Make the most of cranberry and persimmon season with cranberry persimmon preserves. This easy recipe will teach you how to preserve the season’s bounty!
In my family, the day after Thanksgiving is always filled with turkey sandwiches and leftover sweet potato casserole but, for some reason, the leftover cranberries always get tossed away or relegated to the depths of the freezer until next year.
So I decided to create a recipe for a simple (pectin-free) cranberry preserve. And, because it’s during the holiday season, I decided to throw in some fresh persimmon to up the season appeal.
Whether familiar with the process or not, his is the perfect way to use a bunch of cranberries at once, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make. The flavor is tart, sweet, and fruity, with a pleasant honey-like quality that makes the preserves versatile enough to pair with sweets and artisanal cheeses alike.
Why You’ll Love Cranberry Persimmon Preserves
Scaled-down preserves – Many preserve recipes yield substantial amounts, but this isn’t one of them, so it’s perfect for those who don’t want several jars in their fridge or pantry.
Minimal ingredients – I love short ingredient lists because instead of focusing on gathering everything you need, the focus switches to quality, thus creating a higher-quality product.
Great use of leftover cranberries – Cranberries are tasty, but it’s hard to make it through a bag because they are super tart. If you have a partial bag lying around, make this jam!
No processing required – I will cover how to process cranberry persimmon preserves; however, it isn’t needed. Refrigeration is just fine.
No pectin – Instead, the jam sets to a thick, spreadable consistency with the help of heat and refrigeration.
Cranberry Persimmon Preserves Ingredients Notes
- Cranberries: Cranberries are one of the two stars of this jam recipe, and they’re a good source of pectin, meaning they take on a gel-like consistency when cooked. I suggest using fresh cranberries, but if you only have frozen cranberries, use them. Since the jam is simmered, any extra moisture from freezing will cook out.
- Persimmons: The persimmons must be ripe for this recipe; otherwise, you will miss out on their wonderful flavor. A tip for determining if persimmons are ripe is to look at them. If they look rotten, they’re ready.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is all you need. It helps balance the tartness of the cranberries and thickens the jam.
How to Make Cranberry Persimmon Preserves
- Prep your fruit: Sort the cranberries and discard any rotten ones. Also, peel and dice the persimmons.
- Boil: The cranberries need more time to cook, so they go into the pot first, where they’re joined by sugar and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and leave to simmer until they break down.
- Sterilize: Once the cranberries are simmering, prep the jars and lids. To prep, first, wash the jars and lids with hot soapy water. Then, place the jars on a rack in a pot filled with water, bring the water to a boil, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Keep the jars in simmering water until you’re ready to fill them. Do the same with the lids and bands in a saucepan filled with water.
- Add the persimmon: When the cranberries start to break down, add the persimmon to the pot and continue to simmer until the desired level of thickness is achieved.
- Fill the jars: Remove the sterilized jars from the water, place lid side down onto a towel to drain excess water, then fill with the hot preserves (if you plan to process the jars) or wait for the cranberry persimmon preserves to cool (if opting for refrigeration storage). Don’t forget to run a rubber spatula along the inside of each jar to remove any air pockets. Next, wipe the rims and threads of the jars to remove any jam residue, place the lids on the jars, follow with the bands, and screw on until you feel some resistance.
- Refrigerate or process (if you want to): At this point, you can refrigerate the jars or, for shelf-stable jam, place the jars upright on the rack in the pot used to sterilize the empty jars. Cover the jars of jam with water by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, then boil while covered for 15 minutes. Once processed, set the hot jars of cranberry persimmon preserves on a towel and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips
Add spices – Go for warmth with cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger.
Skip the persimmon – If you don’t have a ripe one on hand or aren’t a fan of the fruit, only use cranberries. The jam is delicious either way.
Jars make a difference – Ensure you use quality jars for preserves, especially if processing them. Cheap jars often fail to seal correctly.
What Are Persimmons?
They look like a cross between an apricot and a tomato, but the winter fruits are in a league all their own. The edible fruits grow on trees and are botanically considered berries, albeit big berries. They have a delicate, sweet flavor with a slight tang and a unique custard-like texture that borders on silky.
Once your jam is ready, you can use your preferred canning method or, if you want a tutorial, here is a good one. This is perfect over a freshly toasted slice of bread, or simply spooned into your mouth.
Cranberry Persimmon Preserves
This Cranberry Persimmon Preserves recipe is incredibly easy to make and perfect as a spread, topping or filling on breads, pancakes or dessert treats.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
- 5 cups of fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 1 persimmon, peeled and diced
Instructions
- Add the water, sugar and cranberries to a large pot over a medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Once the cranberries have broken down, add the diced persimmons and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until at desired thickness.
- Once cooled down, seal in a jar and refrigerate to finish thickening.
Notes
Quick tip about persimmons, you know they're ripe when they almost look rotten. I know that seems counterintuitive, but if you want a sweet, soft fruit. Wait until they're super soft, then peel the skin and cut around the pit.
You can crush the cranberries as they cook leaving only chunks of persimmon in the preserves. Do as you prefer.
