Health
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Home Court Habits: The Secret to Effortless Weight Control
10 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight When You Think You’re Doing Everything Right
How To Burn More Calories Without Breaking A Sweat
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Foodists
How To Pick A Persimmon
There is something of an art to picking and eating persimmons. Though the number of varietals are small compared to other fruits in season this time of year (apples and pears come to mind), the few that are available have very different properties of color and ripeness.
Two types of persimmons are common in California. Fuyu persimmons are firm, light to dark orange and more flatly shaped, like a tomato. Fuyus are easier to pick than the other most popular persimmon, hachiya, because they are eaten when firm and are more forgiving if you cut them open a little early.
Hachiya persimmons are trickier to pick out. When ripe, hachiyas are soft and heavy. However, unlike fuyus, unripe hachiyas have very high tannin levels which make them sticky and dry on the tongue. Some people refer to this property as astringency. Others call it bitter.
As someone who generally prefers firm fruit, I learned this lesson the hard way. I strongly advise exercising patience when it comes to hachiyas. When ripe, these persimmons are a deep, red-orange in color and often have black streaks on the skin. Hachiyas also have a more tapered bottom than fuyu persimmons, making them heart-shaped.
Rarely are hachiyas ripe when they are for sale, so I usually leave the fruits on the counter for several days until they become soft. While they are ripening, set them top-down on the corolla so their tender flesh does not get damaged under their weight.
Occasionally I have found other persimmon varietals at my local markets. One of my favorites is the chocolate persimmon, which is similar to a fuyu except the flesh inside is brown. These persimmons have a rich and spicy flavor that is reminiscent of, well, chocolate. Definitely try one if you can find them.
Good, ripe persimmons are sweet and have an almost warm flavor. They taste amazingly like autumn, with notes of cinnamon and brown sugar. Persimmons can be eaten raw or cooked into a dessert, but you should not eat them before they are ripe.
Most people do not consume the skins of persimmons, but I usually do. If the skins are tough, however, I will cut them off. The center usually contains a few dark, hard seeds that should not be eaten.
What are your favorite tips for picking and eating persimmons?
FIRST!!!!!!!!!!
that was Tim
Sadly, all the persimmons at my grocery store all look the same. I think they’re the Fuyu kind. Great post though!
What if I don’t have a Corolla to set them on? Can I set them on a Prius? Or is having persimmons ripening on your Prius too elitist?
trung:That is certainly elitist, so you may want to restrict that kind of behavior to the comfort of your own home. If you are lacking a Corolla, try setting them on a fluffy bed of arugula.
Today I bought 2 persimmons for the first time (one of each type). Previously I would never have dared. Their exoticness made me afraid to try them because I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to treat them like a tomato or sweet fruit or what. But today, armed with the power of knowledge that you have provided, I took the leap. I sense an era of change in the wind. If I can buy persimmons, what else is possible? A female vice president? Naw, that’s probably going too far.
doug:Great!! Keep us posted and don’t eat them too early!
My Goodness!!!! I just found this on Wiki concerning Persimmons…..”Unripened persimmons contain the soluble tannin shibuol, which, upon contact with a weak acid, polymerizes in the stomach and forms a gluey coagulum that can affix with other stomach matter. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy notes that consumption of persimmons has been known to cause bezoars that require surgery in over 90% of cases.”If you don’t know what a bezoar is, look it up (NSFW).
Don’t worry NB, non-ripe persimmons may do damage, but you won’t be tempted to eat them, they’re worse than eating a hard, green banana. Green potatoes have killed dozens of people too, but potatoes remain the world’s most popular veggie. I have three large persimmon trees and when in season my wife and I eat 5-10 persimmons (mangoes are in season too) every day for about a month every year. We call it our summer detox and it’s when we feel healthiest!
Don’t worry NB, non-ripe persimmons may do damage, but you won’t be tempted to eat them, they’re worse than eating a hard, green banana. Green potatoes have killed dozens of people ***, but potatoes remain the world’s most popular veggie. I have three large persimmon trees and when in season my wife and I eat 5-10 persimmons (mangoes are in season too) every day for about a month every year. We call it our summer detox and it’s when we feel healthiest!