Persimmons

[lulu]

This isn't strictly speaking a cooking question, but does anyone here grow persimon fruit? There is a persimon tree in the garden of or rented house in italy. I havn't seen it yet but DH tells me it is laden with unripe fruit. I was wondering what season these normally ripen in and whether the fruit will ripen at all, or stay green on the tree...as it is definitely Autumn now! Or perhaps like figs, there are two crops, and this crop will ripen NEXT summer? I hope so. I love them.

I have only had them raw....can you do anything else with them?

 

[Constance]

We have a big persimmon tree in our yard, right outside the kitchen window. The tree loses it's leaves and starts dropping persimmons after the days get short and the nights get cool, but they are best eaten after frost, as the frost sweetens them.
Our deer love them, and don't seem to mind at all coming up that close to the house to munch on them.

You'll find persimmon recipes here:

http://members.aol.com/BLaneKY/persimm.htm

 

[lulu]

Oh thank you Constance! I am so looking forward to them now!

 

[attie]

I saw a food show on TV yesterday using Persimmons, the trees were bare of leaves with only the bright red fruit left on them, most unusual, I've never seen them before. http://www20.sbs.com.au/foodlovers/recipes.php?id=306&seriesID=5&episodeID=60

 

[shpj4]

Attie I think I ate a Persimmons when I was a young girl. There were a lot of trees on my block and these red things kept falling from the trees.

 

[licia]

We have them at the farm, but they aren't ripe yet. We just eat them raw, but I've heard of persimmon pudding, cake and would think they were good.

 

[Constance]

My persimmon tree

Attie, the persimmon tree outside my kitchen window is the first to change color. The leaves turn a beautiful golden color, then fall quite early, leaving a bare tree with all these little golden-orange fruits on the branches.
The fruit falls a little at a time, and the deer eat it right up, but we humans should wait until after a hard frost, to sweeten the fruit.

If you've ever eaten a green (unripe) apple, you know what I mean.

 

[attie]

I just happened to find a chutney recipe for this fruit, I'm not much good at judging if it would be any good or not but I'm sure others will know.
http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/adelaide/stories/s844703.htm

 

[Lynan]

Lulu, when I lived in Italy persimmons were always eaten with a spoon as they were SO SO soft they could hardly be removed from their containers! Is that how you have eaten them there?
Here in New Zealand, they are eaten like an apple, quite crisp but still sweet, but not as sweet as those slimy ones!!

 

[BreezyCooking]

Persimmons grow wild here in Virginia & are a favorite food of fox, possums, raccoons, etc., etc. In fact, one way I can tell fox scat from my dog's droppings is the prevalence of persimmon seeds in it.

While I don't have any growing on my current property, had several on my small farm up in the mountains & they were like honey after a few frosts. The trick was getting them before the wildlife did - lol!!

I usually just ate them raw, but if you do an internet search, there are a number of recipes for Persimmon Pudding. I do think I made one once, but have no idea where that recipe went to.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I just happened to find a chutney recipe for this fruit, I'm not much good at judging if it would be any good or not but I'm sure others will know.
http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/adelaide/stories/s844703.htm

For my taste, mate, I'd do the following:
- omit the apple. I see no reason to include it.
- make that 1 or 1.25 cups of sugar
- cut back a bit on the vinegar. You've got lemon juice as well; it's going to make your eyes crinkle!
- I might just be a devil and add a little more chili pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon.

 

[Barbara L]

The ones we got from my aunt in California were the ones that have to be really soft to eat. My dad started making what he calls "porange juice." You just blend a persimmon or two into orange juice until it is smooth (whatever ratio you prefer--he used more orange juice than persimmon). It is really good!

Barbara