Is there a sweeter, more gourmet variety of jam than persimmon? It’s practically impossible to find it at the supermarket, though, so the only solution is to make it at home!
The important thing is choosing the tastiest persimmons – ripe to the right point, sweet, not too acidic, and definitely not overripe. We suggest using softer persimmons because hard persimmons are less suitable for cooking and much better to eat fresh and natural.
So, here’s our classic recipe for persimmon jam, with a few variations!
First, however, a tip: To avoid using powdered pectin, always add a few apple peels to the fruit as natural pectin. Your jam will be perfectly dense and compact.
Persimmon jam
Remove the skin and seeds from about 35 oz (1 kg) persimmons.
Transfer them to a fairly tall pot with the juice of a lemon, 1 cup (250 g) brown sugar, and a stick of vanilla.
Let cook over medium-low heat for about an hour or until the jam has reached the right consistency. Stir continuously to keep the jam from sticking to the pot or burning at the bottom. Always remember to use the saucer test to check the jam consistency: Pour a teaspoon of jam onto a saucer. If it doesn’t budge, then it’s ready. If it slides around, it’s still too liquidy.
Before placing the jam (still very hot) in sterilized glass jars, remove the vanilla berry.
Spicy persimmon jam
Prepare it now and use jars of it for Christmas presents! It will be a very welcome gift.
In the first recipe, we added vanilla, but you can also make your persimmon jam even more fragrant by adding cinnamon and freshly grated ginger. Adjust the number of spices according to personal taste.
Persimmon and walnut jam
A richer and more full-bodied variant of the classic recipe. Just add 1 cup (50 g) peeled and coarsely chopped walnuts and a drizzle of Marsala for every 35 oz (1 kg) persimmons once ready. You can also replace the walnuts with almonds – or use both!
Autumn jam
To the classic persimmon jam base, you can also add pears, apples, or even orange peel!
Always make sure that the fruit weighs twice as much (or even a little more) as the sugar.
Usually, you measure 35 oz (1 kg) fruit per 2 ½ cups (500 g) sugar, but since these are very sweet fruits, 1 ½ cups (300 g) sugar will be enough.