Persimmons!

Every Fall I am surprised by how many people tell me that they have never tasted a persimmon. And some even say they don’t like them. When I ask what it tasted like, they seem to describe the astringent persimmon variety and it’s hard to convince them that the ‘Fuyus’ are like a whole different fruit. Try one, I’m SURE you will like it.

As I wander through town all the beautiful orange lanterns filled with honey ambrosia, with a hint of cinnamon, catches my eye. There are so many persimmon trees in town! But here’s the big tip: the ones with the flat bottoms (‘Fuyu’) can be eaten hard like an apple, while the teardrop shaped ones (‘Hachiya’) need to be super soft, slurpy even.

The ‘Hachiyas’ are astringent when immature. If you were to bite into one (as I have) your mouth puckers up as all of the moisture is sucked dry. The most luscious way to eat these is when they are so soft that you can pierce the skin and suck out the pulp. This kind is most often the variety that is called for in baked recipes. If you do get these before they ripen on the tree, there are two ways that we hasten the ripening: one being to put them on the window sill and let them get soft, the other way is to put them in the freezer and then defrost after they freeze hard. These are the most common persimmons around Chico.

‘Fuyus’ were bred from the Hachiyas to eliminate the astringency and what a difference! These disappear from our fruit basket as they are a yummy quick snack for the moment or thrown in your bag for later. We also use them frequently sliced as a salad topping. This type of persimmon can also be used in baked dishes, you just need to put in a blender or cook down with some water to get them to a pulpy consistency. And YES, these are the type we are offering you this week.

Ok. Are you convinced that you need to try them at least, if not love them and plant your own tree?!? What if you found out that the Latin name for persimmon is Diospyros which is translated as “food for the gods”; “dios” for god and “pyros” for grain or food.

Fruit Sauce for Pancakes

(We just made it this Sunday for breakfast!!)

• 2 persimmons, cut up into chunks
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or more)
• 1 Tbsp sugar, brown rice syrup or other sweetener
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1 Cup water

Put water and persimmons in sauce pan and cook until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 3 minutes. Put in blender and liquefy.

Fuyu Persimmon Pie

• 4 cups Fuyu persimmons in wedges (to 5 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 unbaked 9" pie shell
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Toss persimmons with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in bowl. Place in pie shell. Combine eggs, flour, sugar and butter in small mixing bowl and pour over persimmons. Bake at 400 degrees 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees, and bake until center is bubbly and cooked all the way through, 45 minutes more.

Persimmon Bread

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup persimmon pulp (mash in a blender)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend eggs, sugar and oil. Mix persimmon pulp with baking soda. Mix the persimmon soda blend into the egg sugar oil mixture. Mix flour, cinnamon, and salt. To the dry ingredients add walnuts and raisins. Fold the dry ingredients into the persimmon egg oil sugar mix. Don’t overmix. Pour the batter into a 3×4×9 inch oiled loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool, then loosen the bread from the pan with a knife.

Persimmon Rice Pudding

• 4 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts

Combine rice and pulp; set aside. Combine sugar, milk, flour, egg and vanilla. Add rice mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Pour into a greased 3 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until set.

Don’t forget that these make an excellent dehydrated fruit snack. Slice whole and dehydrate.

Happy Feasting!