@PharmerDrewee,
Mine never developed the sugar bloom. My guess is that my house is way too dry (and too cold) for it to happen. It was a fun experiment.
Next year I have to look for Hachiya. It is harder to find (and more expensive) than more popular Fujus and Rojo Brillantes. I may do this with RB since it is an astringent type.
Mine only developed a slight sugary bloom. I ended up drying them inside as well. I think I might have had better luck with achieving a sugary bloom if I had let them dry outside. Someone suggested on a persimmon facebook group that a difference in day and night temperatures helps with this. Mine still tasted very good regardless. They just aren’t as pretty to look at without the white coating.
Got Hachiya at @1.99 a lb so I bought a dozen for about $10.
Will do Hoshigaki for most of them. I probably will do them inside as we have frequent rain.
How about hanging a wasp trap with cider vinegar as bait.
Dried persimmons are one of my favorite dried fruit. When I see Hmart has it on sale $10/ 3 pound box I usually buy 5 boxes and store them in refrigerator.
I have heard story from a Chinese friend whose parents dry persimmons every year. It is a crop in that region. After the persimmons is about 70% dried under the sun. They are supposed to be stored in a pot and sealed for months to let the white powdery sugar develop on the surface. Therefore the dried persimmons are all fat. They were stacked on top of another, tightly packed with minimum air to avoid spoil the fruits
I don’t have a wasp trap. I hope to just use cider vinegar.
@IL847 the cheaper price for Hachiya is $1.99 a lb. Usually, it is more expensive than that around here.
Hachiya has bigger fruits. $1.99 a pound is not a bad price. I buy a box for $20~30 from hmart when it is on sale.
how long can you keep it once its done? Is there a recommended way to keep it dry and cool only or fridge?
Dried persimmon last a very long time. I dried persimmon into fruit leather and was eating it 3 years later
Annie,
Do those containers need to be opaque so light cannot shine through or can they be transparent plastic containers?
In my previous attempt, the dried persimmons tasted good but did not develop sugar bloom. If the method you mention could help create sugar bloom, I want to experiment.
Yesterday, I took them out for direct sun drying. Big mistake!!, flies and wasps were swamping on them. I quickly brought them indoors. I turned on a fan to discourage fruit flies. So far, it works.
Wait until a frost if you want to dry them outside. That should reduce the insect population. I know; this is easier said than done especially if the persimmons are ripe and available now rather than later.
Mine developed a bloom when I stored them in the fridge for a couple months.
Yup. This is the time Hachiya are in store here. I need to buy them when they are available. This batch I bought almost 2 weeks ago. By the time I got to make Hoshigaki, all were quite ripe. A couple were too mushy already. Less ripe/firmer persimmons are better for drying, I think.
Did you put your dried persimmons in a tight container before putting them in a fridge,
I only put them in a sealed ziplock bag and forgot about them.
I need to start picking my numerous Picudo persimmons to start drying before they app soften. I think I get more enjoyment looking at the trees covered in orange fruit than I do eating them.
Andrew,
How many lbs of Hoshigaki persimmons you make this year?
I went back to the same store and bought a dozen more Hachiya. I hope to make a second batch of Hoshigaki this week. I hang them indoors and turn on a fan to discourage fruit flies.
This how I trap the fruit flies. A large clear plastic bag and put a half peeled banana 
in the open bag and you invite the fruit flies in for a feast. Once enough of them landed in the bag then I close the open top of the bag with my hand and crushed them with my fingers or take the bag outside and let them fly away outdoor.
Tony,
Thanks. Mass elimination of such pests is a good thing.
I actually haven’t started yet. The persimmons are mostly still on the trees and hard. I have vacation the next couple weeks to hopefully figure that out. I don’t think I need to buy Hachiya this year other than to enjoy fresh. Maybe I’ll like the various astringent varieties that fruited fresh, but that’s to be determined.
Too bad you don’t live nearby. I’d persuade you to help me peel kaki.
Andrew,
I’d be happy to help you peel persimmons with 30 % commissions in form of dried persimmons 
. I may not be a good cook but I can peel any fruit and veggies well (had years of apprenticeship under my sister who is a great cook).
Just finished peeling mine and left two for fresh eating.
I’d give you 40% commission if you massaged them twice a week for me as they dried 
Hmmm those sort of look like Rojo Brillante. That cross shape indentation on the bottom of the unpeeled fruit makes me think this. Did you taste a firm one to see if the astringency was removed?
