DIOSPYROS KAKI

Whether of the nonastringent or astringent types, persimmons are delicious but underutilized. Once people discover them, they can quickly become their favorite fruit. Because they have few pests of leaves, stems, or fruits, they are favorites with organic orchardists.

THE ORGANIC FACTOR

Although it may be hard to find organically certified persimmons, it’s usually not hard to find unsprayed persimmons, because this tree crop is not beset by many pests. Few agricultural chemicals are used on persimmons and most are herbicides used to keep down weeds between the trees. Still, if you can find an organic grower who sells persimmons at a farmers’ market, snap them up.

NUTRITION

Persimmons have excellent stores of carotene—one persimmon gives you 50 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin A and 25 percent of your vitamin C. They’re also good sources of iron.

TYPES

Persimmons belong to the genus Diospyros—meaning “food of the gods.” There are dozens of species scattered around the world, including the native American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, whose range spreads from Connecticut to Florida and west to Kansas and Texas. The Algonquin name for the fruit, putchamin, gave rise to the word persimmon. The native persimmon tree bears small fruits, from the size of a cherry to a small plum. The unripe fruits are bitterly astringent from tannin, which slowly disappears as the fruits blett (turn soft and ripe), and become candy sweet as they dry still attached to the branches by sturdy stems. A classic American sight would be a native persimmon alive with possums and raccoons feasting on the ripe fruits on a cold fall night.

A second species, Diospyros kaki, is the commercial type of persimmon found in stores and markets. It originated in China and Japan and was brought to the United States in the late 1800s. There are two types of this persimmon:

The hachiya type is the familiar deep orange-red heart-shaped kind whose insides must blett until they turn to jelly and the astringent tannins are reduced enough for the fruit to be edible.

The fuyu type is smaller, round, and flattened and, most important, is nonastringent. It can be sliced and eaten as a crunchy treat before it ripens and softens.

There are many other species. A small black persimmon found in Texas, Diospyros texana, is also known as chapote. The black sapote of Mexico and Central America, Diospyros digyna, has sweet, chocolate-brown flesh when soft and ripe. The Chinese date plum, Diospyros lotus, has 1-inch dark brown fruits, and the velvet apple, Diospyros discolor, is the mabolo of Malaysia. Here in America, we’re probably only going to encounter the American persimmon, the Asian kaki types, and possibly the Texas black persimmon.

SEASONALITY

You’ll find persimmons in markets from October through December.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Any persimmon should be sound with no cuts or bruises, so that it will blett (soften) evenly. Black spots on the surface of hachiya persimmons are not signs of decay.

STORAGE AND PREPARATION

Ripen hachiya persimmons on the kitchen counter or windowsill. Once they soften and appear to be rotting, they are ready to eat. Fuyu persimmons can be stored on the kitchen counter until you choose to use them.  ....read more