Persimmon Madness!

[Little Faerie]

Ok, I'm from Missouri, and one of the only ways to get persimmons affordably is to go pick your own American persimmons off the tree. The market ready Japanese Hachiya and Fuyu varieties cost at least $1.25 a fruit. But, they are the essence of fall, so I always get at least one when I finally find them. Well... I walked into the store yesterday here in SoCal, and was accosted by a 3'X3' BIN of the things... This bin was nearly as tall as my 7 year old daughter, full of the non-astringent Fuyu variety of persimmon, the best for cooking! I got a little crazy and bought 16 of them, as they were 4/$.99 ! I have many recipes for them, from pie, to jam, to cookies, and even Cherokee persimmon cake. I can use up the ones I bought easily in less than a week. I have to say, I don't think I can pick a favorite way to eat them, since I love them so much. My friends have heard and are all begging for persimmon butter and jam when I visit on the holidays though, so I'll start there

So tell me, what is your favorite way to eat persimmon?

[Lost_Little_Sarah]

I don't know if I have even had them at all.

[Bettypooh]

....So tell me, what is your favorite way to eat persimmon?

After they've been naturally recycled into venison steaks

Bettypooh

[Little Faerie]

Hehehe I like them that way too Bettypooh My sister is a hunter so there is always a bountiful supply of free deer meat in her house. She only hunts for food, mind you, never sport.

[Little Faerie]

I don't know if I have even had them at all.

If you haven't, you should try one. Buy a nice orange Fuyu persimmon at the store, it may be hard to find. They vaguely look like an orange tomato, but with a four lobed peplum on top. Late October through early December is the only time you can get them. Stick it in a paper bag with an apple overnight to ripen it more. The next day or when it becomes somewhat soft, remove the stem and peplum, quarter it, peel it if you like, and remove any seeds (some are seedless). Eat. It is sweet with a pumpkiny/apricot flavor. If you can only get Hachiya persimmons, wait until the skin is translucent, and the fruits are very soft, or you will be in for a tart/bitter surprise! They have tannin in them, which doesn't go away until fully ripe and makes them mouth-puckeringly astringent if you prematurely bite into one.

[Bettypooh]

Hehehe I like them that way too Bettypooh My sister is a hunter so there is always a bountiful supply of free deer meat in her house. She only hunts for food, mind you, never sport.

The deer are why you don't get many persimmons here even though the trees are quite plentiful I've only tried them once- it took a week for my puckered lips to get back to normal Some older folks like them though so maybe it's just me

Bettypooh

[Little Faerie]

Bettypooh... you got an unripe persimmon! You now know what tannin tastes like lol! Once fully ripe, which doesn't occur until after the frost, they are melt-in-your-mouth sweet. American persimmons and Japanese Hachiya persimmons are practically gooey once ripe, to someone unfamiliar with them they seem overripe.

[square_duck]

Yup! welcome to Southern California....the land of plenty. Due to the international nature of the area, and its (growing) population, we have foods and products from all around the world available here, and you can find, as you have noticed, just about anything you can imagine here, were everywhere else it is more difficult to almost impossible to find items, like persimmons etc.

have fun here, and if you think you need something, just look around a bit, especially the international markets (cost plsu etc) you will be bound to find what ever it is

have fun!

[Little Faerie]

I noticed one of the more upscale groceries were selling them for $1.29 per fruit... I busted up laughing! One mile away at the Hispanic grocer the exact same type and size of persimmon are 4/$.99, which is where I found them. The Hispanic grocer sells their products closer to actual cost, their produce and bakery products are very reasonable. (I was originally after cheap avocadoes) I know they have different produce sources, which may account for that, but still. It is evident that they (the other grocers) are gouging customers for profit because they are only obtainable 2 months of the year and people really want them no matter the cost.

[TheMagicDragon]

I perked up when I saw the topic of this post: Persimmon Madness!

One of my favorite interests (other than DL stuff) is Trees and plants (native and introduced - all of them. I am a horticulturist by trade and have even taught several college courses. Anyway, I'm particularly wanting to try Pawpaw and Persimmon fruit. Oddly my sister has a Persimmon tree that bears fruit - I have no idea if its the species or a particular cultivar of the same. I haven't tried it yet but plan to. Now that I've read this, I'll have to look for the delicious one you mentioned above. It sound like a fun thing to do for fall.

Would you happen to be able to post the recipe for the Indian Persimmon cake you mentioned? I bet I could entice my sister to make it. If so, I'd really appreciate that and of course I'd let you know how our experiment turns out! Also, do you know if ripe Persimmon fruit can be dried or candied? I've no idea but am wondering.

Thanks for posting this one.

[Little Faerie]

You can make dried persimmon from any variety in a dehydrator, although using Fuyus would probably be your only hope to candy them, native persimmons and Hachiyas are far too gooey when ripe. Note also that it is said sometimes the astringency of the latter two types can come back if heated in say, a pudding. You can generally bake them in bread products and pies without this happening however. It has not happened to me. Before using one in any recipe, taste each fruit to be sure of ripeness, as this is key to a good turnout. The native (American) persimmons in particular MUST be gooey inside to use.

CHEROKEE PERSIMMON CAKE

1 c. persimmon pulp

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

Butter, size of walnut (about 2 Tbsp.)

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Combine persimmon pulp, sugar, egg, butter, flour, baking powder and soda. Mix well and pour into an 8" or 9" round or 8"X4" loaf well-greased and floured pan. Bake about 40 minutes in a moderate oven (350 degrees). (Test with toothpick for doneness.)

This recipe resembles a pound cake or butter cake. Sorry if the recipe is a bit rough, many of my great grandmother's hand me downs are, especially after being transcribed multiple times.

