Persimmons

[Joanna]

I have a persimmon tree but no recipes!  I don't know much about them at all, except you can't eat them till they are ripe enough to fall off the tree.  My neighbor comes each year and cuts one open to look for the knife, spoon or fork; last year it was a spork ~ no help in cooking though.
I know you can make cookies from them, though I've never had one; but thought I'd ask if there are any special tricks to picking/cleaning/preserving them for later.  I was wondering about making preserves from them and using it in marinades, etc. like I do with apricot preserves.  Anyone here have any ideas?  Thanks in advance for any persimmon recipes you can share.

[Catwoman]

You can't eat persimmons until after the first hard frost/freeze...before that, they're a practical joker's dream...they look ripe but are so sour that they make Warheads look like wimps.  I'll look through my antique cookbooks and see what I find.

[dnalexander]

Persimmons
It's important you know there are two kinds of persimmons: the Fuyu, the kind you can eat right away, and the Hachiya, the kind you can't. If you bite into an unripe Hachiya persimmon, it is if you just drank six cups of extra strength tea. This astringent flavor is due to the high level of tannin in the fruit, and there is a good chance that you would never try a persimmon again because it tastes so bitter. This would be a shame because ripe persimmons have an exceptional flavor and provide us with important nutrients such as beta-carotene, Vitamin C and potassium.

China is the largest producer of persimmons, followed by Brazil, Japan, and Korea. The United States grows comparatively few persimmons compared to the major producers, but virtually all, of the domestic persimmon crop comes from California.

Selection & Storage
Hachiyas should be deep orange without any green (except at the stem) or yellow showing. They may occasionally have dark spots caused by sunburn, which is fine unless the flesh is sunken at those spots. There shouldn't be any breaks in the skin, but scarring caused by rubbing against tree branches during harvesting is harmless. When ripe, they should feel squishy, like a water balloon. Handle soft, ripe Hachiyas carefully to avoid breaking the skin, and keep refrigerated. Use them as soon as possible, within a few days at most. Unripe Hachiya persimmons can be ripened further by keeping them at room temperature for a week or more. To accelerate ripening, put them in a bag with a banana or an apple.

When selecting Fuyu persimmons, look for ones that are yellow-orange in color and firm to the touch. Fuyus will stay firm for two or three weeks at room temperature. Eventually, after about three weeks, they will soften somewhat like the Hachiya. At this stage, some people feel the Fuyu's sweetness reaches its peak.

Persimmon Nutrition Their crispness can be prolonged by refrigeration if the temperature remains close to freezing (32°F) but once the fruit is returned to room temperature, it will soften. Surprisingly, persimmons stored at normal refrigerator temperature, about 40°F, will actually deteriorate faster than if stored at room temperature (55°F.)

Even though, Fuyus look heartier than Hachiyas, they can also bruise easily. These bruises will not show externally, so they should be handled with care. Fuyus are ethylene sensitive and should not be stored near ethylene-producing fruit such as apples or bananas, when ripe.

Preparation
Hachiya skins are somewhat like tomato skins, although less intrusive. I've never felt the need to remove them, but if you want an absolutely pristine persimmon pulp, you can purée the ripe fruit in a food mill or strain the purée through a sieve.

The nature of the Hachiya persimmon is such that it is almost always used as a purée, in cookies, cakes, brownies, breads, puddings, flans, and sauces. Baking with ripe Hachiyas can sometimes reintroduce tannin, so it's best to add baking soda to the recipe to offset that possibility. Citrus juice will help prevent persimmons from darkening during baking.

To make an easy persimmon sorbet, just freeze the whole fruit and allow it to defrost slightly in the refrigerator. Peel back the skin, and spoon out the flesh. You can add a few drops of rum, bourbon, or brandy, all of which go well in persimmon preparations, or use seasonings such as ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, ground coriander and cinnamon. Persimmons, are a fall/winter fruit, so nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts go well with them, as do dried fruits such as raisins and prunes. Orange juice, orange liqueurs, and brown sugar also match up nicely with persimmons.

