When I first saw the persimmon, I thought it was a tomato that I should eat raw and whole. It’s certainly not much better
Or at least, for those of us who don’t like to eat tomatoes like apples and as the sweet taste of this unique fruit, it’s even better.
Asian persimmons (Diospyros kaki) are most suitable for growing between 7 and 11 in the USDA concentration zone, American persimmons (D. Virginia) are 5 zone resistant.
If you grow these delicious fruits, whose botanical genus name Diospyros translates to something like “food of the gods”, how do you know they are ripe and ready to pick?
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In our ultimate guide to when and how to harvest persimmons, we will cover everything you need to know about harvesting persimmons and storages as well as recipes of persimmons.
In this article, we focus on a few simple steps to follow in harvesting persimmons fruits so that you may be able to handle it with care when harvesting.
Here is what we will cover:
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- A Quick Persimmon Primer
- The Best Time to Harvest
- Non-Astringent Fruits
- Astringent Fruits
- How to Pick
- How Do You Eat a Fresh Persimmon?
- Storage and Preservation Tips
- Recipes and Cooking Ideas
Now let start….
Are you ready to taste the delicious local fruit? The harvest is the time to enjoy the results of your hard work. There are a few things to consider when harvesting your labor: the best time to pick fruit from your tree and how to preserve the fruit.
Persimmons, when fully ripe, contain about 34% fruit sugar. Notice I said it when it was fully ripe. When they are not fully ripe, they are deadly bitter, so it is important to know when to pick persimmons at their peak. But how do you know
A QUICK PERSIMMON PRIMER
Determining when you will cut these delicious fruits does not depend on the specific strain you are growing, but whether it is significant.
Soon there are tannins in persimmons that make your face inattentive when ineffective, making it quite unhealthy – or at least it keeps falling off the tree until it’s ripe.
These fruits are flavorful, with hints of pumpkin, maple and spice. If you ask me, a soft, chin, super-ripe khaki is almost a reflection of the comfort of the fall.
Non-astringent varieties have low tannins and lose it very quickly, so they can pick them up as soon as they adopt that unique orange-pink color. Or you can wait for them to soften if you want.
Since they do not have much tannins, they have a lighter taste than their insignificant sisters. You can eat them while they are still crispy and crispy, which means they are great for salads.
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De Virginia grows wild throughout the eastern half of the United States, from the Gulf to Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Whether you have a wild de Virginia tree in your garden or planted it yourself in a nursery, the American variety is a concern. You can read our full development guide here. (Coming soon!)
Two species of the de Kaki are widely cultivated in the United States:
- “Fuyu”, which is not Astringent
- “Hashiya”, which is an Astringent
However, these are not only available. In this roundup of cultivar persimmon varieties, you can learn more about our favorite species and be sure to check out our guide on growing Asian persimmons.
The most important thing when preparing to harvest your fruit is whether it is significant.
The last thing you want to do is increase your non-stressful strain (or assume you have chosen), take a huge bite, and surprisingly throw extra-acidic astringent fruit into the ground.
WHEN ARE PERSIMMONS ARE RIPE?
Read on to know when and how to harvest persimmons. When are persimmons ripe? U.S. Gulf Territories Wild growth occurs in most rural areas of the U.S. from Ozark in the southern Gulf state to parts of Michigan and the Great Lakes. When they are not fully ripe and tender they produce a plum size and quite amusing fruit.
Oriental persimmons are somewhat larger, the size of a peach and not as hardy as the native varieties. Oriental persimmons are of two types: astringent and non-astringent. The two ripen at different times, so it’s important to recognize the type of tree you have before picking your ball.
WHEN TO PICK PERSIMMONS
Ideally, you let the plants ripen until they are soft. Not all wild persimmons ripen at the same time. These can ripen in mid-September or late February. Unfortunately, birds prefer ripe fruit as well as deer, raccoon, etc.
So start picking the early ones in the fall, when the days are still a bit hot and the fruit is tough but perfectly colorful. Let them bake at room temperature in a cool, dry place until soft.
The pink undertones have a deep apricot hue when the non-Austrian variety of persimmon is ready to be harvested. These are ripe and ready to eat as an astringent persimmon at harvest. Although you can let them soften, it does not improve the taste.
