Fruit selection
Dry raw materials should be high in dry matter content, good in flavor and color, not serious in enzymatic browning and suitable in maturity. In addition, the thickness of skin, the size of heart, the size and quantity of seeds and the amount of crude fiber are all related to the quality and output of dried products, so we should choose them carefully.
Generally speaking, persimmon fruit is large, round, wrinkle-free, dense in meat, high in sugar content, with small or seedless seeds, fully mature and red in color, but hard but not soft in flesh. Persimmon varieties that meet these conditions are: water persimmon in Xingyang, Henan, mirror persimmon in Heze, Shandong, Niuxin persimmon and pointed persimmon in Shaanxi.
choose
Persimmons used for processing should be fully mature, their sepals turn yellow, the fruit color turns yellow or reddish, and it is appropriate to harvest when the pulp is still hard. Fresh persimmon harvested at the right time has high processing rate, easy to remove astringency and soften, fast moisture removal, sweet taste, thick frost, bright red meat and good quality.
Persimmon grading
In order to facilitate processing and production, the harvested persimmon fruits are first removed from rotten fruits, soft fruits, pests and diseases, and then classified according to size. Generally, the weight of a single fruit is divided into three grades: 125g or more, 100-200g, and 80-95g.
fruit peel
For the persimmon fruit with rough skin, it is necessary to peel and remove the useless parts to improve the quality of the product, and at the same time make the water easy to evaporate and promote drying. Peeling can be done manually, mechanically or chemically.
Manual peeling: before peeling, cut off the stem of the fruit, cut off the sepals, keep the calyx plate and pedicel, flatten it while it is fresh, and thin the skin with an iron scraper until it is clean. This will not hurt the fruit, and it is not easy to crack in the sun, and it can also prevent the persimmon from being sugary and moldy.
Chemical peeling: Soak the fruit in the mixed solution of 60% ethanol and 30% sodium hydroxide at 7 1. 1℃ for 20-30 seconds, and then soak it in the solution of 15% sodium hydroxide at the same temperature for 2 minutes, which can get a good peeling effect and the yield is over 90%.
Put or hang.
Put the peeled persimmon calyx plates face down on the persimmon sieve and arrange them concentrically one by one, or hang the peeled persimmon fruit stalks with hemp rope in a string of 20-30.
dry-cure
Persimmon drying can be divided into natural drying and artificial drying. More traditional and common is natural drying.
Choose an open, sunny threshing floor or open space, directly put the bamboo curtain filled with persimmon fruits on the persimmon rack for drying, and hang it on the flat iron wire with a thin rope for drying. Sunny days generally last about 8- 10 days, and a big fruit lasts about 20 days. Open at night, pay attention to the weather changes, and take it back in time when it rains.
Sun-dried for about 20 days, when the outer pulp is slightly soft and forms a "thin skin", the first shaping and fruit kneading are started, after 3-4 days of sun-drying, the second fruit kneading is carried out, and then the persimmon fruit is sun-dried for 2-3 days. Then take off the rope of persimmon fruit, press it into a flat shape, put it in a foil pad or drying tray, and then dry it 10- 15. Turn 1-2 times a day in the sun, move indoors at night, cover with straw mats, remove the straw mats in the morning, and then dry. After two or three times according to the law, frost can be generated.
Pinch method: knead the fruit evenly, and don't leave any lumps. When pinching, press the top of the fruit with your forefinger and middle finger, and press the pedicle with your thumb. Rotate the fruit with a little force, and the fruit shape will gradually knead into a flat circle. It is best to knead fruit in the sunny and breezy morning, not in the afternoon and evening. Because the skin is dry after sun exposure during the day, it is easy to break when pinched, and the dew moistens and the fruit moisture escapes at night, so it is not easy to break when pinched in the morning. Every time the fruit is pinched, it should be rotated up and down to make the fruit receive uniform light and dry and wet. Generally, you can knead the fruit for 4-6 times.
In addition, before insolation, persimmon blanks can be fumigated when they are loose to improve quality. The persimmon processed in this way is transparent, bright, yellow, sweet and not greasy, and the first-class product rate can reach over 90%.
Manual drying: firstly, peel the persimmon fruit and remove the calyx, preferably cut it in half, and then put it into the dryer for drying. However, special attention should be paid: persimmon fruit that has been astringent must be used, otherwise it must be astringent before drying.
Duiwu
Put the persimmon in a cage or bamboo basket and turn it every 1-2 days to prevent the persimmon from sticking. When turning, check whether the persimmon is completely dry and whether the fruit shape is straight. If it is not dry enough, make up the sun and straighten the fruit shape.
Straightening method: put the persimmon on a wooden board, and rotate and flatten it on the persimmon stem with a wooden board about 30cm long and 10cm wide. If the stalk is crooked, straighten it, and then turn the persimmon upside down and flatten it, so as to make it straight, beautiful and pie-shaped. Put these shaped persimmons in a bamboo sieve to dry for one day, and then put all the persimmons in a bamboo basket for frost.
defrost
The frosting amount of persimmons is related to the dryness and humidity during stacking. Persimmons are too dry to soften, and the frost is thin; Persimmons are too wet to be frosted, and even if they are frosted, they are easily infected. Persimmons with moderate humidity will frost quickly and more.
The white crystals precipitated during frosting are mainly mannitol and glucose, which can moisten the lungs and resolve phlegm.
Different places have different frosting methods. The general method is to use a ceramic jar, put the jar in a cool place and put the two cakes together. 1 layer persimmon peel and 1 layer persimmon cake are placed in the jar, the jar is filled and covered with 1 layer persimmon peel, and then the jar is sealed. It will frost in about 30 days. Or put the persimmon in a special bamboo cage and shake it up and down to make the persimmon frost powder fall off. Every 50 kg of persimmon can be frosted by 0.5- 1 kg, generally it can be frosted three times. After defrosting, the persimmon and several times of frost powder were dried in the sun for 1-2 hours, and then sold in jars.
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The finished persimmons should be packed in easily sealed, insect-proof, rat-proof and moisture-proof ceramic containers and stored in a dry and ventilated place at low temperature.
When persimmon is stored in a jar, in order to prevent persimmon frost from melting due to high water content, some dried persimmon skins can be mixed with persimmon and packaged.
Collect persimmon frost and make persimmon frost cakes.
Collect the persimmon frost that falls off when the frost persimmon is turned over, and screen out the impurities. Add100g of water to every 500g of persimmon frost, heat and melt it, cool it slightly, rub it into strips with a diameter of 3cm on the table, cut it into small pieces with a length of 3cm, and knead it into oblate shape with thin sides and thick middle by hand, which is persimmon frost cake.