Earlier in this thread the use of ethylene and alcohol in processing Great Wall persimmons was touched upon, but I thought it would be of value to review this strategy and its noteworthy results. Many varieties of persimmons will ripen satisfactorily by just placing in a paper bag at room temperature; however, Great Wall, Tecumseh and a number of other varieties will soften somewhat but retain most of their astringency when processed this way. Freezing and thawing these fruits lessens but does not eliminate the astringency and causes a mushy degradation to the texture. Drying usually needs to be extreme to the point of making persimmon chips in order to precipitate the tannins and eliminate the astringency. Great Wall does respond well to combination ethanol and ethylene treatments. Firm orange fruit placed in a sealed plastic bag along with a ripe apple and a small amount of alcohol will become somewhat soft, but may be eaten without any detectable astringency well before reaching a mushy stage. This can take a week or longer. The fruit at this stage is opaque and does not have the typical translucent appearance of tree ripened fruit. The product is reminiscent of Rojo Brilliante and Sharon fruit, and for some consumers would represent an actual improvement over the softer tree ripened fruit. Would be interesting to see if this processed fruit could then be dehydrated without the return of astringency.

I went a little crazy last year so I still have a lot on the shelves. I have been giving some of it to my friends. This year I'm trying to keep it to stuff that I get free and cherries. I really liked the cherry amaretto jam I made last year so I'll make at least one batch of that gifts. I'm going to try to get some more sour cherries tomorrow. I saw a tree on public land. As far as I know it is fair game. And I am out of pepper jelly so I need some of that for me and bunches of people are lined up to buy some at our craft fair in November. The quinces in my neighborhood will have to become jelly (for the craft fair also). My friend who moved has a huge plum tree also. If her landlord (who is going to sell the house so it should be empty) doesn't lock the gate I'm going to try to get those too. Oh yeah, and I thought I would make apple pie jam for the craft fair also. That should be enough to keep me busy. It really sounds like much more than I intended now that I list it out. Oops.

I'd love to see your filling recipes. The Apple Crisp I make is a little different: APPLE CRISP (serves 6-8) 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 TBL flour 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 TBL grated orange zest 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I use more) 1/2 tsp nutmeg Pinch of salt 1/2 cup butter, melted 4 large tart apples In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, nuts, brown sugar & granulated sugar. Stir in the orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt, then blend in the butter. Lightly butter a 13x9" baking dish. peel, core & thinly slice the apples. Place the slices on the bottom of the dish & scatter the crumb mixture over the top. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 45 minutes.~~The Maine Collection PEAR CRISP (serves 6) 6 ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, sliced 1 TBL lemon juice 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup brown sugar Place pears in a greased 2 qt baking dish. Toss pears w/lemon juice, cinnamon & nutmeg. In a bowl, combine flour & butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Add oats & brown sugar. Stir well; sprinkle over pears. Bake in a preheated 375° oven 20-25 minutes or until browned & pears are tender. Serve w/ice cream or whipped cream.~~Food for Thought RASPBERRY ALMOND SQUARES 2/3 cup blanched whole almonds 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar 1 egg, separated 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup raspberry preserves Using a processor with a steel blade, process the almonds until finely chopped but not powdered. Or finely chop in ablender or by hand. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar & brown sugar. Beat in the egg yolk & vanilla. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon & salt. Stir into the creamed mixture, blending well. Press the dough into a lightly buttered 14x11" jellyroll pan. Spread the preserves evenly over the top. Beat the egg white until frothy & brush over the preserves. Sprinkle w/the almonds & gently pres into the preserves. Place in the center of a preheated 350° oven & bake 30-35 minutes or until the edges are browned & the center is almost browned. Remove from the oven & immediately loosen the sides with a spatula. Let cool in the pan 40 minutes, then cut into squares.~~Our Town Cookbook APRICOT BARS 1 2/3 cups quick oats 1 2/3 cup flour1 scant tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 stick butter, melted 10 oz jar apricot preserves Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 15x10x1" jellyroll pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, salt & brown sugar. Add the butter & mix until crumbly. Pack 1/2 the mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Spread the preserves evenly over the mixture. Sprinkle remaining mixture evenly over the preserves & pat down gently. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned.~~Gator Country Cooks

Thank you, skibby! Sure, I'd be happy to post it. I sort of winged it after looking at several recipes online and my measurements are not precise. Put one pint of berries or other fruit in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth to remove seeds if desired. Add one tspn lemon juice and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. If your fruit is tart like my blackberries were add sugar in small amounts to taste. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup of sugar. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and pour mixture onto baking sheet. Spread to about 1/8 inch thick. The thicker the layer, the longer it takes to try. Put in 170 degree oven for approximately five hours or until leather is no longer wet or sticky. Remove from oven and let cool. Mine was still a bit sticky when I took it out but the edges were beginning to get too dry, so I let it sit overnight and it was perfect the next morning. Cut into two inch strips and roll with parchment paper left on. Secure with twine, ribbon or rubber bands. Store in airtight container (I used a ziplock freezer bag). Keeps for up to one month. Enjoy! Your raspberries would work great and I'll bet the resulting fruit leather would be such a pretty color too!