Persimmon Candy | Easy Recipe for the Wild American Fruit (2024)

FAQs

How to make American persimmon pulp? ›

The seeds and stem can be removed and the pulp strained through a strainer, pushing the pulp through with a rubber spatula. A food mill will make faster work of this if you have a large persimmon harvest. Or you can put the fruit with the peel in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

The persimmon fruit, which usually ripens in fall, is often used in jams and baked goods. The fruit pulp can be turned into molasses, and the seeds can be turned into a peanut-like oil or roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Dried leaves make a great tea high in vitamin C.

They usually have several large seeds, so they are best eaten out-of-doors, just spit the seeds out as you go. The best way to harvest American persimmons is to find a wild tree and check on it every fall for free fruit. Gather the fruit as it falls. Trees will usually drop fruit continuously for 3-6 weeks.

The most common method of preserving astringent and non-astringent persimmons is to dry them. Dehydrating astringent persimmons also removes the astringency. To dry persimmons in an electric food dehydrator, select firm persimmons and wash them under running water, patting them dry with a paper towel.

When persimmons are beaten to a pulp, tannins form complexes with carbohydrates, causing the pulp to stiffen to a gel-like consistency. When baking soda is added, a reaction with the moist and slightly acidic persimmon creates carbon dioxide (CO2), which also plays a role in encouraging the pulp to thicken.

Favorite fresh American persimmon preparation

Many recipe books suggest making a persimmon bread similar to a banana bread, or a cooked persimmon pudding. You can try these if you like, but we encourage you to experiment first with raw preparations that showcase the lovely uniqueness of these autumn treasures.

Cut the persimmon in half pole to pole. Use a knife to remove the white core of the fruit and discard it. Once the core has been removed you can either slice or dice the persimmon according to your recipe. The entire peel is edible.

Depending on the persimmon variety, flowers can take up to five years to emerge. It takes even longer for trees to bear fruit, often up to 10 years for American Persimmon trees.

'Prok' is rated as one of the best tasting American persimmons. This variety bears huge crops of sweet, orange, juicy fruit. 'Prok' has a nice form and is suitable for landscape use, has a nice fall color, and is a wildlife attractant.

Both Native Americans and European settlers on this continent ate the fruits of the native Diospyros virginiana, until Japanese immigrants introduced Americans to Asian persimmons (also known as kaki fruits).

Are American persimmons good for you? ›

Persimmons are low in calories and high in fiber – a combination that makes them a good choice for weight control. Their mix of antioxidants and nutrients – including vitamins A and C – makes them ideal for a healthy diet.

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.

A ripe persimmon will have a deep orange or reddish color, depending on the variety. It should also feel soft, but not mushy when gently pressed. The texture should be akin to a ripe tomato. The ultimate test, however, is its taste: a ripe persimmon will be sweet and free from any astringency.

You will know they are ripe and ready to eat because the persimmons will be so soft that they almost crack their skins! Gently pick them off the tree, give the tree a gentle shake, or pick intact ripe persimmons off the ground; if you use too much pressure, you will inadvertently turn them to mush!

American persimmons are not usually self-pollinating, but some named varieties are. If you choose a native seedling however, you will need a second tree to get a good harvest. Also, Japanese and American persimmons will not cross pollinate.

You simply slice your persimmons like you would an apple in 1/4” slices. Then you lay them out uniformly on the drying sheet so they are not touching. Your dehydrator booklet will tell you the ideal temperature for the specific thing that you are dehydrating.

Blessed with a delectable flavour – a subtle sugary honey-like taste and immense nutrition, persimmons are eaten fresh, in the dried form, used in cooking curries, sauces, fruit jams, incorporated into salads, refreshing drinks of juices, smoothies, milkshakes and added to desserts like pies, puddings, cakes.