Since its coming up on persimmon season in north america i was curious about canning persimmon pickles or jams. I see a lot of recipes that simply add lemon juice to the jam to increase acidity to make it "safe" for water bath but according to this (dated September 2025) there is no guaranteed tested safe recipe. The ph is right on the margin and the fruit itself is too dense to heat evenly. So instead im going to freeze my persimmons and take them out over the year to make jam as needed until i run out.
Full text from the source:
https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/food-safety/the-truth-about-canning-persimmons-and-what-to-do-instead/
by julianradish
10 Comments
I love that you looked for a safe and tested recipe, found a reputable source for why they aren’t safe, and shared it here. I have a bunch in my freezer as well.
Fascinating
You could make up freezer jam and *use it*, as needed too! We can always cook, right? Just cannot always can. 🧡
They are also a great snack when they’re sliced and dehydrated
They dehydrate pretty well, just smash and seed them. Useful in sweet breads and whatnot
Wait, what? We can’t cook them down, strain out the juice, and make jelly like any other fruit?
Someone should write to Pomona’s to inform them of this:
[https://pomonapectin.com/persimmon-jam/](https://pomonapectin.com/persimmon-jam/)
I have a question, not arguing, just curious. If the problem, like with pumpkin, is that they’re not acidic enough and too dense, why could you not just use citric acid and puree with more liquid to change the acidity and density until it was the same as safe foods like apple sauce? In theory, there would be no difference that would affect the canning process. You would have to use a calibrated PH meter and do density calculations based on volume and weight, but it should be possible. I’m not encouraging anyone to try this, I’m just curious why it isn’t considered viable.
Persimmons freeze very well, fortunately. I use them for baking and keep them frozen in two-cup containers.
I follow thekoreanmama on Instagram, and she just had a reel showing how she peels and quarters fuyu persimmons and freezes them to enjoy later when they are out of season! It was great news for me, because persimmons are my favorite fruit and their season is so short.