PERSIMMONS

Autumn means that the persimmons are ripening and their bright orange colour ensures that only do they please the taste buds, but also the eyes. Some people do not like eating these. What about you? Are you a persimmon eater or a persimmon hater?

Here is a recipe for persimmon paste if you are a liker:

Persimmon Paste
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, to grease
1kg just ripe persimmons, peeled, deseeded, coarsely chopped
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
60ml (1/4 cup) water
440g (2 cups) sugar

Method
Brush an 18cm square cake pan with oil to lightly grease. Line base and 2 sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang sides.
Place the persimmons in a large heavy-based saucepan with the lemon juice and water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until persimmons are soft.
Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly. Place persimmon mixture in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Return to the pan with the sugar and stir over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes or until the mixture thickens and stays separated for a few seconds when you drag a spoon through the centre or until temperature reaches 105°C on a sugar thermometer.
Pour the mixture into the lined pan. Set aside for 1 hour or until firm. Cut into pieces to serve.

This post is part of the Friday Photo Journal,
and also part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.

SUNFLOWER

Helianthus annuus, the common sunflower, is a large annual forb of the genus Helianthus in the family Asteraceae, grown as a crop for its edible oil and edible fruits (sunflower seeds). This sunflower species is also used as bird food, as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), and in some industrial applications.

The plant was first domesticated in the Americas. Wild Helianthus annuus is a widely branched annual plant with many flower heads. The domestic sunflower, however, often possesses only a single large inflorescence (flower head) atop an unbranched stem.

The name sunflower may derive from the shape of the flower head, which resembles the sun, or from the impression that the blooming plant appears to slowly turn its flower towards the sun as the latter moves across the sky on a daily basis. Sunflower seeds were brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

PANDANUS FRUIT

Pandanus tectorius is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) in the family Pandanaceae that is native to Malesia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Common names include Tahitian screwpine, thatch screwpine, hala and fala.

P. tectorius is a tree that grows to 4–14 m tall. The single trunk is spiny and forks at a height of 4–8 metres. It is supported by prop roots that firmly anchor the tree to the ground. The fruit of P. tectorius is either ovoid, ellipsoid, subglobose or globose with a diameter of 4–20 cm and a length of 8–30 cm. The fruit is made up of 38–200 wedge-like phalanges, which have an outer fibrous husk. Phalanges contain two seeds on average, with a maximum of eight reported. The phalanges are buoyant, and the seeds within them can remain viable for many months while being transported by ocean currents.

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is a major source of food in Micronesia, especially in the atolls. It is also one of the traditional foods of Maldivian cuisine. The fibrous nature of the fruit also serves as a natural dental floss. It is also used in Samoan culture as a Ula Fala, a necklace made out of the dried fruit painted in red and is worn by the Matai during special occasions and functions.

The tree's leaves are often used as flavouring for sweet dishes such as kaya jam, and are also said to have medicinal properties. It is also used in Sri Lankan cookery, where the leaves are used to flavour a variety of curries. Leaves were used by the Polynesians to make baskets, mats, outrigger canoe sails, thatch roofs, and grass skirts.

Here the fruit is seen on top of some oranges for scale.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Food Friday meme.

Here is a method for preparing pandanus purée:

PUMPKIN HARVEST

It's pumpkin harvest time and the Jap pumpkins are ready! Are you feeling a bit confused about what Jap pumpkin is? You’re not the only one! Jap pumpkin is listed as a safe low FODMAP pumpkin in the Monash University Low FODMAP foods. FODMAPs are a collection of short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols found in foods naturally or as food additives. FODMAPs include fructose (when in excess of glucose), fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), lactose and polyols (eg. sorbitol and mannitol). A low FODMAP diet is indicated in people suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

But what exactly is Jap Pumpkin? Jap pumpkin was originally called Kabocha squash/pumpkin and this name is used in North America, UK and Japan.‘Jap’ is short for Japanese Pumpkin, which is what it is often called in Australia or New Zealand. The name Jap pumpkin is now being phased out in may areas as it has racist connotations. This type of pumpkin is also referred to as Kent pumpkin. The Kabocha pumpkin is an Asian variety of winter squash from the species Cucurbita maxima.

Look for pumpkins with a hard, thick skin that are heavy for their size. Once cut, remove seeds, cover and store in the fridge for up to one week. Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta carotene. It also contains dietary fibre, potassium, and vitamins C and E.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Food Friday meme.

FIGS

Ficus carica is an Asian species of flowering plants in the mulberry family, Moraceae, known as the common fig (or just the fig). It is the source of the fruit also called the fig, and as such is an important crop in those areas where it is grown commercially. Native to the Middle East and western Asia, it has been sought out and cultivated since ancient times, and is now widely grown throughout the temperate world, both for its fruit and as an ornamental plant. The species has become naturalised in scattered locations in Asia and North America.

Figs can be eaten fresh or dried, and used in jam-making. Most commercial production is in dried or otherwise processed forms, since the ripe fruit does not transport well, and once picked does not keep well. The widely produced fig newton or fig roll is a biscuit (cookie) with a filling made from figs. Fresh figs are around from late Summer through to mid-Autumn. Fresh figs used in cooking should be plump and soft without bruising or splits. If they smell sour, the figs have become over-ripe. Slightly under-ripe figs can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days to ripen before serving. Figs are most flavourful at room temperature.

Raw figs are a good source (14% of the Daily Value, DV) of dietary fibre per 100 gram serving (74 calories), but otherwise do not supply essential nutrients in significant content. In a 100 gram serving providing 229 calories, dried figs are a rich source (> 20% DV) of dietary fibre and the essential mineral, manganese (26% DV), while several other dietary minerals are in moderate-to-low content. Figs contain diverse phytochemicals, including polyphenols such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin and rutin. Fig colour may vary between cultivars due to various concentrations of anthocyanins, with cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside having particularly high content.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Food Friday meme.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES...

We have a few tomato plants in our garden, but this year they have not done well, it has not been much of a tomato year. Nevertheless, even if the tomato plants are dying, one can rescue quite a few of the green tomatoes and what better way to use them than...

Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
3 green tomatoes
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil

Method
1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1 cm slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place in separate shallow bowls: The flour; the buttermilk and egg; and the bread crumbs and cornmeal.
2 Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Beat the egg and the buttermilk together. Dip tomato slices in the flour, then buttermilk-egg mixture, then the cornmeal-bread crumb mix. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown. Set the cooked tomatoes on paper towels to drain.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Food Friday meme.