Confessions - Persimmons

[baymule]

Our dogs love the native persimmons so much that they would race the sheep to the trees, gobbling the persimmons up as fast as they could. This is how one of our dogs hoovered up a hickory nut, which lodged in his intestine, making surgery a necessary operation to remove the hickory nut. Goofy dog!

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Sounds like you got a persimmon that wasn’t quite ripe. Which is a really nasty taste. My truck with a the American persimmons is to wait until they start falling. If it shakes off the tree it’s ripe! It’s not a good idea to eat ones already on the ground though since you don’t know how long they’ve been there and they can start to ferment very quickly. Persimmons only keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

 

[Nifty]

Persimmons only keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Is this specific to the American ones? I've had the Japanese ones out on my counter for over a week, and they still taste good.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Is this specific to the American ones? I've had the Japanese ones out on my counter for over a week, and they still taste good.

I had to go and do some research but it looks like the non bitter Japanese versions keep longer. But I haven’t been able to find by how much. As with the American ones they will keep longer if you put them in the fridge. They can also be frozen.

 

[ninnymary]

Just. came across this thread. I discovered Fuyu persimmons at the age of 60 and I am addicted to them!

About 3 years ago I planted a Fuyu. They are easy to grow but prone to breaking. This happened to us the first year when we were trying to prune it. The trunk split in two. I quickly held the two halves together while my husband taped it. Our tree was young enough that it didn't even skip a beat. Since them I've had several people tell me theirs broke too. Last fall my neighbor behind us also had their tree split down the middle.

A lot of people told me they take 5 years to bear fruit but mine produced fruit after 3 years. Unfortunately the darn squirrels got to every one the first year. This past year we were able to get almost all of them, roughly around 50. We had to pick them a little early so were not as sweet and delicious as they could have been.

I discovered that one of our coaches had a matured tree. So every couple of weeks he would bring me a bag full with probably about 50. I eat 3 a day, morning, noon, and evening. They were large, sweet and delicious!

In the past, I would find them locally in the bay area. Then I would check the Sacramento area and get some when I would visit my daughter. Then I would get some more in Fresno when we would visit family. All three areas ripen the persimmons at different times so I can extend my eating season!

I store them on a rack in my cool laundry room to keep them for a pretty long time.

Mary

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I had a prolific Hachiya persimmon in Saratoga CA. They are my absolute favorite fruit, followed by foreign grown and picked up off the ground, papayas.

 

[Nifty]

Unfortunately the darn squirrels got to every one the first year.

I'm in the East Bay too, so there's a really good chance the same squirrels would be going after our fruit too! They definitely decimate our pears, etc.

A lot of people told me they take 5 years to bear fruit but mine produced fruit after 3 years

In some ways that sounds like FOREVER, but in other cases, it comes and goes so quick!

I'm definitely going to have to get at planting a tree or two!

 

[ninnymary]

Nifty, I would still grow them. Last year the squirrels didn't do too much damage. Plus they have beautiful fall colors.

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

Here is my tree after the Winter solstice pruning.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

@Nifty the tree will break easily and I believe it is a grafted rootstock for Fuyu so once it gets some size on it consider reinforcement with all-thread run through the middle. I like to use bigger washers. The bark will close over them. All the trees seem to appreciate the zinc and iron over time. Our Fuyu broke in a windstorm and I just let it come up again because I cannot determine the graft line. When fruit arrives we will see what is out there. I am hopeful it will fruit this year but maybe next. The fruit is ready when the leaves come off the tree. Its really pretty, this bare tree with bright orange fruits all over. The nursuries say it works for the winter garden, but late fall is more like it.