Unlike Hachiyas, Fuyu persimmons can be eaten out of hand like an apple or pear, and there isn't any need to peel them. In fact, the California Grower's Association described them as crisp like an apple, sweet like a pear. A squeeze of lime perks up their flavor even more.

Fuyus can also be used like apples and pears in fruit salads, cobblers, or crisps, and are sturdy enough to be used in stir-fries as well. Fuyus do not darken when cut, so they can be sliced and made part of a vegetable or fruit tray.

Tony's Tip
To speed up ripening of Hachiya persimmons and eliminate the tannin, put them in the freezer for twenty-four hours. Then defrost and use as you would a perfectly ripe persimmon.

Persimmon Seasons Tony's Favorite Recipe


Persimmon Smoothie
You won't have the excuse of not having enough time for breakfast with this quick and fortifying concoction.
Makes 2 cups, about 2 servings

1 ripe Hachiya persimmon
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 cup orange juice

1. Remove stem and calyx from persimmon and puree in a blender or food processor.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Adjust honey if more sweetness is desired. Makes 1 good-size serving or 2 small servings.
Hachiya is a beautiful fruit about the size of a medium peach, acorn-shaped with a shiny, bright orange skin and pale green papery calyx, or leafy cap. At one time 90 percent of the persimmons sold in the United States were the Hachiya variety; now they only account for approximately 20%. Many people, some of whom have never tasted the persimmon, merely use this beautiful fruit as holiday table decorations, since they are at their peak in late fall and early winter. As the fruit ripens, the skin dulls and takes on the texture of a water balloon. The astringent tannin evaporates and the fruit becomes sweeter with an apricot-like flavor, although some liken the flavor to plums, even pumpkins.

Fuyu persimmons, now representing almost 80 percent of the persimmon market, are squatter and rounder than the Hachiya. The color is a yellow-orange and not as brilliant as the Hachiya. It almost looks like a mini pumpkin or perhaps a slightly flattened tomato, but unlike the Hachiya, the Fuyu can be consumed immediately. It is crisp, lightly sweet and crunchy, like a Fuji apple. If you're wondering why you don't see more Fuyus in your local markets, it's because they are primarily funneled into ethnic markets where the demand is high.

There are more obscure persimmon varieties found mainly in California or specialty markets elsewhere. These obscure varieties include the reddish orange Giant Fuyu, the "Chocolate" varieties of persimmon because of their dark flesh and faint chocolate flavor, the attractive red-orange Maru, and the Hyakume, whose skin color ranges from pale yellow to orange.

http://tonytantillo.com/fruits/persimmons.html



Persimmon Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
Makes 8 servings

4 eggs
6 cups crustless country French sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup sugar
Butter-flavored cooking spray
2 cups skim milk
2/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup rum
1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 ripe Hachiya persimmons, stemmed, seeded, and puréed, about 2 cups
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Combine eggs, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in milk, then add vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and persimmon purée. Add bread, mix well, and let stand at room temperature 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or similar-sized pan with cooking spray. Distribute bread pudding mixture evenly. Put pan into a larger pan that contains enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the bread pudding pan.
3. Bake about 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool to warm.
4. While pudding cools to warm, combine orange juice, rum, butter, brown sugar, and allspice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Combine cornstarch with 1/2 cup water. Add to the orange-juice mixture. Stir until thickened. Serve bread pudding warm, cut into 8 even portions. Drizzle each with about 2 tablespoons of warm sauce.



David

[cheyronni]

my dad makes them into jelly and some into wine....yummy!!!

