Persimmons are in Season!!

[Guest guest]

HI,

Wanted to let you know that Persimmons are in season now. I just

bought many and I am storing them in my fridge. I love the Hachiya

kind, they look like a squished tomatoe and they are orange, fleshy,

soft, and mushy when ripe, and tastes like no other fruit, they are

in the sweet fruit family, like medjol dates, mangos, and fresh figs.

The other day I gave my son's friend one and he thought that I was

playing a trick on him, he thought they were rotten tomatoes, but

when he finally gave in and ate one, he loved it.

Here's the link for this info on Persimmons:

http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch210.html

If you bite into a piece of fruit that looks like an orange tomato

and your lips pucker because of the bitter taste, you may be chewing

on an unripe persimmon. Your reaction would be similar to that of the

early settlers of North America.

Those settlers found persimmons inedible until the Native Americans

told them the fruit would not be ready to eat until the first frost.

The settlers assumed this meant the frost was necessary to improve

the taste, but the natives meant the fruit should be left on the tree

well into October when it was ripe enough to eat.

The persimmon native to North America is the diaspyros virginiana

that the Algonquin Indians called " putchamin, pasiminan, or

pessamin, " depending on the dialect of the tribe. This persimmon was

small, seedy and had an unpleasant taste when eaten before it was

ripe. This astringent quality is caused by tannin present in the

fruit when it is not completely ripe. The diaspyros virginiana was

quite different from the persimmons we see in the markets today. It

was the size of a grape and had to be left on the tree into the

winter.

Growing wild, it varied in quality from tree to tree. Hernando de

Soto and his conquistadors found the Native Americans eating bread

made from what they called " prunes. " The loaves they were fed were

formed from dried persimmons.

The settlers of town described persimmons as " very sweet and

pleasant to the taste, and yields on distillation, after

fermentation, a quality of spirits. " When Captain was not

busy with Pocahontas, he is quoted as saying, " If it be not ripe it

will drawe a mans mouth awrie with much torment; but when it is ripe,

it is as delicious as an Apricock. "

When Commodore opened Japan to the West in 1855 he

changed the persimmon scene forever. One little known sidelight of

his journey was the return to the United States with persimmon trees

that were planted in Washington, D.C.

Any Greek will tell you that " diaspyros " means " food of the gods. "

What he may not tell you is that " diospyros " is also the botanical

name for persimmon. In Japan, where the persimmon is very popular,

the word you will hear for this fruit is " kaki. " A botanist in this

country will use the phrase " diaspyros kaki " when he is speaking

about the Japanese persimmon.

The Japanese persimmon that has become the dominant variety sold in

the United States did not originate in Japan. It is a native of China

but was introduced to Japan at an early date and has become the

national fruit and one of the traditional foods for the Japanese New

Year. Sometime in the mid1800s the first persimmon cultivar arrived

in California. A sub-tropical plant, the persimmon grows well

California and the Southeastern United States.

There are hundreds of varieties of persimmon, but two types are

commercially available. The Hachiya dominates with about 90% of the

market. It is an astringent fruit, bright orange in color, and shaped

like a large, slightly elongated tomato that almost comes to a point

at the bottom. Hachiyas must be fully ripe to be enjoyed. Fully ripe

means a mushy, intense orange, jelly-like texture that is a turnoff

for many people. The taste is compared to that of an overly sweet

apricot with a smooth, slippery texture.

The Fuyu, also bright orange in color, is a non-astringent variety

slowly gaining in popularity. It is eaten when firm, just like an

apple, shiny skin and all. You can recognize a Fuyu by its squat

shape and flat bottom, close to the appearance of a medium-sized

tomato.

NUTRITION: Comparing the nutritional data for both the Fuyu and the

Hachiya, also known as native persimmons, is challenging because the

Hachiya has not been tested as extensively as the Fuyu.

The firm, crunchy Fuyu contains 118 calories with 31 grams

carbohydrates compared to the 32 calories and 8 grams carbohydrates

contained in the Hachiya. While there are no fiber figures for the

Hachiya, the Fuyu can boast 6 grams.

The two varieties seem to be nutritional opposites with some of the

data. One example cites the Hachiya with 16.5 mg of Vitamin C, while

the Fuyu contains none. Another opposite is the potassium content of

the Fuyu with 270 mg, while the Hachiya contains only 77.5 mg. While

calcium is not one of the fruit's strong points, the Fuyu contains

13.4 mg and the Hachiya has only 6.8 mg. On the protein scale, Fuyus

contain 1 gram compared to .02 grams for the Hachiya.

Fuyu persimmons contain a whopping 3641 IU of Vitamin A.

Unfortunately, there are no Vitamin A figures available for the

Hachiya. However, if color is any indication of the presence of beta

carotene, the Hachiya's bright orange color would indicate its

availability.

The Fuyu contains a good profile of B vitamins: 0.5 mg Vitamin B1;

0.03 Vitamin B2; 0.17 mg Vitamin B3; 12.6 mg Vitamin B6; and 12.6 mcg

for Folic Acid. Figures for the B vitamins are unavailable for

Hachiya persimmons.

SHOPPING: Some persimmons will begin to appear in the markets in late

September, but November and December are when they're most plentiful.

In some areas availability may even stretch into January.

Because the Hachiya variety is so delicate in its ripe state, it is

picked and shipped to market while still hard and unripe. A persimmon

whose color is bright orange all over will ripen more successfully

than those with yellow patches, which indicate they were picked

before maturity. Some markets will have ripe ones on hand. We prefer

to purchase our persimmons quite firm in order to monitor their

ripening carefully. Allow them to ripen at room temperature, a

process that may take up to a week to reach a completely soft state.

Patience pays off, providing a fruit with unmatchable sweetness that

some liken to ambrosia.

Fuyu persimmons should be purchased when very firm. Enjoy them as

they are, crunchy and sweet, or allow them to soften a bit at room

temperature. There are several varieties of Fuyu, some have sizeable

black seeds inside while others are seedless. The especially tasty

Gosho variety with its redish orange color and black seeds seems to

turn up at farmers' markets.

STORAGE: Once ripe, persimmons don't keep well. They should be eaten

right away or refrigerated for no more than a day or two. If you're

waiting for several persimmons to ripen at once to make that seasonal

favorite, persimmon pudding, you'll discover persimmons have a mind

of their own, each one choosing a different time to ripen. Simply

spoon out the flesh of each persimmon as it ripens, and store it in

the freezer in an airtight container until you have the required

amount.

Lengthen the short persimmon season by storing firm Hachiyas up to

one month in the refrigerator before setting them out at room

temperature to ripen. To enjoy them out of season, freeze them for

six months before ripening.

DRYING: Ripe persimmons can be sliced, peeled or unpeeled, and oven-

dried or dried in a dehydrator. Unripe, firm Hachiyas can be peeled

and dried whole, a process that helps them to lose all their

astringency and develop a sweet, softened texture.

RAW: To enjoy the best of flavor, eat both varieties of persimmons

fresh as soon as they are ripe. Their flavors are sweet, rich, and

satisfying. Cut them into quarters and serve them for breakfast.

The Fuyu variety can be diced and added to fruit or vegetable salads.

Hachiyas do well in the blender with some soy milk or soft silken

tofu and a dash of cinnamon to make a delicious smoothie.

BAKED: Ripe Hachiya persimmons add rich flavor and moistness to baked

cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads, and steamed puddings.

Add mashed Hachiyas to pancake or waffle batter.

ENJOY!

Michele