By Living Room Realty, January 6, 2021
Hi Readers!
Recently, I helped a friend/client purchase an awesome mid-century ranch in Southeast Portland. It is a time capsule with nearly 4,000 square feet, an owner’s suite that has a bathroom with a built-in scale (tiny waists of the 50’s, I guess?), paneled walls, an incredible outdoor barbecue area complete with a spit, and nearly a quarter acre of land. But that isn’t the best part of this house. It’s the persimmon tree in the front yard.
It’s massive, and stunning. The fruit is such a beautiful shade of orange when it fully ripens, and tastes like honey. But, frankly, I’ve never known what to do with persimmons. Ben did.
During inspections, the tree was FULL of Hachiya persimmon fruit. We asked the listing agent if it was okay to harvest and they pointed us to the basket picker that was just for that purpose. Ben excitedly told me he wanted to make Hoshigaki.
Here’s how Serious Eats explains Hoshigaki: “In Japan, Hachiyas are turned into a popular sweet, Hoshigaki, which is made by peeling the ripe fruit, hanging it carefully from a pole, and gently massaging it every day so that its juices evaporate and its sugars are drawn out to coat the exterior. The result is sweet and dense and slightly chewy—the Kobe beef of dried fruit.”
If you #search on Instagram hoshigaki, you’ll find tons of photos – it’s a beautiful and time-consuming process, but worth the wait.
Ben, I hope the house was worth your wait, too. Here’s to many happy years of drying fruit, hosting outdoor soirees and having fun.
If you’ve been thinking about making a move, I would love to help you on that journey, and I would especially love the opportunity to exchange recipes and cooking techniques.
Till next time,
