Persimmon Jam for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather your ingredients. Wash the tangerines and persimmons. You can use firm-fleshed fruit or overripe ones.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the persimmons, cutting out any bruised spots on very ripe ones. Peel the tangerines, separate them into segments, and remove as much of the membrane as you can. Cut the persimmon and tangerine into small pieces.

3. Step 3:

   

   To get rid of the fruit's tart, astringent edge, freeze it before cooking. Once thawed, the astringency disappears. Skip the freezing step and that mouth-puckering astringency will carry through into the finished jam, hurting the flavor.

4. Step 4:

   

   Stir the sugar into the chopped fruit a little at a time. Let it sit for 30–40 minutes, until the persimmon releases its juice.

5. Step 5:

   

   Set the mixture over the heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to its minimum so it barely bubbles and just gently cooks down. Jam made from overripe persimmons will be ready after about half an hour of this gentle cooking; if the fruit was firm, cook for about an hour.

6. Step 6:

   

   Skim the foam off the finished jam and pour it into sterilized jars. This gives you a loose jam with pieces of fruit.

7. Step 7:

   

   For a thick, smooth jam consistency, blend it while it's still hot with an immersion blender.

8. Step 8:

   

   Return the jam to the stove and bring it to a steady boil — there won't be any more foam. Pour it into the prepared jars right away, seal, turn them upside down, and let them cool wrapped in a towel or blanket. The hot jam will be runny at first but thickens on its own as it cools, with no added pectin needed.

9. Step 9:

   

   This batch yielded one 1-pint (0.5 L) jar plus about 1 cup (200 ml) of delicious jam. Scale the recipe up as needed. The jam came out quite sweet, though the sweetness depends on the fruit itself. The color ranges from light amber to reddish, depending on the color of the persimmon flesh.