Hana Oshima

For a yogic example, I have found the Channel, Yoga with Tim, to be a great resource to find practices that help align the ribcage to the body so that you can teach the body to properly breathe without having the body tensing up. Before learning this from his channel, I realized I had a tendency to push my ribcage out when I thought I was doing good posture. His insights were extremely valuable in improving my breathing over the past few years and I noticed, once my ribcage was in the right position, the breathing exercises also increased in their benefits as well.

This is a short 13 minute practice that covers this aspect of alignment very well, so I will share it below:

For ideas that uses the percimmons as they are, I would suggest making Percimmon Vinegar (Kakisu) if you have a larger harvest, especially if you already enjoy ACV or other fruit vinegars. Press the fruit in a glass jar to get rid of the air pockets, cover with a breathable lid and leave for a while (few weeks) until mature, scooping off any unwanted growth as you notice it. Filter through a cheese cloth and let it naturally drip to collect the vinegar. At this point I would also find a use for the pulp as I find it to be valuable to aid in other ferments, and I simply wouldn't want to waste the lovely harvest!

Another idea would be dried percimmons (Hoshigaki), traditionally made from the bitter Japanese percimmons (Shibugaki) hung in succession on a string near an open window, but I wouldn't see why they also couldn't be made from the sweet variety if kept in a well ventilated area. Both prolong the storage of percimmons and make a lovely addition to your pantry over the winter months! I grew up eating these dried percimmons (Hoshigaki), Sweet chestnuts (Amaguri) and sweetened dried beans first thing in the morning on New Years day as they are said to bring good luck and good health for the coming year, so at least in parts of Japan the dried percimmons are valued for their contributions to the cultural celebrations as well.