1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, we've all been handed our fair share 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: of lemons lately. So enough already with the lemonade. As 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: time sprawls on with ongoing challenges and unhold potential, why 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: not grab it by its stem, ties, string around it, 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: and give another of life's astringent fruits a shot at 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: proverb status. When life hands you per simmons, make hushigaki. 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: A hushigaki is a type of dried per simon, Originally 9 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: a method of preserving the fall harvest for winter. Hushigaki 10 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: are a century's old Japanese delicacy that's easy to make 11 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: but is remarkably time and effort intensive. The week's long 12 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: process happens slowly, requiring patience, mindfulness, and almost microscopic attention 13 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: to detail, and a near daily practice of gently and 14 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:06,839 Speaker 1: slowly massaging each percimon by hand. There are many species 15 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: and varieties of persimmons, though they tend to be about 16 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: the size and shape of a tomato, either squatly round 17 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: or more oval and sort of pointed, and are golden 18 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: to red to brown in color when they're mature. The 19 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: fruits are sweet and taste sort of rich, like squash, 20 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 1: with a little bit of fruity spice to them. You 21 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: can categorize persimmons into two main categories, a stringent and 22 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 1: non astringent. A stringency is the quality of things that 23 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: make you pucker. They taste drying and sort of bitter. 24 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: Non estringent per simon varieties like fuyu and gito can 25 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: be eaten fresh out of hand like an apple, or 26 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: peeled and sliced into any dish that you'd like peeled 27 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: sliced fruit in, either while they're still crisp or when 28 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: they're a little riper and thus softer and sweeter. They're 29 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: also dried in slices like apples or mangoes. These stringent varieties, 30 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: like one called hachia, have to be uber ripe to 31 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: be eaten fresh. They're essentially so puckery that they're inedible 32 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: until they're jelly on the inside, at which point you 33 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: scoop out that jelly and eat it straight or incorporate 34 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: it into desserts like puddings. You can take unripe hachia 35 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: and freeze them or blend them up and then incorporate 36 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: them into foods or drinks, probably with some sugar, but 37 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: the most famous way to make them palatable is by 38 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: making hushigaki. Hushagaki are made from ferm hachia with just 39 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: the right tat of softness and preferably a longish stem 40 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: still attached. Anybody can hypothetically make them. There's no one 41 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: exact right way, and people have lots of different tips 42 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: and techniques, and outcomes vary with the maker and the 43 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: year and the individual fruit. All you need is a knife, 44 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: some string, and hatchia per simmons, which in the US 45 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: can be found at many Asian groceries, California Farmer's Market, 46 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: and some supermarkets. You first peel the skin off each 47 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: hattia with a knife, leaving a little bit of skin 48 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: around the stem, and tie length of string around each 49 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: stem four persimons. Without a stem, you can sterilize a 50 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: stainless steel screw, screw it through the top into the 51 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: core and attach your string to that screw. Next, sterilize 52 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: each percimon by dipping it in boiling water for just 53 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: a couple seconds. Some makers will do a quick dunk 54 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: in vodka or brandy instead. You hang the persimons indoors 55 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: someplace warm and dry with good air circulation, like in 56 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: a sunny window, and leave them undisturbed for a week 57 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: to air dry. After a week, using a very gentle touch, 58 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: never squeeze, You press each persimon ever so gingerly once 59 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: a day, working your way up to a very light 60 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: daily massage. This soft coddling helps break down the pulp 61 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: and smooths the outside of the fruit, where wrinkles could 62 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: entrap moisture and harbor mold. It also forces out internal 63 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: air pockets and lets the natural sugars inside rise to 64 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: the surface of the fruit, where they eventually form a white, 65 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: powdery bloom, a sort of crust that looks like powdered sugar. 66 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: Over several weeks anywhere from as few as three weeks 67 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: to a few months, the fruit will soften and shrivel, 68 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: forming a craggy exterior with deep grooves in the folded skin. 69 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: At the end of the process, you gently roll the 70 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: hushigaki with a rolling pin to achieve even thickness and 71 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: get rid of any remaining air bubbles and VOILA a 72 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: time to test the literal fruits of your labor. If 73 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: all goes well, your hushigaki should be amber colored and firm, 74 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: but pliable, almost gummylike in texture, sort of like a 75 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: whole fruit petato fruit. The drying process brings out flavors 76 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: of honey and caramel and warm fall spices. They can 77 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: be stored in an airtight container and shared with your 78 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: most appreciative friends, or say, at your ledger, for up 79 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: to a year or more. Because of their labor intensive 80 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: creation process, pushikaki are expensive for a dried fruit. They 81 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: tend to run about five bucks apiece if you're buying 82 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: them instead of massaging them yourself. In Japanese tradition, they're 83 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: often given as gifts at New Year's or other winter holidays. 84 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: Pushadaki are often savored in small slices as a snack 85 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: alongside tea or incorporated into New Year's themed dishes, and 86 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: they're a lovely treat on a cheese or charcuterie plate. 87 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: You can find them online if you don't happen to 88 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: have any markets that carry them in your area. Today's 89 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: episode is based on the article when life pansy persimmons 90 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: make Koshigaki on how stuffworks dot com, written by Kerry Tatro. 91 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how 92 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 1: Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four 93 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 94 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.