Revised November 2001

As the weather becomes chilly, the days get shorter, the autumn leaves fall from the trees and blow in the wind, I button my coat and enjoy a stroll. The smell of fireplaces burning the seasons first fire is in the air. Front porches with pumpkins and ornamental corn, children jumping in raked piles of leaves on front lawns and the distinct smell of persimmon bread baking in the oven coming from somebody's house. Man that smells good, I think to myself, I'm going to bring some persimmons home and start the baking season off with a real winner!

Several varieties  grow in the U.S. Wild trees throughout the south & small groves in abandoned pastures along fence rows are very common. These varieties are not edible until after the first frost and are better suited for possums and raccoons. The wood from these trees is very hard and is used for manufacturing golf clubs.

In California, Oriental varieties that were introduced  in the late1800's from China and Japan are cultivated for the commercial market. Two common varieties dominate. One of them is the Hachiya which is cone shaped. This piece of fruit should be purchased firm, but eaten mushy soft! Do not attempt to eat it firm or even mildly soft. You will reap the consequence of your action if you do! Mushy, mushy soft is the way! I hope I got the point across. When eaten firm your mouth will pucker up and everyone will think you want a kiss. Just like eating choke cherries. When allowed to ripen fully the chemistry changes and the wait is well rewarding. It becomes a sweet candy like flavored jelly.  A ripe persimmon is great eaten with a spoon, pour over ice cream or add to hot oatmeal. Ripe persimmons are used allot in cooking as well. Persimmon bread, cookies & cakes. They mix well with vanilla pudding as a desert or topping. Now here's a trick that works well. Towards the end of the season (which is short), ripen up some persimmons. Place the fully ripe fruit on a tray and place them in the freezer. After they have fully frozen, place them in a zip lock freezer bag. Remove all of the air out of the bag and place them back in the freezer. Those who have read my past articles may be aware of the "straw method."  Those of you who aren't, here it is again: Place any food item into a zip lock bag. Seal the bag almost all the way. Leave just enough room for a straw to be able to be inserted into the bag. Place the straw half way in. Now suck all of the air out with your mouth until everything appears to have shriveled up. Now remove the straw and seal the bag quick before any air gets in. This gives food an extended storage life, as most of the oxygen is not present to help breakdown. Now that you have done that wait until summer fruit is available again (in the summer) and thaw those persimmons out. Add them to your summer fruit salad and everyone will be amazed at how wonderful your fruit salad is. You will be a fruit salad hero! Everyone will want your recipe.
Scoop out a ripe persimmon over baked peeled sweet potatoes or add a couple of ripe persimmons to that sweet potato/yam casserole.

The other variety that hits the commercial market is the Fuyu. I'm convinced that they named this variety to be able to say,  "could've Fuud you!" The reason I say this is that this variety is the exact opposite of its cone shaped relative.

The Fuyu is sweet & edible when it is firm. The tannins that make your mouth pucker up in the firm hachiya are not present in the fuyu. In fact, the fuyu is a great addition to a winter fruit salad when cubed or sliced. The fuyu works well in the dehydrator for dried fruit as well. Use in salads grated. I like to eat them out of hand. Now this variety can be eaten soft as well, but the advantage of this variety is to get the benefits of the persimmon flavor without waiting for it to turn to mush.   

There are hundreds of varieties of persimmons cultivated. Some varieties are native to the U.S. The Hachiya and the Fuyu, however, originate in Japan and are the only two that hit the commercial market with any significance. 
They are a significant source of vitamin A, beta-carotene, & potassium.
Enjoy them while you can, their season is short! September to just after Christmas.

When the winter arrives The late fall crop of summer fruit is gone. That leaves us with some creative ways to make a fruit salad. Persimmons play a major role.

• 2-3 fuyu variety persimmons cubed
• 1-2 bosc or comice pears or one of each cored and cubed.
• 1 Asian pear cored and cut up.
• 1 Medium bunch red or green grapes washed and separated from stems
  (available year round form either California or Chile).
• 2 or 3 Kiwi peeled and sliced
• ¼ cup dried crystallized ginger
• ¼ cup chopped candied walnuts.

Nutrition /1 large Persimmon
Calories118
Total fat (g)0.3 
S aturated fat (g)0
Monounsaturated fat (g)0.1
Polyunsaturated fat (g)0.1
Dietary fiber (g)6.1
Protein (g)1
Carbohydrate (g)31
Cholesterol (mg)0
Sodium (mg)2
Beta-carotene (mg)2.2
Manganese (mg)0.6