A quick way to tell the kind of persimmon... if it is smaller than a ping pong ball, it is a native. If it is large and heart shaped with a gently pointed bottom, it is a Hachiya. If it is large and squat with a flat bottom, sometimes with a dimple, it is a Fuyu.

[underwhere]

If you haven't, you should try one. Buy a nice orange Fuyu persimmon at the store, it may be hard to find. They vaguely look like an orange tomato, but with a four lobed peplum on top. Late October through early December is the only time you can get them. Stick it in a paper bag with an apple overnight to ripen it more. The next day or when it becomes somewhat soft, remove the stem and peplum, quarter it, peel it if you like, and remove any seeds (some are seedless). Eat. It is sweet with a pumpkiny/apricot flavor. If you can only get Hachiya persimmons, wait until the skin is translucent, and the fruits are very soft, or you will be in for a tart/bitter surprise! They have tannin in them, which doesn't go away until fully ripe and makes them mouth-puckeringly astringent if you prematurely bite into one.

That was, in fact, my first experience with persimmon. My elementary school teacher had brought one in to class, and all of us tried it. Clearly, it was not ripe to eat. All I really remember of the experience was my toungue feeling like it had been pricked with a thousand needles, and no matter what I did, that sensation did not go away for some length of time, hours if I recall correctly. (By the next day, i know I could feel my toungue properly again, but I do not recall exacxtly how long that horris sensation was left on my toungue and in my mouth.)

I recently had persimmon again for the very first time since, but this time, I had it with people who knew what they were doing, and it was very sweet and tasty.

I don't know what variety of persimmon I had on either occasion.

[Little Faerie]

To me an unripe persimmon is like licking acidic cotton with an asleep tongue. Bleargh! lol. Boy you know it if you haven't picked a ripe one. It's every bit as sour as a ripe one is sweet!

[Codymoogle]

It is sweet with a pumpkiny/apricot flavor.

Pumpkin and apricot?

1. I have to try that combination.

2. Pumpkin and apricot are two REALLY delicious foods...So now you have me wanting to try a persimmon. *pouts* I don't know where to find them though.

~ moogle

[Little Faerie]

Pumpkin and apricot?

1. I have to try that combination.

2. Pumpkin and apricot are two REALLY delicious foods...So now you have me wanting to try a persimmon. *pouts* I don't know where to find them though.

~ moogle

Carefully look over the non-refrigerated fresh produce in every grocery store near you, one of them should have them in the next few weeks. Most stores have only one small crate of them, so they are easy to miss in the greater wash of fruit. Good luck!

[PArms]

I've been trying new things lately. Now that this topic has piqued my interest in persimmons, I went to the store to get a few. I handled each one looking for the softest (thanks for the tips). Looked at the price: 2 for $3. Ugh. So I got two anyway, now I just have to wait for them to get mushy.

[TheMagicDragon]

Thank you, Little Fairy, for the cool recipe. My wife is of partial Native American heritage (Cherokee) and I'll bet, when I tell her about it, she'll tell me I first have to go get some fruit from my sister's native persimmon tree. We might also try it with the 'Fuyu' Cv. as well. I wonder if it would work in pie? Maybe in combination with other things like pumpkin? Wondering...

This is so cool! Next we'll have to try the Pawpaw's. These are also a native fruit tree, one of very few. I tried growing a few seedlings but they didn't last the first season. Apparently there are now several varieties available but one must hunt around for them.

[Little Faerie]

You can in fact make persimmon pie in the same manner as pumpkin pie, no need to add any other fruit! Tell your wife the cake recipe is authentic, as it is my great grandmother's, who was a half blood Cherokee woman. Her husband was full blooded Choctaw. Their son married a wild spirited part Osage/Blackfoot woman, and had my mother. I have quite a few fantastic recipes that have been passed down to me from her. You can't tell it by looking, as I'm nearly the spitting image of my (white) father's mother, but the various Native blood in me boils down to total 5/16, comprised of the Choctaw, Cherokee, Osage, and Blackfoot tribes, in order from greatest to least. I am a mutt lol. Honestly, I'm glad to have gotten my other grandmother's looks... Mom has buck teeth, super-coarse curly hair, and is nearly 5'11" and built like a tank. She used to hang sheetrock right alongside my dad. Beautiful skin tone and hair color though... olive complected with deep auburn brown hair. I got three good things from her... a bubble butt, hair thick enough for two people, and green eyes. Lol... pictures of us when I was little are kind of funny, the only way to see the relation is the body language. I was a very thin fair child with white blond hair and blue gray eyes. Anyhoo... here's a good pie recipe I picked up about 6 years ago. I cannot emphasize enough that the persimmons be absolutely completely ripe. I only use Fuyus with this one, as they give me the most consistent results, though wild ones can be used.

Persimmon Pie

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or plain cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups whipping cream, or half and half

1 cup persimmon pulp

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

Combine eggs, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Mix in half and half or cream, persimmon pulp, melted butter, and lemon juice .

Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (175°C), and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack

before serving.

[Lost_Little_Sarah]

Tannin in too much quantity is bad for the liver

[Little Faerie]

Hence the reason to be positive they are ripe. A bit of tannin is good for you , but too much can make you ill. Once they are ripe, they contain from a trace amount to none. The Fuyu variety contains none at all in any stage of development. Tannin is also found in red wine, tea, coffee, pomegranates, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, beans, chocolate, and also tree nuts.

Incidentally, upon looking it up, tannins also have anti-viral and anti-diarrheal properties and can ease symptoms of poison ivy and herpes simplex.

Large doses are bad, but the amount you would eat in a ripened persimmon will not harm you.