Wild Persimmons

[pmcgrady]

I was out in the woods this weekend checking black oak trees for hen of the woods mushrooms and ran across a persimmon tree loaded with fruit. So many fruit the branches were breaking...
I've never picked them before, don't know when to pick them, how to preserve them, or how to propagate the seeds to get more trees... Any advice?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

I was out in the woods this weekend checking black oak trees for hen of the woods mushrooms and ran across a persimmon tree loaded with fruit. So many fruit the branches were breaking...
I've never picked them before, don't know when to pick them, how to preserve them, or how to propagate the seeds to get more trees... Any advice?

After the first frost and or when when they are mushy.
This is the exact day the critters eat them no kidding.

I had a city kid eat one that was still hard but orange I thought he was going to die.
The seeds are very easy to grow just plant and water.

I have no idea how to preserve them but I ate a lot growing up.

Worth

[Patihum]

Persimmon pulp can be dehydrated into a fruit leather. One word of caution. Do NOT include any fruit that are not soft and mushy. Just one astringent fruit will ruin the whole batch.

The fruit will ripen at different times so you need to check every day. A good shake of the tree will usually tell you which ones are ready - they'll be on the ground!

[greenthumbomaha]

Hmm, I think I may need to get one of these. I as looking at the Stark Bros site the other day. I thought they were too astringent to eat fresh, but now it sounds so good. I've never had "real" fruit leather, and the roll up stuff is so full of food dye I hate to see kids eating it. Huge problems with the dye and one of my munchkins with allergies.

I don't remember seeing a persimmon tree for sale in a big box store. I'll have to ask around how well they do here.

- Lisa

I saw a you tube video of processing the persimmon pulp with A Roma (like Victorio) food processor. Looks easy.

[PhilaGardener]

I haven't given up yet, but I have yet to taste a ripe persimmon. They always taste astringent to me

[Worth1]

The big so called Japanese persimmons are good huge and they dont have seeds.
We had some growing and guess what the darn deer would hang outside my bedroom window at night and eat them.
There is a church I know of that has two of them growing on its property and no one eats them.

[habitat_gardener]

If you have a dehydrator and LOTS of hachiya persimmons (pointy ones that are astringent until they are mushy), you can preserve them very easily. While they are still hard, but fully orange, slice and dehydrate. They will not be astringent when dried. I've done this a lot!

If you wait until they are just a little mushy, they will be hard to slice and will stick to the dehydrator trays. So if they are already a little soft, just wait for them to get fully soft. To be palatable, they need to be as soft as a partly deflated balloon; almost too soft to pick up, and starting to get a little translucent.

There is a japanese technique of peeling and then drying the persimmons whole, hanging from the eaves of the house -- but around here, the roof rats would probably have a feast. I've also read that you can freeze unripe persimmons, and they will not be astringent when defrosted, but I have not tried this.

THe flattish ones (fuyu persimmons) aren't astringent when hard, and can be eaten either hard or soft.

[MarianneW]

Personally, I like the fuyu persimmons.

But, the wild ones are good in baking when they're ripe/a gooey mess. Persimmon bread, persimmon pudding, persimmon cookies, etc...

[ilex]

You can pick almost ripe and put in a closed box with a glass of alcohol (whiskey ...). They will be ready in a couple days.