Persimmons
Persimmons-in-Texas (link)
Good article.
Asian varieties Fuyu and Hachiya most often seen in stores. Fuyu can be eaten like an apple. Hachiya must be soft and ripe. Both are carried by Womack nursery.
Fuyu Persimmons
Zones 7-10
200 chill hours
Self-fruitful
Harvest Oct 15 – Nov 30
Medium size, flat shape, still crunchy when ripe, non-astringent. Cool or hot climate. Hardy, attractive tree, practically pest free. (DaveWilson)
Hachija Persimmons
Zone 7-10
200 chill hours
Self-fruitful
Harvest Nov 13 – Dec 10
Large, deep orange-red, acorn-shaped. Hot summer required to mature the fruit. Sweet, flavorful, astringent until soft ripe. Mature fruit can be frozen and thawed to ripen. Productive, ornamental tree
Although persimmons will ripen after they are picked, they need to be fully ripened to remove their astringency. You can hasten their ripening and remove their astringency by freezing them for one day. Drying them will remove their astringency.
You can also ripen and remove persimmon astringency by putting them in a paper bag with ripe bananas. Close the top of the bag but do not seal it because some air needs to get inside to hasten the ripening process.
