Hi Grace. No, the alcohol is in a separate dish beside the fruit.
@cdamarjian “CO2 from Soda stream” ?
Explain please. I’d like to find a cheap way of doing this. I tried the alcohol method once, but I didn’t like the results (compared to just letting the fruit ripen fully). Maybe CO2 is what I need to do. But not if I need to spend much.
Thanks!
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Hear hear! That has been my experience too.
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Well, yes, you do need a CO2 generator for starters, like the one that comes with a Soda Stream, the kitchen appliance that injects CO2 into water to make fizzy water. At end of Nov they were on sale on Amazon for $49, although now I see they are back to regular price. Maybe on sale again after the holidays.
For astringent persimmon use, you put persimmons in a freezer strength plastic bag, zip top almost all the way closed, press out room air, insert opening in bag under the CO2 nozzle, and add CO2 until the bag is nearly full. Twist the top of bag closed (zip-loc top isn’t reliably air tight), and twist tie.
My Saijo became non-astringent yet still firm in 1 day. Store-bought Hachiya took 2-3 days.
Makes you appreciate the complex flavor of a sliced astringent compared to a Fuyu!
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A nearly cost-free alternative would be to place vinegar and baking soda in a bottle with a 1-hole stopper with pinched tubing. Run tubing into ziplock bag and open the pinch. This takes a lot of manual dexterity!
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As a potentially cheaper alternative to soda stream CO2 tanks, you could buy a small paint ball CO2 tank - I have a 20 oz tank that costs me $6 to refill at a paint ball supply store.
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Great idea. Paintball tanks a better deal. (Soda stream 14.5 oz tanks exchanged for full ones for $15.)
Would you need an on/off fitting and nozzle for the top of paintball CO2 tank? I considered the paintball option, but was stymied by the modifications.
Yes, it’s called a paint ball tank remote line. That would allow you to control the CO2 flow and fill your bag of persimmons. Since you already have a soda stream, though, you could get a cheaper paint ball tank to soda stream adapter. If you were going to do larger quantities, it’d be even cheaper over the long term to buy a 5lb CO2 tank and get it filled at a place like Airgas instead of using paint ball tanks.
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Thanks!..will check out paint ball to soda stream adapter.
I have a 5lb tank for my home brewing setup. It also works for store bought kegs, so if you drink beer or are interested in taking up homebrewing that is another reason to make that jump. It also saves a significant amount of money over buying cans/bottles of good brew.
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Thank you, @cdamarjian and @ncdabbler! I love the baking soda & vinegar idea! It’s cheap and DIY!
I’ve got to play around with this.
PSA!
After having my mouth murdered by a (what I thought) was a ripe Hachiya persimmon, I then did what @danchappell suggested with my next hachiya…
@danchappell “When the astringent types feel like a water balloon, they are ripe. If the flesh is still firm they are not ready.”
and BINGO, a deliciously sweet (almost too sweet) Hachiya. No astringent quality what so ever. I was very hesistant to take a bite but Im glad I did.
They were crazy soft, and you could eat the skin and all.
Thanks dan!
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@FarmGirl-Z6A those fuyu’s shouldnt need any treatment…
let the other ones get super soft and you should be g2g
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Yes, fuyu you can just eat. Or let them sit until a bit soft and they’ll get a little bit sweeter and richer, but not a huge amount.
@Sean If you ever try one and it is still astringent, then just put it in the freezer for a few days, then take it out, thaw it and chomp away - or more likely slurp. I’m not sure how well freezing works for very unripe, but I’ve done it several times when I was counter ripening and tried one a bit too early and it works great. Actually, if they’re cut in half when you put them in, you can start spooning as soon as they slightly thaw and it is almost like a sorbet.
For folks trying the alcohol treatment, I think it does need to be hard alcohol of 80 proof or more, since you need the air inside the bag to be pretty highly saturated with alcohol to have it affect the persimmons.
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Great, thanks for the advise! 
I did a set of tests and determined that the best approach is using an apple. That’s the easiest and most delicious way.
I tried the following tests using 3 persimmons for each method. Every group was tested for 3 days.
-
Freeze them
The fruits will turn too soft after taking out of the frig. The texture is too watery. And you must consume them almost immediately, otherwise they will go bad quickly in a day or two. -
Use alcohol
I used wine 12% alcohol in a bag with the fruits. It did not work. Probably too weak.
I used the 75% rubbing alcohol. It worked (removed the astringency), but the alcohol taste is strong. Again, do not use rubbing alcohol. I just used it for testing purpose.
So I think the liquor with high alcohol content works, but with some alcohol taste as well. -
Use an apple
I sealed a ripen apple along with 3 persimmons in a ziplock bag. They came out perfectly after 3 days. Taste so good and the astringency was completely gone.
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I bought a box of hachiyas and left them outside on my back porch (protected from rain and varmints) for a week. Temps ranged 32-60F. All ripened nicely.
Would a banana accomplish the same purpose as the apple? I’ve use a banana in a paper bag to ripen other fruits with success before.
The link below provides more details. It seems apples are the best choice for producing ethylene.
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