Finding the Good Life in Japan
(Page 4 of 4)
October/November 2008
By Winifred Bird
We are fortunate to live in a place where rural lifestyles have a long history and are still maintained by the older generations. The opportunity to live in such a community and learn from it is an amazing experience. We hope to buy our own land before long, grow more of our own food, and deepen our knowledge of wise living. Beyond that, we want to help spread the word to young people in Japan’s urban areas that there’s a good life out here. With luck, some of them will explore it before those connections to the past disappear.
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How to Dry Persimmons
Visit the Japanese countryside in November or December, and you will see strings of deep orange persimmons drying under the eaves of farmhouses. Normally bitter when ripe, the fruit sweetens and softens as it dries.
If you want to try it yourself, use astringent persimmons, such as ‘Hachiya’ or ‘Honan Red.’ Pick or buy fruits when they are orange but still hard and inedible. If picking them yourself, use a clipper and cut the stem twig so it forms a small T above the fruit for easy hanging. Peel the fruit with a knife or vegetable peeler. Use sturdy string to tie the fruits from their twigs in a line, so they do not touch when hung vertically. Hang outside in a place that is protected from rain and snow, such as from nails or a horizontal pole under the eaves of the house. (I have also had luck drying persimmons without stems using clips or on flat baskets — just make sure to turn often.) When the fruit begins to soften (one to two weeks), gently squeeze and massage each one. Repeat this after a few more weeks. They are done when dark brown, leathery and shrunken, but not overly hard — about one or two months. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place. Enjoy Japanese style, as a snack with roasted green tea (hojicha) or ginger tea.
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