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THE BEST TIME TO HARVEST
As you can guess, there are two main harvest times for this fruit and when you grow depends on your chances.
- NON-ASTRINGENT FRUITS
Since these do not have to reach the stage of perfect sweetness on the plant, the insignificant persimmons can be cut from green to orange-pink or red.
It is usually in September or October.
Whether you leave them on the tree or pick them, they ripen and become sweet over time. If you like their khichuri or druk, don’t forget to pick them up and eat them quickly!
2. ASTRINGENT FRUITS
Astringent persimmons are often not ready from October to January.
As for the non-assigning type, you can harvest them before they are fully ripe and on the tree.
The astringent varieties are ready for harvest when they change to the expected mature color of the farmer you are cultivating. If they are still uncooked, you need to cook them before you eat them.
The easiest way to determine maturity is to make sure the color has changed from green to pinkish-red and the fruit should be so sweet that it almost bursts when you touch it gently with your finger.
The skin will often look wrinkled, much like an overripe tomato.
HOW TO PICK PERISMMONS FRUIT
As mentioned, you will ideally collect wild or snowy persimmons once the fruit is fully ripe and dropped from the tree. However, due to the competition of wildlife and the fact that perfectly ripe fruits are easily called, wild prunes are usually harvested early and allowed to ripen from the tree.
To collect them, cut the fruit with a manually pruned shear or a sharp knife while collecting persimmon fruit. Leave some of the stems attached.
Do not stack them in baskets, as they are easily wound. Arrange the cut fruits in a single level shallow tray. Let the fruit ripen at room temperature or keep it in the fridge for one month or keep it frozen for eight months.
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If you want to speed up the ripening process, store the persimmons in a bag with a ripe apple or banana. They block gaseous ethylene which accelerates the maturation process. Insignificant persimmons can be stored at room temperature, albeit for a shorter time than their wild cousins. The same goes for refrigerated storage.
HOW DO YOU EAT FRESH PERSIMMON?
If you don’t grow up eating these delicious fruits, you may need some help figuring out exactly how to eat soft fruits.
Farms are simple: you can only eat them, such as an apple, peel and all, avoiding the heart and the seeds you got. These can also be cut to add to salads and baked goods.
But what about sponges, jelly-like and burning?
All you have to do is cut in half, take a spoon and remove the soft flesh waiting on the skin and your tongue.
You can eat it with a spoon, cut into pieces, skin and everything. Or try it on ice cream or yoghurt mixed with your favorite sweet or oatmeal or add to a smoothie.
PERISMMONS STORAGE AND PRESERVATION TIPS
If you pick your ripe fruit from the tree, plan to consume it within two days of picking if you put it on the counter, or within five days if you keep it in the fridge.
You can store them in a brown paper bag in the fridge for up to a month if you prefer them when you are not quite ripe or if you deal with hard fruit. Thus, they will gradually mature.
You can even freeze whole non-sticky persimmons, then use them in smoothies, baking and other recipes. The frozen whole fruit can be stored in the fridge for up to six months.
For chewing gum and smoothies, the pulp can be frozen for up to a year if you mash them in your blender. You can use mash in smooth and baking all year round!
Mash can also be used to make jam or beer. And firm, non-essential fruits can be air-dried or oven-dried.
PERISMMONS RECIPES AND COOKING IDEAS
Crunchy de Persimmon or de Virginia fruits can only be substituted for apples in any meal.
So why not try removing the sugary pieces in this French apple pie recipe with a maple syrup frosting from our sister site, Fudal?
Or try replacing apples in this Fallen Apple Radicio Salad recipe from the diet.
Can you imagine a tasty seasonal salad? I can’t.
For sponge fruit, try making a delicious pudding or turning them into a smoothie.
Even better, use persimmon mash instead of pumpkin mash on food in my favorite pumpkin bread recipe.
The options are endlessly for a wonderfully versatile fruit!
PERFECT PERSIMMONS
Whether you like to soften them and wrap them like jelly or apples, there is nothing like a fresh persimmon grown and harvested in your own garden.
So tell me: What is your favorite way to eat de kaki or de Virginiana fruit? Let me know in the comments below, and drop any questions you may have!
And if you’re interested in growing your own fruit tree, check out these articles for more inspiration: