What to Do with an Overload of Persimmons (2024)

FAQs

What to do with an abundance of persimmons? ›

Fuyu persimmons are incredibly versatile… not only can you eat them raw in a salad or wrap a slice in a piece of prosciutto and drizzle it with balsamic glaze, but you can also cut them into wedges and roast them, or make a chutney to accompany roasted pork like I did. They also make a great upside down cake!

One of the best options for copious amounts of any food is to freeze some for later. HalfPint suggests pureeing the persimmon pulp, putting it into plastic freezer bags to maximize your freezer space, and then making persimmon bread, smoothies, and steamed pudding with the thawed fruit pulp later on.

You can also freeze persimmons to use later in baked items. To freeze persimmons, puree the pulp. It is recommended to add 1/8 teaspoon of ascorbic acid to each quart of persimmon puree. Place the pulp in a canning jar or freezer container being sure to leave sufficient head space.

Ingesting massive amounts of persimmons can cause bezoars to form. A bezoar is a hard mass that can lead to gastric obstruction. A diospyrobezoar is a subtype of bezoar. Diospyrobezoar are specific to persimmons.

Persimmons should be kept at room temperature until ripe. Once very ripe, place in a Glad^® Food Storage Zipper Bag but do not close. Or, place ripe persimmons in a bowl in the fridge that has been loosely covered with Glad^® ClingWrap. Keep in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

The frozen persimmons can be eaten as a frozen treat or thawed and enjoyed as a soft and sweet fruit. The flavor and texture of the thawed persimmons may not be identical to fresh, ripe persimmons, but the freezing method is a great way to salvage astringent persimmons and enjoy them when they are not yet fully ripe.

Another set of cold food groupings to avoid include having crab with tea or persimmon. Xie explained: “Crab meat is a very cold type of food in TCM theory, and persimmon fruit is also cold in nature. Most people should avoid eating this food combination, as it can be hard on the digestive system.”

There are several other methods of curing: soaking in vinegar or immersing in boiling water and letting stand for 12 hours. 'Hachiya' fruits kept in warm water –104º F (40º C)–for 24 hours will be firm and non-astringent 2 days after treatment.

You can achieve 76 to 100 percent mortality by spraying with 2 percent Invora herbicide under ideal conditions. To prepare the spray mix, add the appropriate amount of Invora herbicide to water.

If persimmons are harvested before their size and color are fully developed, they will never fully ripen.

How long do persimmons last in fridge? ›

It is best to store them at room temperature. Ripe persimmons are best eaten immediately, but you can refrigerate them for 1 or 2 days. Unripe persimmons will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month. Keep refrigerated persimmons unwashed in a plastic bag.

The reason persimmons fall from the tree before they ripen is the result of parthenocarpy, which a fascinating botanical phenomenon. Parthenocarpy (a word that combines “parthenos,” meaning virgin, and “karpos” meaning fruit) is the production of fruit without fertilization.

The fruit is easily chewable and has a delicious flavour, but it is not recommended for diabetics, obese and sufferers of gastroduodenal ulcer. Persimmons have a creamy and sweet pulp and have laxative, diuretic and hepatoprotective.

"Eating persimmons with an empty stomach or eating an excessive amount of raw persimmons is likely to result in a stone. Because persimmons contain tannic acid and pectin, which can work with gastric acid to form into a lump of unequal size and become a gastric stone if not discharged."

Persimmons have a delicate honey-like flavor and silky texture. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or cooked, and are very versatile in recipes. Persimmon peels are completely edible. Whether or not to peel the fruit is a matter of personal preference and the recipe that you're using.

You can achieve 76 to 100 percent mortality by spraying with 2 percent Invora herbicide under ideal conditions.

Like Hachiya persimmons, American persimmons need to be very soft before you can eat them. However, they will not ripen off of the tree. You must wait until they are soft to harvest them. Sometimes they fall from the tree on their own accord and you can gather them from the ground.

During fall in Japan, it is common to find rows of persimmons tied on strings all along the countryside. Hoshigaki are made by stringing up persimmons and hanging them up to dry in the sun. This was an old preservation method developed to keep the sweet orange fruits throughout the winter.