You will love this classic recipe for Persimmon Jam, made with sweet, ripe fruit at the height of the season. It is the ultimate way to preserve this vibrantly coloured autumnal fruit to enjoy throughout the months ahead. To make this jam, you will use only four ingredients: fresh Persimmon, water, sugar and lemon juice – no additional pectin is required.
Sterilise the jar or jars you'll be using to store the jam. Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts – if they do, allow them to air dry, instead of placing in the oven. Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and place the jars in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Keep the jars warm.
For the Persimmon Jam:
Place two small saucers or plates in the freezer. (See Note 5.)
Wash and dry your fruit. Remove the stem from the fruit and peel the Persimmon.
Cut the fruit in half and then half again. Remove any seeds and blemishes. Roughly chop the fruit into 1 cm (½ inch) cubes.
Add the Persimmon cubes and water to a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Stir frequently for 10 minutes, using a long-handled wooden spoon, to ensure the fruit doesn't stick. (See Notes 6 and 7.)
Add the sugar and lemon juice to the saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves - this will take 3-5 minutes.If sugar crystals get caught on the side of the saucepan, scrape down with a spatula.
Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to a rolling boil.Boil for 12 minutes, stirring frequently. After 12 minutes, begin to check for the setting point. Your jam will likely take between 12-18 minutes, but it will depend on the width of your saucepan and how rapidly the jam is boiling.
Turn off the heat and spoon a little of the jam onto one of your chilled saucers.Let it stand for 30 seconds to cool, and then run your finger through it. If it wrinkles, even slightly, it is ready. If it is still quite liquid, put it back on the heat and boil for a further 1-2 minutes, and retest until ready. Alternatively, you could use a candy thermometer. Setting point is reached when the thermometer reaches 105 Degrees C (220 F).
Skim any scum off the top of the jam with a spoon.
Either leave the jam to stand for five minutes to allow the fruit to disperse evenly, or use an immersion blender to carefully blend the fruit to your desired consistency. (The photos show the jam pureed.)
Carefully ladle your jam into your hot jars and put the lids on immediately. Allow the jam to cool completely. Wipe the jars to remove any spills, and store the jam in a cool, dark place.
Notes
Persimmons: we use Fuyu for this recipe. Ensure your fruit is freshly picked and of good quality. Avoid fruit that is bruised or over-ripe. The persimmons contain pectin, which aids in the jam setting. If your fruit is older, it will contain less pectin.
Sugar: do not reduce the amount of sugar. Whilst the sugar sweetens the fruit, it also acts as a preservative and helps the jam to set. If you reduce the sugar, your jam may not be shelf-stable and may become mouldy.
Lemon juice: not only balances the sweetness of the sugar, but it also contains acid and pectin, which help to set the jam.
Sterilising the jars: properly sterilising your jars is an essential process to remove bacteria that could cause your preserves to spoil.
Chilled plates: we use the chilled plates to quickly cool the jam when testing the setting point.
Saucepan: I choose a large, wide saucepan that has enough height to enable the jam to boil vigorously. More surface area means the liquid will evaporate faster; having sufficient height means you can boil the jam at a higher heat and maintain the fresh flavour of the persimmons. Avoid aluminium, copper or iron pans; the acid in the fruit may react with the pan, giving the jam a metallic taste.
Wooden spoon: do not use a metal spoon - it will become very hot. A long-handled wooden spoon is important to avoid being burnt by a splash from boiling jam.
Setting point: my jam reached its setting point about 15 minutes after it began to boil rapidly. Boiling time will vary depending on the size of your saucepan and the heat that you apply.
Immersion blender: if you prefer smooth jam, carefully use an immersion blender, once you have taken the Persimmon Jam off the heat. The photos show the blended jam.
Storage: when the recipe is made according to instructions and the jars have been sterilised properly, the jam will be shelf-stable for up to a year when stored in a cool, dark place. A jar should be refrigerated after opening. This recipe has not been tested using a canning method. Please refer to the USDA Canning Guidelines for techniques, or follow a recipe designed for long-term canning.
Nutritional information: is based on one whole jar. The nutritional information is an estimate only.