Dried Persimmon Making, Hsinchu

We came to Weiweijia Persimmon Orchard (味衛佳柿餅工廠 ) in Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County (新竹縣新埔鎮) in an early morning of mid September. Although I hardly eat persimmon, the beautiful scene of drying persimmons in Taiwan is something I did not want to miss. The color and fragrance of persimmon, and friendly people in the orchard left us an unforgettable memory!

Because of the hilly terrace geography and dry climate of Xinpu with the famous “September dry wind”(九降風) through December, Xinpu, Hsinchu makes excellent dried persimmon! These 4 months are the best times to come to taste the dried persimmon and photography. In order to capture some shots, we decided to leave home very early and arrived there before 7:00am. It was too early that nothing was ready, but Mr.Liu (the owner of the orchard) was trying his best to get thing started for us to take photos. At the mean time, he was telling us about the process. We were touched by his thoughtfulness.

Unlike the current method in making dried persimmon through the prolonged baking process, Weiweijia orchard still keeps the traditional way to dry the persimmons in the sun and it can take up to 7-9 days to complete. The original nutrients are retained with sweet flavor and can be kept for a long time because of this traditional method.

In order to make dried persimmon, the persimmons need to be picked on the tress when they are only 70% ripe. The overripe persimmon can’t make good dried persimmon, since they are too weak to be peeled.

The ladies washed and peeled off the skin by hand or machine. They were so fast and professional. As you can see, a lot of labor is involved in these processes. The baskets are filled with round and orange peeled persimmons creating gorgeous geometric patterns!

After they were peeled, they needed to be charcoal-grilled to be sterilized and accelerate the drying process to prevent the pulp from becoming black due to oxidation.

(The peeled persimmons)

(The baked persimmons)

After these, they are ready to be put on top of the frames for the sun.

First to take 3-4 days under the sun, persimmons become soft and they are ready to be pressed and formed the shapes by the workers. Through another 3-4 days drying under the sun, they need to be put in the baking chamber for the disinfectant process. Now, they are ready for the freezer and to be packed to sell.

The sun made the orange persimmon turning to the golden color.

Workers here are used to be photographed since this is one of the photographers’ favorite subjects in Taiwan. Mr. Liu said the best time to shoot the magnificent scene is around 10th of the October, this place is packed with photographers!

The bench is ready for photographers to step up to take close-up photos.

The orchard also offers persimmon juice cloth dyeing activity during the peak time.

Mr. Liu gave each one of us a persimmon popsicle. That was my first time to taste a persimmon popsicle and it was delicious!

Here is the dried persimmon look. Mr. Liu told us to keep them in the freezer for the freshness so they will last for a long time. He said not to worry if the surface produces the “mold” looking white powder. The white powder is the natural crystalline glucose. They are very healthy and good for our bodies.

This trip totally changed my taste to the persimmon and dried persimmon. I have started to eat persimmons actually!

Weiweijia Persimmon Orchard Website

Address: No.53, Ln. 283, Sec. 1, Hankeng Rd., Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County

Telephone：(03)589-2352

Below is a short video clip showing their work in the early morning.

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