[Catwoman]

Isn't there an old wive's tale about how you can cut open a persimmon and it will tell your whether or not it's going to be a hard winter??  Something about, if you see a spoon shape in the seeds, it's going to be an early and hard winter.  LOL

[Joanna]

Thanks!  Here's the thing... I have the West Randolph, Howard KS species of persimmon... It's about the size of a rubber Super Ball; much smaller than the descriptions I can find on the internet... and the ones on the tree are completely awful, but the ones on the ground are delicious, even though we have not had anything like a hard freeze.

AHHHH!!!!!  OHHHHH!!!!  Stomp! Stomp!
Sorry, just had a red hornet crawl up my shoulder and scared the screaming out of me! Did you know hornets like the smell of over-ripe persimmons too?  There were a couple out there, but I didn't realize one had hitched a ride into the house.

Anyhow, I love the recipes and will try them. I'm sure we have the "H" type, since it's in no way edible when it is firm.  My trouble is that I'm not sure I can translate a certain quantity of whole persimmons in any recipe because mine are so much smaller than "a medium tomato"  At least my 'medium' tomatoes are much larger than these persimmons!

The sorbet recipe sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it.  I think I will try to make some jelly (more likely preserves) and the wine sounds interesting ~ but I haven't made wine before so that will be a project for when I can do more research.

It looks like I'd be safe gathering the 'falls' in good condition and them washing them & freezing till I'm ready to use.  Do they need to be blanched?  Does that sound right to anyone who has worked with them before?  Would I be better off to puree them and then freeze?  I'd rather can since my freezer space is limited.

I guess there's no hurry, I still need to get my pumpkins worked up before I start in on the persimmons.  Except that sorbet, I could get enough together for a sample batch of that...

Catwoman, that is what I've heard... it's why Donnie comes over to check every fall... when cut apart the seeds look like flatware. I'll have to ask him again what weather each forcasts...

[dnalexander]

Here are some links I found googleing "Kansas Persimmon"

Diospyros virginiana or American Persimmon has fruit about 1" or so in diameter here are some links I found that might be usefule for you.

http://www.persimmonpudding.com/recipes.html

http://www.kansasforests.org/conservation/deciduous/persimmon.shtml

http://www.kansasforests.org/conservation/deciduous/persimmon.shtml

http://www2.pittstate.edu/herbarium/woody/Diospyros_virginiana_Persimmon.html




http://home.earthlink.net/~tabletophomestead/persimmons.html

The American persimmon is native to the eastern US from New England to Florida, growing wild across the south as far west as Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.  Besides bearing delicious and edible fruit, the tree provides valuable timber.  Being a member of the Ebony family the wood is quite hard.  Wildlife, including opossums, raccoons, birds, deer and coyotes, relish the ripe fruits in the fall.  In the spring the blossoms provide a good nectar source for bees.  According to one source, the seeds may be roasted, ground and used in place of coffee.  Persimmon fruit, probably due to the high tannin content, is reported to soothe digestion.  Harvest the fruit in late fall/early winter after the first frost when the leaves have fallen.  The fruit can be stored 2 months at a temperature just above freezing.  In addition to uses in baked goods, jams and jellies, the fruit can be dried or made into leather.

Here's a good link with some in-depth information on the American persimmon.

Here's a small collection of persimmon recipes from some of my cookbooks.  Happy Foraging!
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Wild Persimmon Pudding

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup light cream or evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan and set it aside.  Melt the butter in a saucepan and set it aside also.  Sift the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together into a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into the baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  The pudding will puff up while baking, then fall back as it cools.  Cool the pudding in the pan on a rack.  Serve cold, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Makes 9 to 12 servings.  May be doubled.
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Wild Persimmon Pudding (without egg)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp melted margarine
1 cup dried currants
1/2 cup coarsely broken nutmeats (hickory if possible)

