pounds and pounds of persimmons

in which our plucky heroine makes ketchup...

I have several friends that cannot eat nightshade fruit in any form, and a few years ago, when my parking strip tree first had an abundant harvest, the idea of making persimmon ketchup crossed my mind. Persimmons have a similar pH to tomatoes, which makes substituting them in recipes easy as far as food safety is concerned. (persimmon pH : 4.4 - 4.7 ... tomato pH : 4.3 - 4.9)

Persimmon Ketchup


(adapted* from the tomato ketchup recipe, "Food In Jars" by Marisa McClellan)

4# persimmons,peeled and cubed
½ c chopped yellow onion (optional)
¼ c cranberries
1 c cider vinegar
6 T brown sugar
½ t celery seed
½ t mustard seed
½ t whole allspice
½ crushed cinnamon stick
¼ t ground black pepper

(optional) several sliced peeled beets **

{# = pounds, c = cups, T = tablespoons, t = teaspoons}

Combine persimmons, onions, and cranberries and cook until soft about a half hour or more. Pay attention that it does not stick to pan and burn, mixture will be thick.
Puree with a stick blender.

Add vinegar, sugar, and celery seed. Tie mustard seed, allspice, and cinnamon in muslin or use a tea ball, and add to mixture

If desired, add several peeled sliced beets, to shift the color of ketchup towards red.  (note for the beet averse, they are not left in the ketchup, merely simmered in the pot to add color)

Simmer over low heat until desired consistency, bearing in mind that it will thicken when cool. Remove beets and bag of spices. If a very smooth consistency is desired, force ketchup through a fine sieve before processing. I found using the porcelain pestle from my mortar made that process easier, and that I preferred it sieved. Celery seeds are tiny, but tiny ≠ nonexistent.

six 8oz jars, ½" headspace, process 10 minutes


* substitutions made: persimmon for tomato, cranberry for red bell pepper, black pepper for cayenne. I also entirely eschew the use of cloves as a seasoning, as my very first attempt at this recipe, despite reducing the amount of whole clove to a miniscule amount, resulted in a condiment that would serve well as a dental numbing gel, YMMV...

** my pal Cricket suggested using beets; undyed persimmon ketchup is a sort of yellowy-orange color...

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	roses kerchief	-	-
2	6 jars persimmon ketchup	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	x	-
7	-	x	x
8	-	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - Bounteous sweetness from my little tree, enough to share with other people as well...