Persimmons

Other names: kaki, date plum, simmon

Common Varieties: Hachiya, Fuyu, Sharon fruit

Season: October through February

Geography: Grows from Connecticut down the coast to Florida, as well as from Kansas south to Texas.  They are also native to Japan, China and the Middle East.

What Does It Look Like:  A persimmon looks similar to a tomato, a bit more heart-shaped, with a red-orange skin and flesh with some papery leaves on top.

How to Select:  Choose fruit that is soft and plump, but not mushy.  The skin should be smooth, bright and shiny.

Storage: Store unripened fruit in the refrigerator up to 30 days.  The pulp may be frozen for future use.  You can also oven dry 1/4" slices of persimmons in a 250 degree oven for 90 minutes.

How to Ripen: Place at room temperature and allow to sit for 2 - 7 days.  Some varieties of persimmons have a more astringent flavor if they have not ripened enough.

Preparation:  Wash skin gently.  Cut the fruit in half.  Remove the stem leaves, the core and seeds.  Persimmons can be eaten raw or used in baked goods.

Nutrition: Contain a large amount of vitamin A and some vitamin C.

Health Benefits: Persimmons sooth sore throat pain and are a mild laxative.

Trivia: It is the national fruit of Japan.

Flavor Affinities: Almonds, apples, brandy, cinnamon, ginger, grapes, hazelnuts, ice cream, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, oranges, pine nuts, pomegranates, soft cheeses, walnuts, yogurt.

Serving Ideas:  Add to fruit salads, puree in smoothies, add mashed fruit to pancake batter or quick breads.  Use dried persimmons in place of other dried fruit in recipes.

Serving Size: 1 medium fruit; 1/2 cup cooked; 1/2 cup dried

Persimmon in Another Language:  Arabic: وفاكهة البرسيمون; Bulgarian: японско; Chinese: 柿子; Croatian: dragun; Czech: tomel; Danish: Kaki; Dutch: Kaki; Filipino: persimon; Finnish: kaki; French: plaqueminier; Greek: διόσπυπος; Hebrew: אפרסמון; Hindi: ख़ुरमा; Indonesian: kesemak; Italian: cachi; Japanese: 柿; Korean: 감; Latvian: hurma; Lithuanian: persimonų; Portuguese: caqui; Romanian: curmal japonez; Russian: хурма; Serbian: драгун; Slovak: tomel; Slovenian: Dragun; Spanish:  caqui; Swedish: PERSIMONTRÄD; Ukrainian: хурма

For More Information:

Wikipedia

Persimmon Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar (or 1/4 cup agave nectar)

1 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup toasted and chopped chestnuts

1/3 cup fat-free yogurt (if using agave nectar, subtract 1 tbsp. yogurt)

1 cup persimmon puree

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives.  The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.   Stir in the chestnuts.  In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, persimmon puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.  Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 1 1/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick.  Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).  Then, cut each wedge in half.  Place the scones on the baking sheet. 

Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.   Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  

Makes 8 scones.

Other recipes:

Persimmon and Sake Compote with Green Tea Ice Cream

Persimmon and King Prawn Salad

"Persimmons Sweet and Savoury" by Pat Churchil

"Persimmons Are Back" by Pat Churchill