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Botanical Name: Diospyros kaki
In season September to October
How It Grows: Prefer full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water. Trees take several years to bear fruit and can be 20–30 feet tall. For gardening information, visit UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions.
Nutrition: Excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin A.
Taste and Texture: When fully ripe, astringent varieties are honey-sweet and rich, with a silky and mushy texture. Non-astringent varieties are mildly sweet, with a crisp, apple-like texture.
Cooking Ideas: Persimmons can be enjoyed raw, cooked down into a jam, dried, or fermented. Astringent varieties are typically eaten raw when ripe and mushy.
Prep Instructions: For non-astringent varieties, rinse, remove calyx, and slice like an apple. Skin can be eaten or peeled. Astringent varieties must be sufficiently ripened before eating.
Waste Reduction: In most cases, skin is palatable. Refrigerate to prevent astringents from going bad quickly — eat right away if ripe. Purée and freeze to save for later use. Can also be dried or fermented.
Resource: Persimmons (Ask IFAS), https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/persimmons
Region of Origin: East Asia
Fun Fact: There is a Japanese cultural tradition of hand-drying persimmons over a few weeks to produce a rich and sweet product called hoshigaki.
Storage Tips: Astringents: If ripe, eat immediately. Can store in fridge for few days if not quite ripe. Can also be frozen. Non-astringents can store for a few weeks at room temperature, and longer in fridge.
Shelf Life: Keep for a few days in fridge if not quite ripe, a month if hard at harvest. Once ripe, need to be eaten quickly. Frozen purée can keep up to a year.
Reference
FCS3410: Healthy Harvest: Florida Fruit and Nut Crops, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FY1553