I had just barely been introduced to American persimmons, with their mouth-puckering trickery for the uninitiated, when I met my first nonastringent persimmon.
I was on a walk with my sister in California several years ago when she reached up and plucked a bright orange fruit from an overhanging branch (hey, it’s legal in California, as long as the branch is in public space). “Try it,” she insisted.
I was suspicious. Once you’ve bitten into an unripe persimmon of the astringent variety (such as Hachiya), you never forget. From then on, your mouth dries and your throat closes if you so much as look at an unripe persimmon. This thing my sister had handed me looked a lot like the not-quite-soft persimmon I had foolishly tasted back home, but it was unapologetically firm.
But she persisted and, not wanting to look like a chicken, I closed my eyes and bit. And then I waited. No puckering. No gasping for air, no begging for water. Instead, just a soft sweetness, a mellow cross between a melon and a plum. I was hooked.
Nonastringent persimmons, such as the popular Fuyu variety, do still have tannin (the cause of all the puckering), but in far lower quantity. They can be grown in Georgia and are found in local farmers markets as well as the grocery store.
Eat nonastringent firm persimmons like apples, or add them to salads. You can also let them soften and then eat as you would a native or other astringent-variety persimmon.
So here’s the big question: How can you tell the difference? Before you bite into a nice, firm persimmon, is there any way to know whether the result will be pleasant or unpleasant?
“Besides knowing the cultivar, I have no idea,” admitted Jenny Jackson, co-owner of Jenny Jack Sun Farm in Pine Mountain. “The astringent ones look ripe, but other than knowing which variety you’re picking from, I don’t know how you can tell.”
Jackson discovered persimmons when she worked at the Callaway Gardens vegetable garden in 2004. She loved them for their taste and their beauty (“They’re like ornaments hanging from the trees,” she said), so she and husband Chris planted about 10 persimmons in their orchard last year.
Here’s one hint to tell them apart. Although persimmons come in lots of shapes and sizes, of the popular Fuyu and Hachiya cultivars, Fuyus are oblate (squat), like a tomato, and Hachiyas are slightly elongated, like an acorn. But if they’re not labeled, your best bet is to ask someone who’s already tried them. Trust me, if you happen to have an astringent variety in your hand, you’ll be glad you did.
At local farmers markets
Apples, arugula, beets, bok choi, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, herbs, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mixed greens, mustard greens, pak choi, pecans, peppers, persimmons, potatoes, radishes, spinach, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, tatsoi, turnip greens, turnips, winter squash
From farther afield
Looking good: Apples, Caribbean asparagus, Florida and Chilean avocados, California and Caribbean beans, Mexican beets, Argentine blueberries, Mexican Brussels sprouts, cabbage, California carrots, California cauliflower, New England cranberries, California and Mexican eggplant, California and Carolina greens, Texas grapefruit, Brazilian grapes, Italian kiwi fruit, California and Arizona oranges, Washington pears, Georgia and Florida peppers, Mexican radishes, Florida and Mexican summer squash, Southern and California sweet potatoes, Florida and California tomatoes
Coming in: Chilean and Uruguayan blueberries, Georgia and Texas cabbage, Chilean cherries, Chilean and Peruvian grapes, Mexican peppers, Florida radishes, Mexican raspberries, Mexican strawberries, Mexican tomatoes, Florida watermelon
Variable quality: Texas beets, Caribbean and Mexican blackberries, Mexican carrots, Georgia eggplant, Mexican and Arizona honeydews, California and Caribbean peas, California raspberries, California strawberries
Local reports and the Packer
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Holiday Ambrosia
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes Serves: 16
Add some color to your table with this pretty fruit-and-nut salad.
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 or 3 nonastringent firm persimmons, diced
2 green or gold apples, cored and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups red grapes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/4 cup flaked coconut
In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast the pecan halves, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly colored, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. In the same pan, toast the pine nuts, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly colored, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the pecans to cool.
In a small nonreactive bowl, toss the diced persimmons and apples with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the grapes, raisins, all but 1 tablespoon of the pomegranate seeds (reserve for top), cranberries or cherries, coconut and the cooled pecans and pine nuts. Stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with the reserved pomegranate seeds.
Per 1/2-cup serving: 92 calories (percent of calories from fat, 38), 1 gram protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.
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