Grease a 7 x 11 x 1 1/2 inch cake pan with margarine.  Have ready a larger, shallow pan filled with about 1 inch of hot water.  Set both aside.  Sift the flour, sugar, soda, salt, and spices together onto a sheet of waxed paper.  In a large bowl, stir together the persimmon pulp, milk, vanilla, and margarine.  Add the sifted ingredients and stir until well blended, then add the currants and nutmeats and stir again.  Pour into the prepared pan, then place it into the pan of water.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and carefully take the cake pan out of the pan of water.  Cool the pudding in the pan on a wire rack, then cut it into squares.  Serve plain or with whipped cream.  Makes 12 servings.
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Wild Persimmon Bars

1 cup persimmon pulp
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried currants (or 1/2 cup raisins)
1/2 cup coarsely broken nutmeats (hickory if possible)

Grease a 10 x 15 x 1 inch jelly-roll pan with margarine and set it aside.  In a medium sized bowl, stir the soda into the persimmon pulp.  Set this aside for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, sift the flour and spices together onto a sheet of waxed paper.  Put the egg, sugar, salt and oil into a large bowl and beat them with an electric mixer until blended.  Add the persimmon pulp and beat well, then add the sifted dry ingredients and beat only until well mixed.  Stir in the vanilla, currants, and nutmeats.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out to the edges.  Using a spatula dipped in water, lightly smooth the surface of the batter ot make it as even as possible.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then frost the bars with glaze.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Stir the sugar and juice together and spread this over the sheet of uncut persimmon bars.  When cool, but into 1 1/2 x 2 inch bars.  Makes 50 bars.  These are better the next day, after they have had time to mellow.

(The above 3 recipes from Wild Seasons by Kay Young)
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Persimmon Jam

Use very ripe persimmons, making sure the fruit is absolutely ripe, by which we mean extremely soft and barely held together by the skin, which should have become nearly transparent.  For each 3 pounds of fruit you will need:

1 lb sugar
3/4 cup water
grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon

Remove stems and crowns; remove seeds; leave skins on.  Bring water and sugar to a boil; after a couple of minutes, add the persimmons and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often.  Then add the lemon, stir well, and boil until it has reached the right consistency.  Pour into hot jars and seal when cool.  (This must refer to paraffin sealing, which is no longer recommended.  I would use ring banks and caps and water bath for 5 minutes. JB)

From Home Preserving Made Easy by Dorothy Parker and Vera Gewanter
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Persimmon Jelly

3 1/2 to 4 pounds ripe persimmons
2 cups water
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 package powdered fruit pectin
1/2 cup honey

Wash persimmons and remove blossom end.  Place in a 6 to 8 quart stainless steel or enamel saucepan.  Add water.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Mash persimmons.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Press pulp through strainer to remove pits.  Measure 3 cups pulp.  Stir in lemon juice and pectin.  Brink mixture to a boil.  Stir in honey all at once.  Let mixture return to a full rolling boil that can't be stirred down.  Boil for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Do a jelly test, and when firm enough, ladle into hot, scalded half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and seal.  Process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

From Stocking Up III by Carol Hupping
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American Persimmon Pie

2 cups persimmon pulp
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 9-inch pie shell, uncooked

Mix persimmon pulp, egg and milk. Mix sugar, salt and cornstarch and add to first mixture. Pour filling into unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 50 to 60 minutes longer

[dnalexander]

Joanna let me\us know what you find works for your persimmons. I have never been able to recreate the recipes that my mom used for persimmons here in California. Because of your post I learned that the ones we have here in California are the Asian variety. From all the research I did today and from talking to my friend who is a classically trained French Chef I have learned that the American persimmon is actually the best and most prized persimmon, but due to its nature is not a commercially viable product due to shipping, gathering, etc. Now I know why I have not been able to recreate what mom made from persimmons when we lived in the midwest.

David

[Ole Granny]

Thanks for the picture of the Persimmon tree.  My aunt and uncle had one in their back yard.  How we enjoyed visiting when they were ready for eating.  Sure brought back fond memories!

[frawin]

My Mother makes Persimmon cookies every fall.  I'll check with her and see what recipe she uses if you would like.