Subject: Persimmons
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The astringency of American persimmons is in the unripe fruit. It's kind of like saying all bananas are super hard, watermelons are green inside, or all cherries are frighteningly sour. Yes they are if you eat them in an unripe stage. Don't eat unripe fruit.
John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Persimmons have a certain astringency that reminds me of the feeling your mouth gets from eating underripe bananas. Fuyu varieties are crunchy and mild, the soft kind for baking has a particular sort of richness. I think it's worth checking that the astringent flavor doesn't bother you, but if you're okay with slightly-green bananas, or with fried plantains, you're probably OK. They're well worth having around for desserts, in my opinion. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Imagine persimmon bread? it looks really good http://www.formerchef.com/2010/11/09/persimmon-cranberry-bread/   |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| I live just a few miles from Mitchell IN, home of the Persimmon Festival. Persimmons can be used for many dishes, the most popular around here would be pudding. This isn't like a chocolate pudding type of consistency, but very dense and it only end up an inch or so thick, served with whipped cream. It is hard to describe the flavor. But you never want to pick one off the tree, unless they are hanging on after a frost. An unripe one will turn your mouth inside out. They are more commonly picked up off the ground. I am talking about D. virginiana here, haven't tried the other species yet. I grew D. lotus from seed last year so I am hoping to try it before too many more years. There is a website- www.persimmonpudding.com where you can get more info, and even a list of people who sell pulp. I can personally vouch for Jerry Lehman on the list. Great guy who is president of Indiana Nut Growers Association, very knowledgable and willing to share info. | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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ok? 
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Texas persimmon isn't the same species as zapote negro, but they seem to be very similar. Our persimmons are much smaller than the eastern persimmon fruit, black when ripe, and turn your tongue black when you eat them. They are extremely sweet, sort of like a dried prune, with no acidity. Not really "flavor" just sweetness. I have not eaten the native mulberries, there aren't many growing in my area. But the persimmons are all over the place. The critters tend to get them very quickly as soon as they ripen. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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(all of this is my opinion only)American persimmons taste less sweet than Asian persimmons, but are more complex. They are more like an olive and less like a red delicious apple. They have nuanced tones. They are sweet, but the sweetness is mixed in with so many other flavors. They taste more like a meal, or like meat, or like caramel butterscotch pudding with more nutrients in it. That's the best I can do right now. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| i have been reading that there are hardy persimmons that will grow in my area, but I have never eaten a persimmon and don't have any idea if I would want to grow them or not..can someone who has a descriptive personality give me some idea what they taste like ..and if they would be worth growing here in Michigan? | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Persimmon wood is the traditional stuff of wood golf clubs (drivers and such). It puts on bulk slowly, because it's building very dense wood. If you grow some in partial shade, or at the edges of the appropriate zone, I bet that will yield stronger wood much quicker than a hybridization program would. Maybe only a (human) generation or two, rather than centuries. That said, I think it's tough enough for most purposes. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| If this region, persimmon, slippery elm, and loblolly pine are the main pioneer tree species invading untended fields and livestock love persimmon fruit so there are lots of persimmons around. When I moved in, I thinned and left a grove of persimmons in my main pasture when I cleared it of tree saplings and brambles. The sheep eat the windfalls and plant them wherever they go. I usually wait for a few frosts before eating the fruit, otherwise you will often get an occasional not fully ripe fruit that will pucker the mouth. | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Ludi, Have you ever eaten the Texas persimmons? Cabeza de Vaca and gang subsisted on them, native mulberries, and cactus fruits on their epic voyage across North America in the 1500's. I wonder if they taste like Diospyros virginiana. Are the native mulberries good to eat? Is the native Texas persimmon the same fruit as zapote negro? I ate one of those in Mexico once, and many in California grow the latter. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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The wood of our native Texas persimmons Diospyros texana is a very high-quality wood, though the trees tend to be small. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| some guy at the farmer's market is selling tequila cured persimmons. i haven't tried one. not sure what he's up to. | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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In Mitchell, Indiana, and in some town in North carolina, they have a persimmon festival every year. Persimmon pudding is one of the highlights of the festivals. JOhn Smith of Pocahontas fame wrote how excellent they are when ripe but how when they are unripe they create a torment in the mouth. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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During the great depression, a member of my family entered a persimmon pudding recipe in a contest for eggless desserts, and won a bag of groceries. It's an excellent recipe. I'll have to ask my parents for it when I visit them for Christmas. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Hey, a quick idea. I know Persimmon is in the ebony family. Wouldn't it be cool if ebony and persimmons were crossed many times in a breeding program to yield a wood as strong as ebony with the fruit and hardiness of a persimmon? |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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These were really helpful vidoes: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q431DMyK0fI&feature=related Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NLI-_a9RFc Thanks for sharing. I 50 paper pot seelings of both persimmon and pawpaw from Oikos. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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If you're near Vancouver BC, you should get some of the early types to ripen, like Pipher or NC-1. Many people grow Asian persimmons there, and they are harder to ripen. If you're near San Francisco, it shouldn't be a problem. Heat units are very different in those areas, so that's what you should be looking at. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| Persimmons are hard to come by commercially here, so I'd love to get a few trees started off. I'm in a temperate maritime climate with maximum temperatures in the mid-20s (Celsius) and minimum minus 5-10 (occasional snap down to -15 or so). Cloudy a lot of the time. How would they fare here, and what kind of varieties would I be best advised to look for? | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| I am glad you enjoyed the videos!! I don't see why it would be a problem to freeze the fruits whole. I have experimented with that method this year and I am excited to find out if the seeds retain viability under freezer conditions. | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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I loved those videos. Is there a reason why we shouldn't just freeze whole persimmons? It seems easier and less equipment-intensive. I just don't have that much time, either. I also love how there is not that much fruit to harvest into November and December, but you can harvest these. Some of our trees here were not ripe as of Nov 13th but are ripening now, as the leaves fall off. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Cannot speak highly enough about Diospyros virginiana(American Persimmon)!! Recently posted in another thread, but check out our two-part video series about these luscious, low maintainence fruits! Part 1: |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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At Green barn, they happen to be selling varieties that are very cold hardy, and they are very expensive. Those same varieties are available much more cheaply at other nurseries. You just have to know which ones are very hardy. They say two varieties are needed. On most, you need a male and a female. Some will produce without a male, and the fruit will be seedless. I just tried Early Golden, Meader and Ruby at an arboretum near my house. I liked all of them a lot, and they were different, but this year, in my climate, I liked Early Golden and Meader more than Ruby. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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American persimmons are spectacular! I have liked the species for some time, but I tried a Garretson persimmon a couple of years ago and decided to buy the tree. I bought an early golden this year. This weekend I'm going to a nursery for a tasting! I can't wait! I like Asian persimmons, but they're generally sweet but with a less interesting flavor. John S PDX OR |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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The varieties listed here are said to be hardy to zone 6. http://www.grimonut.com/catalog.php?catID=69 These are said to be hardy to zone 4! http://www.greenbarnnursery.ca/Our-Products-Outdoor-.page?CategoryID=127&CurrentPage=1&ItemID=578 |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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They may be similar to the ones grown here in zone 6. Very tasty, according to my cousin who is a connoisseur. And just about perfect now from what I can see on the tree behind where I work. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| There are cold hardy persimmons which I'm excited to try out in the coming years. Anybody have experience with growing them in zone 5 or colder? | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| The description of shaking the tree was more fun than i expected, lovely foto too. You tie up a spotlessc cloth to catch them, it's quite an operation. It is certainly worth asking questions sometimes. agri rose macaskie. | |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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This tree has a huge branch or split about 40 feet up. I tired a weight to one end of a 100 foot rope and looped it over the branch. Then I tied the two ends together to make a saddle that I sit in and bounce on. It is a large tree so it takes some rhythm and tempo to get the tree to sway. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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How does the rope trick work? Do you throw it up over a branch and catch the end you threw so ithe rope is hung over a branch and then you can pull the two ends and shake the tree? my neighbors have a trickfor picking figs, they cut down into the end of a bamboo vaiouse times so the bamboo ends in variouse sticks intead of as a pipe. and they did somthing to hold open tha ends and then they put the cupped end round the figs and twist a bit and the fig comes dowm. Does taht make any sense, i will have to draw it? I have a persimmon tree but it has not given fruit yet. I don't know what climate persimmons like, it seems happy enough though. rose. |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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Turkey's were beating me too them. Now I threw a rope up into the tree and shake them down. They are SO DELICIOUS ! |
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Subject: Re: Persimmons
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| Dont forget to look out for the possums , they go to town under my persimmon trees ,even while at sitting there stargazing here in NE Oklahoma. | |
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Subject: Persimmons are falling -- wow are they good!
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The Persimmons are falling in Nashville, TN USA. Wow are they good. We have wild ones in the wooded areas. If I can get to them before the deer..... |
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