How to Eat a Persimmon and Love It.
My top favorite easy-to-grow edible fruits for the NC Piedmont are figs, muscadines, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons. Of these edibles the one most people have the least exposure to are persimmons. There are two species of persimmons that can be grown here, the native, wild persimmon, Diospyrus virginiana, and the Asian or Kaki persimmon, Diospyrus kaki. The American persimmon is a medium to tall, 30-50 foot tree that bears copious small persimmon fruits that ripen in October or November. They are relished by all sorts of wild animals including raccoons, possums and deer. People have enjoyed the fruit since before recorded history but only have to learn once that the fruit must be dead-ripe (I mean melt in your fingers ripe) before they are to be eaten. But boy are they sweet and delicious! They usually have several large seeds, so they are best eaten out-of-doors, just spit the seeds out as you go.
The best way to harvest American persimmons is to find a wild tree and check on it every fall for free fruit. Gather the fruit as it falls. Trees will usually drop fruit continuously for 3-6 weeks. If they are not fully ripe when you gather them, just leave them on the counter in a bowl to ripen. There are plenty of recipes for wild persimmon pudding, bread, dried fruit, ice cream, etc., in fact whole websites are devoted to persimmons, http://www.persimmonpudding.com and persimmon recipes, http://www.epersimmons.com/recipes.htm Persimmons freeze well, but their seeds can be a nuisance if kept this way. There is a name variety of American persimmon worthy of planting, Diospyrus ‘Meader’. It produces large, tasty, seedless persimmons even as a young tree. Local garden centers can order Meader persimmons for fall or spring planting seasons.
Eat a wild persimmon before it is dead ripe and you’ll learn first-hand what tannins will feel like in your mouth, like the insides of your mouth were made out of dried cardboard, as if you had no moisture in your mouth anymore. This is astringency. Occasionally you will sense a bit of astringency in a ripe persimmon but it will pass quickly.
Kaki Persimmons are smaller trees usually less than twenty feet tall and make great home landscape trees. They have large droopy, tropical looking leaves and gorgeous fall color. They are easy to grow and have few or no pest problems. Their fruit are much larger, about the size of a tennis ball and vary in shape with the name variety. They are very orange when ripe and hang onto the tree after the leaves have fallen, looking sometimes like little pumpkins hanging in the tree.
Kaki persimmons varieties can be astringent-types and non-astringent-types. Garden centers most often sell the non-astringent, Fuyu-type kakis which I think is regrettable because the astringent, Hachiya-types are sweeter and richer and juicier. Like the American persimmon, the astringent, Hachiya-type kakis need to be so soft that the flesh is the consistency of jelly. The papery skin holds it all together like a water balloon.
So this is how to eat a ripe Kaki Persimmon: Clasp the whole fruit with your fingertips upside down so the dry green calyx is down, pierce the skin with your teeth and suck the flesh out. Sometimes its messy so its best to eat them standing up and leaning forward a little.
The non-astringent, Fuyu-types are suitable for market and maybe that’s one reason why they are more readily available as landscape trees, but I also think that garden centers and their growers are reluctant to sell astringent types for fear of tree owners unfamiliar with the nature of true ripened persimmons. The non-astringent, Fuyu-type Kakis lack in tannins so they can be eaten firm like an apple, their flavor is crisp and mellow, but their sweetness and flavor improves as they ripen and are better eaten when soft as well.
Kaki persimmons are harvested firm and stored chilled. Leave them at room temperature for about a week or two to allow them to ripen. They will keep for two months in the fridge. I will store whole persimmons in the freezer and use them at my preference or make a puree out of them and freezer containers of the puree ready for baking when thawed.
There are many varieties of astringent and non-astringent Kaki Persimmons. The following all have great flavor and are good producers.
Non-Astringent (Fuyu-type)
Jiro- nice mid-size tree, hardy in zone 6
Ichi-ki-kei-jiro – dwarf 8’x10’ tree, seedless
Fuyu – heavy producer, late season bearing
Hana Fuyu – pretty landscape tree 10’ x 10’
Astringent (Hachiya-type)
Great Wall –medium size tree, 15’ x 12’
Saijo – large tree with small very sweet fruit
Sheng – medium size tree, 12-15 feet
Hira Tanenashi – ripens over six weeks, seedless
If you want to plant easy-to-grow fruits in your home landscape try ‘Meader’ American Persimmon, or one of the numerous varieties of Kaki Persimmons. At first you may find them to be a novelty fruit but will soon find them to be an edible you look forward to each fall and winter.
Matthew Arnsberger
December, 2010
The following mail-order nurseries offer numerous varieties of persimmons, and have good website descriptions of tree sizes and forms, fruiting characteristics and flavor.
