Do you have a wild persimmon tree on your property and wonder how you can enjoy the fruit?
In this blog I'll show you what we have learned about this and share a recipe for enjoying your harvest!
Harvesting
Unlike their domesticated counterparts, wild persimmons are ripe when they are shriveled looking and mushy. They will ripen after they are picked though, so you can pull any that come off the tree easily and are no longer green.
A fruit picker can help you reach fruit that is out of your arms reach. Our tree is so tall that we couldn't reach all the fruit even while standing on a ladder with a fruit picker!
If this is the case with your tree too just keep the area under the tree mowed and check for fallen fruit every day. Below are some pictures of persimmons at different stages of ripeness.
A good way to tell if they are ripe is to squeeze them. If the fruit is unripe, it will feel firm. If it is ripe, it will break open easily. If the persimmon is overripe, it will be super mushy and have a strong alcohol smell.
Processing
If you want to use persimmons in recipes, you will have to process them. Each wild persimmon has four large seeds in it which makes processing them VERY messy! It is also very tedious, but if you enjoy persimmon recipes your effort will be worth it! Wild persimmons are much sweeter and more flavorful than domesticated ones.
So, here's how I tried doing it. First, I tried squeezing the seeds from each one, that was super messy and difficult.
Then I tried just putting them all in colander and mashing them with a potato masher, hoping the pulp would go through the holes and leave the seeds behind.
Well, come to find out, persimmon pulp is very thick and doesn't go through the holes of a colander very easily. I tried a couple other things after that, like pushing a slotted spoon through it and a spatula. Nothing worked very well.
So, here's what you have to do, remove all the tops from the persimmons, and put them in a bowl, then mash them all up. Once they are all mashed up you can pick out all the seeds.
You can then blend the pulp up and either freeze it or use right away.
If you are going to freeze or refrigerate the pulp it is a good idea to add one tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of pulp.
Click
for a persimmon bread recipe.
If anyone knows of an easier way to do this, please let us know!
Written by: Isabelle Hansen
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