide to freeze your juicy, sweet persimmons, you must make sure they are ripe first. Just like many other fruits, if you do not freeze persimmons when they are ripe, they will never become ripe when thawed.
It is a sad truth, but freezing tends to maintain fruits in the same condition as they were frozen in, rather than allowing them to progress into anything except rot a few days after thawing.
So, as long as your persimmon is ripe, it can be frozen with no worries on your end. But, how can you tell if a persimmon is ripe? Well, it’s actually not all that difficult! Read on to find out so that you can properly freeze your persimmons!
1. Make sure the persimmons are ripe
Now, this step is crucial. As we mentioned, you must make sure your persimmon is ripe before you freeze it; otherwise, it will all be for nothing.
So, depending on the persimmon you have, the way you assess its ripeness may differ. If you have the stout, fuyu persimmon, you can freeze it when it’s a bit firm to quite soft. Just make sure it isn’t overly soft; there shouldn’t be any bruises in it and your finger shouldn’t be able to puncture its skin with only a slight press.
If you have the longer, hachiya persimmon, you must make sure it’s soft before freezing it. This type must be soft (not mushy) rather than firm to be considered ripe, so look out for that at the market!
2. There’s 5 ways of freezing persimmons
For this step, we have provided you with five very different methods of freezing persimmons. They range from quick and easy to a bit more difficult, but quite fun!
So, depending on your time constraints and desires, feel free to browse through these five methods to find the one that is right for you!
2.1. Put the whole persimmons in the freezer
Yes! You can actually just wash your persimmon and toss it (gently, haha) into the freezer! Although this method is not very fancy, it gets the job done.
So, simply clean your fruit, let it dry, place it on a small dish or wrap it in a towel, and stick it in the freezer. It shouldn’t take too long for your persimmons to freeze, since they are quite moist inside as it is.
Unfortunately, when you freeze them whole, your persimmons will not maintain their complex, tasty flavor for very long. They’ll really only stay good frozen like this for up to three days, maybe four if you’re lucky.
2.2. Cut the persimmons before freezing
Similar to the first method, you can simply chop, slice, or cube your persimmons (skin on or off) and pop them in the freezer like that! This will make it easier to thaw and snack or or use as you wish once you remove them from the freezer.
Again, though, this method will also not maintain their unique flavor for more than a few days.
2.3. Mash, blend, or puree the persimmons
Now, this freezing method takes one extra step than the last two, but trust us: it will be well worth it. If you remove your persimmons from their skins and blend them into a liquidy pulp, their flavor will last you up to six months in the freezer!
All you have to do to freeze them like this is scoop out the insides, take out the seeds for either the trash or the soil, and blend them up without the skin. Once you have mushy persimmon puree, feel free to pour it into an ice cube tray or a fun-shaped mold to freeze.
2.4. Make persimmon sorbet or ice cream
If you’d rather whip yourself up a delicious frozen treat using your persimmons, try your hand at making persimmon sorbet or even ice cream!
For sorbet, all you have to do is blend up your ripe persimmons, mix in some water or even your favorite tea, add a splash of lemon juice and any other ingredients you love (like ginger!), and churn it up in an ice cream maker!
You can do the exact same thing with the ice cream recipe, just add some cream, milk, or a non-dairy substitute in there to make it extra soft and luscious! You may even want to add some cinnamon or rosemary into the mix to make your persimmon ice cream extra unique and robust!
In this form, you should be able to keep your persimmons frozen for up to two weeks!
Now, if you don’t have an ice cream maker at home, don’t worry! Just throw your persimmon mixture into the freezer for a few hours, remove once it’s semi-frozen, and spoon it into the blender to mix till fluffy!
2.5. Freeze home-baked persimmon bread
Now, this method will certainly take the longest, but it may also be the most rewarding! Especially these days, when most of us are staying home for the holidays, it may be fun to enlist the help of your kids and make a nice loaf of sweet persimmon bread!
All you have to do is find your favorite sweet loaf recipe, add in your chunks of persimmon, and bake! After enjoying a few slices right away, allow the loaf to cool entirely before freezing it.
To freeze any bread, including your homemade persimmon loaf, wrap it up in some cling wrap, then a dish towel, and finally some aluminum foil and place it into the freezer. Your persimmons will last like this for up to six months!
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3.Thaw the persimmon and enjoy!
For all of the above methods, once you are ready to enjoy your persimmon, just remove it from the freezer, allow it to thaw, and dive in! Once thawed, persimmon should last for a couple of days if left in the fridge.