Edible Landscaping, http://eat-it.com/plants.php?func=cats&catID=3&catSubID=25
http://eat-it.com/plants.php?func=cats&catID=3&catSubID=26
Just Fruits, http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Persimmons.htm
Chestnut Hill, http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com/Kaki-Persimmons-1919.Category.html
Hidden Springs Nursery, http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/
A great amateur fruit growers’ organization is North American Fruit Growers Association, http://www.nafex.org/index.htm
My top favorite easy-to-grow edible fruits for the NC Piedmont are figs, muscadines, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons. Of these edibles the one most people have the least exposure to are persimmons. There are two species of persimmons that can be grown here, the native, wild persimmon, Diospyrus virginiana, and the Asian or Kaki persimmon, Diospyrus kaki. The American persimmon is a medium to tall, 30-50 foot tree that bears copious small persimmon fruits that ripen in October or November. They are relished by all sorts of wild animals including raccoons, possums and deer. People have enjoyed the fruit since before recorded history but only have to learn once that the fruit must be dead-ripe (I mean melt in your fingers ripe) before they are to be eaten. But boy are they sweet and delicious! They usually have several large seeds, so they are best eaten out-of-doors, just spit the seeds out as you go.
The best way to harvest American persimmons is to find a wild tree and check on it every fall for free fruit. Gather the fruit as it falls. Trees will usually drop fruit continuously for 3-6 weeks. If they are not fully ripe when you gather them, just leave them on the counter in a bowl to ripen. There are plenty of recipes for wild persimmon pudding, bread, dried fruit, ice cream, etc., in fact whole websites are devoted to persimmons, http://www.persimmonpudding.com and persimmon recipes, http://www.epersimmons.com/recipes.htm Persimmons freeze well, but their seeds can be a nuisance if kept this way. There is a name variety of American persimmon worthy of planting, Diospyrus ‘Meader’. It produces large, tasty, seedless persimmons even as a young tree. Local garden centers can order Meader persimmons for fall or spring planting seasons.
Eat a wild persimmon before it is dead ripe and you’ll learn first-hand what tannins will feel like in your mouth, like the insides of your mouth were made out of dried cardboard, as if you had no moisture in your mouth anymore. This is astringency. Occasionally you will sense a bit of astringency in a ripe persimmon but it will pass quickly.
Kaki Persimmons are smaller trees usually less than twenty feet tall and make great home landscape trees. They have large droopy, tropical looking leaves and gorgeous fall color. They are easy to grow and have few or no pest problems. Their fruit are much larger, about the size of a tennis ball and vary in shape with the name variety. They are very orange when ripe and hang onto the tree after the leaves have fallen, looking sometimes like little pumpkins hanging in the tree.
Kaki persimmons varieties can be astringent-types and non-astringent-types. Garden centers most often sell the non-astringent, Fuyu-type kakis which I think is regrettable because the astringent, Hachiya-types are sweeter and richer and juicier. Like the American persimmon, the astringent, Hachiya-type kakis need to be so soft that the flesh is the consistency of jelly. The papery skin holds it all together like a water balloon.
So this is how to eat a ripe Kaki Persimmon: Clasp the whole fruit with your fingertips upside down so the dry green calyx is down, pierce the skin with your teeth and suck the flesh out. Sometimes its messy so its best to eat them standing up and leaning forward a little.
The non-astringent, Fuyu-types are suitable for market and maybe that’s one reason why they are more readily available as landscape trees, but I also think that garden centers and their growers are reluctant to sell astringent types for fear of tree owners unfamiliar with the nature of true ripened persimmons. The non-astringent, Fuyu-type Kakis lack in tannins so they can be eaten firm like an apple, their flavor is crisp and mellow, but their sweetness and flavor improves as they ripen and are better eaten when soft as well.
Kaki persimmons are harvested firm and stored chilled. Leave them at room temperature for about a week or two to allow them to ripen. They will keep for two months in the fridge. I will store whole persimmons in the freezer and use them at my preference or make a puree out of them and freezer containers of the puree ready for baking when thawed.
There are many varieties of astringent and non-astringent Kaki Persimmons. The following all have great flavor and are good producers.
Non-Astringent (Fuyu-type)
Jiro- nice mid-size tree, hardy in zone 6
Ichi-ki-kei-jiro – dwarf 8’x10’ tree, seedless
Fuyu – heavy producer, late season bearing
Hana Fuyu – pretty landscape tree 10’ x 10’
Astringent (Hachiya-type)
Great Wall –medium size tree, 15’ x 12’
Saijo – large tree with small very sweet fruit
Sheng – medium size tree, 12-15 feet
Hira Tanenashi – ripens over six weeks, seedless
If you want to plant easy-to-grow fruits in your home landscape try ‘Meader’ American Persimmon, or one of the numerous varieties of Kaki Persimmons. At first you may find them to be a novelty fruit but will soon find them to be an edible you look forward to each fall and winter.
Matthew Arnsberger
December, 2010
The following mail-order nurseries offer numerous varieties of persimmons, and have good website descriptions of tree sizes and forms, fruiting characteristics and flavor.
Edible Landscaping, http://eat-it.com/plants.php?func=cats&catID=3&catSubID=25
http://eat-it.com/plants.php?func=cats&catID=3&catSubID=26
Just Fruits, http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Persimmons.htm
Chestnut Hill, http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com/Kaki-Persimmons-1919.Category.html
Hidden Springs Nursery, http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/
A great amateur fruit growers’ organization is North American Fruit Growers Association, http://www.nafex.org/index.htm