Fruit Vinegar - Japan - ARI
by the Asian Rural Institute
page developed by Rina Tanaka, ARI Volunteer
submitted April 2021
Persimmon Vinegar
for plant vitality and resistance to pests and diseases
This page shows how to make vinegar from persimmons which are local fruits that we enjoy at ARI in the fall. Vinegar can be made from various materials including many kinds of fruits such as mangos, papayas, and pears. What fruits do you have in your place?
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Making persimmon vinegar - the only ingredient we need is persimmons!
What is (persimmon) vinegar?
Vinegar is a sour liquid whose key components are acetic acid (CH3COOH) and water. It has many uses such as adding a sour taste when cooking, or for sterilization when preserving food (pickling). Vinegar is also useful in the fields. It can boost plants’ metabolism and serve as a natural pesticide.
How do we make persimmon vinegar?
1. Preparing the persimmons
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First, harvest ripe persimmons. The persimmons can be the bitter or sweet variety or a mix of both. Do not wash or wipe the surface because that might remove the yeast which is important for fermentation. To provide an idea of how much vinegar can be made from a certain amount of persimmons, 17 small persimmons produce about 350ml of vinegar.
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Remove the calyx (stem part) because bugs like to hide underneath it.
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Put all the fruits in a container and keep the container in the shade until the persimmons get soft (about 10 days). To make sure bugs do not get inside, cover the container with paper. We use paper instead of plastic because the yeast on the surface of the persimmons needs air for fermentation.
2. Setting up for the fermentation process
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After the fruits have become soft, crush them with a stick. Put the crushed fruits into a container and replace the cover. Be careful not to pack too much fruit into one container because it will expand in volume due to air (carbon dioxide) that is produced during the fermentation process. If we do not leave enough space between the persimmons and the cover the container could burst!
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After 3 days (left): The contents still look like crushed persimmons, but we can see some air bubbles forming from fermentation. The smell is already alcoholic.
After 1-3 weeks (middle): The content is less watery. There are many air bubbles due to fermentation. The smell of vinegar becomes stronger as time passes.
After 1 month (right): There are no new bubbles since it has approached the end of fermentation.
Note: The pictures suggest that there is a huge decrease in the volume of the content over time. However, this is inaccurate because we removed some of the content to another jar because it expanded and burst through the cover!!
Stir the contents every 3 days as it ferments. Early in the process, there is a smell of alcohol as the sugar in the persimmons turns into alcohol. There are also a lot of air bubbles and white yeast. If we find any black or blue fungi, we remove it.
Later, the alcohol is fermented by the acetic acid bacteria and turns into acetic acid, producing a sour smell. The entire fermentation process takes about one month.
3. Straining off the solid parts from the vinegar
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We want to separate the liquid (vinegar) and the solid parts of the persimmons. Prepare a clean cloth and put some of the contents on it. Wrap the cloth around the persimmons and squeeze it to push the juice (vinegar) out into a container. The remaining solid part can be composted. Keep the vinegar in an air-tight bottle to store.
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Persimmon vinegar after removing the solid parts of persimmons
How do we use (persimmon) vinegar for farming?
When we applied too much nitrogen fertilizer to our plants (Dilute 5 times with water - 5:1)
Too much nitrogen can have a negative impact on plant growth including outbreaks of pests and diseases that feed on nitrogen. You might also see yellow dry leaves due to the ammonia gas produced from the excess nitrogen. Spraying vinegar promotes metabolism and helps plants take up and process nitrogen.
When we want to prevent disease (Dilute 5 times with water - 5:1)
Since vinegar is acidic, it can suppress bad bacteria when sprayed on plants.
When we want to get rid of pests
If plants have too much nitrogen, insects are attracted. As mentioned above, spraying vinegar on the plants can help them process the nitrogen which keeps the bugs away.
When we want to make WCa or WCaP
Because of its acidity, vinegar can dissolve solid calcium such as eggshells or oyster shells and turn them into a form that is easier for plants to absorb. Thus, it plays an important part in the process of making WCa and WCaP. You can make fruit vinegar with other fruits including mangos, papayas, and pears. We invite you to make your own fruit vinegar using local materials as an experiment and share your results with us (gradout@ari-edu.org) !
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