One of the local treasures of the season is the pumpkin-colored persimmon. If you’ve got a tree in the neighborhood you’ll notice bare branches in December covered with fiery orange balls dangling like ornaments hung for an open-air holiday party. The graceful persimmon tree is a pleasure to behold in autumn, its leaves saturated in vivid yellow, rust and green hues. Gather a handful for a rustic centerpiece to gussy-up a festive table.
You’ll encounter two varieties of fruit in the market, Hachiya and Fuyu. Hachiya are large gumdrop-shaped, astringent fruits edible when soft and fully ripe — taut skins ready to burst at any moment (I hear some people enjoy them crisp and under ripe, but most of us wouldn’t warm to the tanin-laced taste). Fabulous for folding into moist cakes and muffins or simply scooping straight from the skin with a spoon, but don’t dare stroll under a fully laden Hachiya tree without protective gear. At the end of the season mature fruits plunge without warning from high branches, dousing sidewalks and the unprepared with oozing, gelatinous zeal. Splat.
Fuyus resemble shiny tomatoes, more squat in appearance than their soft-fleshed cousins. These beauties are prized for their crisp, cantaloupe-colored flesh and unique flavor with hints of papaya but more delicate and mild. Bite into a Fuyu — like a firm apple, but there’s no need to spit out seeds or avoid the core since the entire fruit can be eaten save the leafy stem.
Or peel it and cut into rounds. You’ll discover a secret star hidden inside if you slice crosswise. Fuyus have range their Hachiya cousins don’t cover. You’ll enjoy them raw or cooked, crisp or left to mature to an overripe state bordering on compost-ready.
Persimmons naturally marry with bold spices and strong flavors. Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cilantro, mint, bitter or peppery greens, toasted nuts and nut oils, and goat or other sharp cheeses are all able partners. The simplest winter salad of arugula, lettuce, sliced Fuyus, toasted nuts and pomegranate seeds tossed with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar is an easy, welcome twist on the ordinary green salad, which, by this season, is often tired and in need of a full make-over after summer’s long run.
Autumn leaf-colored Fuyu salsa with fresh ginger, scallions, mint and cilantro will surprise and delight. Scoop it with crisp tortilla chips — a crowd-pleasing appetizer at any holiday gathering. When the last fruit becomes squishy-soft with the deepest, almost tomato-red coloring and puckered skin, tuck its gooey flesh into a moist spice cake with a dusting of powdery sugar on top. Even otherwise finicky children will come begging for a slice of the cinnamon and clove-scented round as irresistible aromas permeate the kitchen and beyond.
Nutritionally persimmons offer a wide range of vitamins including A, C, E, K, B6, folate and thiamin plus minerals like manganese, copper and potassium. Like other orange-hued fruits, they are a source of healthful anti-oxidant beta-carotene. It’s always exciting to find fresh whole foods that not only inspire passion in our eyes and mouths, but offer good health for our bodies, too. Persimmons satisfy in every way.
Recipes for this Week:
I love persimmons and so enjoyed learning about the different types!