Say hello to persimmons, a fine fall fruit
Persimmons seem to be one of the better-kept secrets of the fruit world. I’d heard of them way back in a story I read when I was a child. The story played up what is perhaps the most memorable feature of our native persimmons: if you bite into one before it’s ripe, the astringent tannins in the fruit will make the inside of your mouth feel like you’ve got wool or flannel on your tongue.
Like the native pawpaw, persimmons are not something I see for sale in the grocery store, so I assumed that persimmons are just one of those “old-timey” fruits that have no place in modern cuisine. That perception changed when we opened a Blue Apron meal delivery package several weeks ago to discover that one of the ingredients was a persimmon.
Remembering the story about the tannins, I tested a small chunk of the persimmon before adding it to the rice as instructed. The flavor was a bit surprising: quite sweet, almost like a date, and with the texture of a firm pear. Overall, I liked the taste and thankfully my tongue didn’t feel fuzzy and dry; I put the entire cut-up fruit into the pot of rice.
The experienced emboldened me enough to stop and take a closer look at a large persimmon tree I’d noticed on the route I usually take into West Chester. During the growing season, the tree is simply a nicelyshaped small tree in a front lawn. In October and November however, the tree is stunning, with dozens of glowing, muted orangecolored fruits decorating the bare branches. It’s one of the most beautiful ornamental trees I’ve ever seen, especially distinctive at this time of year.
No one was home and I didn’t want to take a fruit directly from the tree without permission. I gently picked up a very soft fruit from the grass and brought it home to taste. I figured that the worst that might happen is that the texture would be unappealing, but that the fruit would still be edible. It was, and with the same very-sweet date-like flavor I had enjoyed the week before.
It took me a few moments to realize that there were no seeds in the persimmon. That told me that this tree is probably a cultivar, bred to be sterile. Beyond that, it’s hard for me to determine if the tree is a cultivar of our native persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) or if it is one of the Asian varieties (Diospyros kaki). In browsing different cultivars on the internet I learned that for both types there are astringent varieties that must be eaten only when completely soft and ripe, and non-astringent varieties that can be eaten while still hard, like an apple.
Persimmon trees are relatively pest- and disease-free. The main factor to consider in growing them is hardiness. Native persimmons are hardy as far north as southern Connecticut. The Asian persimmons are pretty much at their limit here in the Delaware Valley.
In looking for information about this tree and its fall fruit, I discovered that persimmon is also an important hardwood. A member of the ebony family, persimmon has extremely hard wood. Until golf clubs went the way of all-metal, persimmon was actually the preferred wood for golf-club heads.
According to Advantage Lumber (https:// w w w.advantagelumber.com/persimmon.htm) persimmon wood is used in musical instruments, drumsticks, tool handles, turnery, flooring, furniture, and veneers. It’s also used for mallets and pool/billiard cue sticks and is sometimes used as a veneer.
Coincidentally with my tasting these two persimmons, I noticed a basket of the fruits in the produce section of my local Kimberton Whole Foods store. I bought several to try in some of the recipes I found online.
If you’re interested in learning more, there’s great information and fun reading at http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com/ store/c /39- Native- and-Oriental-Persimmon Trees. aspx. There are plenty of other websites as well.