These tips will help you tell when a persimmon is ripe and ready to pick.
Helen Norman
The difference between a ripe persimmon and an unripe fruit is easy to see in the kitchen.
A ripe fruit will find its way into baked goods, salads, and more delicious recipes.
Credit:Helen Norman
An unripe persimmon is quickly cast aside.
To put it simply, unripe persimmons are inedible.
A ripe persimmon, on the other hand, has a sweet and mellow flavor.
Figuring out when this fall fruit turns tasty has long puzzled gardeners and cooks alike.
American persimmons are native to southern and eastern regions of the United States.
The fruit of Oriental persimmons is a little larger, about the size of apeach.
Large fruit and productive trees make Oriental persimmons a popular choice in areas where theyre hardy.
When Are American Persimmons Ripe?
American persimmons ripen in early fall, between September and October in most parts of the country.
The fruit takes on a deep orange-yellow hue and the skin becomes almost translucent when fully ripe.
The fruits texture most reliably indicates when American persimmons are ripe.
This perfect sweetness occurs just before the fruit rots.
When Are Oriental Persimmons Ripe?
Oriental persimmons often resemble slicingtomatoesclinging to the branches of a tree.
A persimmon tree with a bountiful crop makes acolorful fall landscape plantjust as the growing season is winding down.
Oriental persimmons often ripen slightly later than their American cousins.
Count on Oriental fruit to ripen in October or November.
Color is an indicator of ripeness.
The color of ripe Oriental persimmons varies by variety.
Some varieties are deep orange when ripe, while other varieties are orange-yellow at optimum sweetness.
If you know the variety of your tree, research its mature color.
Unknown varieties call for trial and error to figure out their mature color.
Texture is another reliable indicator of ripeness.
The key to a sweet, mellow-flavored persimmon is harvesting the fruit after it reaches mature size and color.
The flesh will soften in time when the fruit is stored at room temperature.
If persimmons are harvested before their size and color are fully developed, they will never fully ripen.
No Frost?
No Problem
Theres a common misconception that frost is necessary to ripen a persimmon.
This is actually not true.
In fact, immature persimmons that arenipped by frostwill rot quickly.
If persimmons are not ripe and a frost is predicted, the crop will likely be lost.
While frost has nothing to do with ripening, it does enhance flavor of already ripe fruit.
Ripe persimmons begin to dry after a frost and become sweeter as the sugar in them concentrates.
Which Persimmon Varieties to Grow
Named varieties of persimmon trees produce the best fruit.
Trees growing in the wild are usually seedling trees and their production varies.
John Rick, Even Golden, Prok, and Yates are excellent varieties of native American persimmons.
Thelarge trees are hardy in Zones 5-9and will begin producing fruit about 4 years after planting.
Expect Oriental cultivars to grow 10 to 20 feet tall and wide.
For best fruit production, plant two or more persimmons in the same area.
