Tawei Liao

Sun Dried Persimmons Are Ready!

On November 20th, 2009 I wrote an entry about sun dried persimmons.  It has been three weeks and I am here to say that our first batch of sun dried persimmons is a complete success!  They are delicious!  Here is the before and after picture:

persimmons enjoying the sun

The finished “hoshigaki” (japanese for dried persimmons) may not look as appetizing as fresh persimmons, but they are just as delicious in a completely different way.  The “hachiya” variety persimmons are very very sweet.  And you eat them when they are completely soft.  The dried version is not as sweet, but the persimmon flavor is concentrated.  The texture of the dried persimmons is a little like gummy bears.

Here are the step by step instructions on how to make your own sun dried persimmons:

1. Use only the hachiya variety persimmons.  Pick or buy them when they turn orange and are still hard.  You cannot use gently soft ripening persimmons.  They have to be hard.
2. Wash them and peel the skin with a regular fruit peeler.
3. Tie the stem with a rope and hang it onto a cloth drying rack.  See the before photo above.  It may be hard to tie the stem.  If your have your own persimmon tree, I suggest that you clip the stem into a T shape so there’s support for the rope.  If you bought the persimmons you’ll have to do the best you can with whatever stem is there.
4. Leave the persimmons out in the sun in the morning.  Bring them back into the house after dark.  Try to put the rack next to a heater vent if you can when they are in the house.  We leave ours out drying in the front yard in the morning because our back yard is full of squirrels. 
5. When they start to shrivel, gently massage them with your fingers.  The purpose of the massage is to facilitate the drying process.  Remember they dry from the outside but the inner core is still wet and soft.  Massaging them bring the juice out to the outer layer where it can dry.
6. Do the massage every  2-3 days  in the first two weeks.  After about three or four weeks of drying your persimmons will be ready!  They should be a little hard and rubbery like gummy bears.

That is it!  It is a little labor intensive because you have to bring the rack in and out of the house and do a little persimmon massage.  But the end product is well worth it.

Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford

This is a classic skit from Saturday Night Live. It is funny because it is so true. As of October 2009, the Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit Report shows a revolving debt of 886 billion dollars (revolving is credit card debt).

Food, Inc

Food, Inc

I heard about the documentary Food, Inc when it was first released. I finally got around to watching it. It is a must see documentary about our industrial food production. I highly recommend it to everybody, especially if you eat meat.

The story of how industrial food production makes people sick, pollutes the environment, exploits workers, and enriches a few is a complex subject. I have read several books on this topic already. But still I learned new things from this documentary.

I read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser years ago so I am keenly aware of his work. Eric Scholosser is a co-producer of this film. Some topics covered by this documentary include:

• The mechanized chicken factories and its’ effects.
• The role of corn in the entire production chain. Corn subsidies as one of the root causes of this entire problem.
• Obesity amongst the poor.
• Meatpacking industry and the exploitation of workers and its role in illegal immigration. IBP (now Tyson Fresh Meats) actually run newspaper ads in Mexico looking for workers.
• Monsanto and its patented genetically modified (GM) seeds.

The part on Monsanto and its legal tactics thoroughly disgusted me. We see Monsanto suing Moe Parr, a seed cleaner. He has a seed cleaning machine and helps farmers clean seeds so that the seeds can be replanted. Monsanto actively tries to drive him out of business. Why? Because farmers who use Monsanto’s generically modified seeds are not allowed to save seeds. They are contractually obligated to buy the GM seeds each year. If you save seeds and grow a new crop from the seeds, you are in violation of their patent. In addition to investigating and suing farmers, Monsanto also sues the seed cleaner. Keep in mind that Moe Parr is not a farmer. He operates a seed cleaning service.

The film presents the problems and it also shows us the glimmers of hope. We learn about

• Joel Salatin from Polyface Farms. Joel shows you how in his farm the cows roam free and eat grass, not corn. The cows move around so that their manure fertilizers the soil.
• The story of Stonyfield Farm and its success in the organic yogurt market. We learn about how Walmart became part of the organic movement and its decision not to carry milk produced with synthetic growth hormones.
• The story of a soybean farmers who refuses to buy Monsanto’s GM seeds.

The film ties together these complex subjects in an easy to understand way. I hope more people watch this film and become more aware of how your purchase decision have real consequences.

I recommend these other films and books if you want to learn more:

• Supersize Me. A popular and funny documentary that you may have hear. Morgan Spurlock eats McDonald’s for 30 days straight.
• The Food Revolution and Diet For A New America . Two books by John Robbins.
• The Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing. They are one of the earliest pioneers of the organic farm movement.