Puckery persimmons?
We get questionsÉ.
IÕve heard there is a way to pick persimmons and ripen
them so they arenÕt astringent.
Of the dozens of Oriental persimmon varieties, two are commonly grown in California. Fuyu persimmons are flattened on the bottom and are non-astringent. They can be eaten as soon as they turn orange (November), having a mild, sweet flavor and a texture firm enough to munch like an apple or add to fruit salad. They also dry nicely, sliced thin and layered in a fruit dehydrator for a few hours. Dip the slices in melted chocolate for an elegant touch.
Hachiya persimmons are elongated and have a point on the bottom of the fruit. They turn color in November but arenÕt edible until December. Hachiya and other astringent persimmon varieties, including the native American species, are famous for their astringency when under-ripe, and for their gelatinous texture when ripe. Many people are put off by the gooshy ripe fruit, but Hachiya has a richer flavor and is more prized for cooking.
Astringency in persimmons is caused by tannins, the same chemicals that make tea, red wine, and unripe bananas and peaches cause your mouth to pucker. Tannins cause the surface of your tongue and mouth to constrict and stop salivating: Òit will drawe a mans mouth awrie with much torment,Ó said Captain John Smith upon tasting the American ÒputchaminÓ in Virginia. Mmmm. Yet fully ripe, with the flesh nearly liquid, they are described as luscious and honey-like.
The USDA tried over a number of years to introduce persimmons to growers and consumers, and sought to overcome the astringency and mushiness of the fruit in order to broaden its appeal. Observing the process of ripening employed in Japan and China, they saw the hard, unripe fruit:
--immersed in a mix of water and lime for several days.
--sealed in a covered earthenware jar with a burning stick of incense for a day or two.
--buried in mud for several days.
--packed in sake casks just after the sake was drawn off, immediately sealed air tight.
Each of these techniques left the fruit firm, ripe, and non-astringent.
It seems that the key to the process is to exclude oxygen and wait for the fruit to undergo an internal semi-fermentation. The fruit produces acetaldehyde which reacts with the tannins to neutralize them; the tannins form into inert, insoluble masses that just pass over the tongue. Mind you, they are still there in the flesh. DonÕt gorge on persimmons on an empty stomach, or the tannins may react with your stomach acids and form a bezoar.
But I digress. Harold McGee, author of The Curious Cook and On Food and Cooking, expanded on the idea of excluding oxygen to ripen the Hachiya persimmons. He wrapped individual fruit in three layers of Saran wrap (not cheaper stuff, it has to be thick and canÕt be polyethylene) and then placed them in his gas oven, with only the pilot light on, for 18 hours. The result? ÒThe texture reminded me of a peachÓ and the flavor was intensified. For the record, his oven was at about 100F. Similar results were attained with wrapped fruit in a crock pot, warmed to 100F for 12 – 24 hours.
The fruit can be frozen to ripen it and reduce the astringency. Place firm Hachiya fruit in the freezer, then thaw it. Some references say to freeze it overnight, others say it takes ten days or more, so IÕd test the pulp before cooking with it. The thawed fruit will be mushy, but ok for baking.
If you donÕt want to go to all this trouble, and primarily just like to eat persimmons raw or dried, the Fuyu is a better choice for you and is by far the more popular variety. A few other types have become available in recent years; growers have replaced the Japanese names with appellations that hint at their flavor (Coffeecake) or the color (Chocolate). Some of these benefit from having another type of persimmon nearby for cross-pollination; in fact, some are astringent if they arenÕt pollinated, but not if they are (confused?).
Pollination doesnÕt matter to the two main varieties. Fuyu and Hachiya are parthenocarpic, which means they produce fruit without pollination and which is seedless. If they happen to get cross-pollinated, they may produce seeds and the fruit may be larger, but the quality isnÕt affected. Incidentally, many people have never noticed their persimmon flowers. They are cream-colored and insignificant, surrounded by a green calyx which blends with the yellowish-green new growth in spring.
Persimmons are incredibly easy to grow. The trees have attractive foliage: chartreuse in spring, shiny green in summer, yellow fall color. Sturdy branch structure requires no pruning, but they will get quite large (30Õ+) so you may wish to train them lower for access to the fruit. Fruit production begins in about three years and increases thereafter. A mature persimmon may produce 500 – 1,000 fruit.
Ok, think about that. 500 or more fruit. You may wish to place the tree carefully, as there is first a steady litter of unripe fruit through the summer as the tree naturally thins itself. Then the colorful fruit eventually comes down on its own, though the trees considerately give you several weeks to harvest first. The texture of the ripe fruit has already been described. Did I mention that they look like bright orange jello bombs? This is a tree for the back of the border, where the fruit can dissolve into some low-maintenance ground cover.
But if you donÕt process the fruit yourself, I guarantee several types of birds will enjoy it. Persimmons are popular with cedar waxwings, jays, magpies, and various other colorful and attractive winter birds.
It actually is possible to get fruit from your garden every month of the year in the Sacramento Valley. The first citrus are ripening (mandarins), and varieties of oranges can extend the citrus season through the spring and even into summer. Berries begin in late spring, cherries in early summer, and there are stone fruit varieties available from May through September. Figs produce both in early and late summer. Apples and pears round out the late summer. Nuts are dropping in early fall. And persimmons and pomegranates bridge the gap after the summer garden has finished until the citrus start up again.
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Posted 03/2008 -- page URL: http://www.redwoodbarn.com/DE_persimmonpucker.htm