Persimmons

peppypoblano

Where are you located?  I’m in northern CA and people grow persimmons but I’ve not seen wild ones.  Pic?

peppypoblano

peppypoblano

We are in north central Arkansas.  They are everywhere here.  A favorite among the raccoons.

alindsay22

Love it, thanks!  People grow the Asian varieties here.

Wendy

Is there a cold hardy persimmon?  I haven't tried finding any yet.  I'm just getting started on my fruit and nut tree adventures.

peppypoblano

Alindsay22 ours are American persimmons.  They are smaller than the Asian variety.

Wendy, I'm not sure if there are cold hardy varieties.  I have read the naturalized ones can be found as far north as Connecticut but short of that I don't really know.

EarlKelly

Got one in my fruit tree shipment this spring by mistake. Grew pretty good. Just outside the normal grow zone for this persimmon. Will see if I can coax it along here in northeast PA. Will find out in the spring. Anxious to see. Will watch to learn more about persimmons as I am not familiar with them at all. Thanks for the info.

maimover

Growing up the family across the street from me had a persimmon tree. I remember eating them as kids and thinking they were so bitter but w r really didn’t know if they were even ripe. So many of the wild plants, trees, and bushes were loaded with fruits; what a great time!

merlin44

@EarlKelly There's a recent discussion (thread) on persimmons you might find interesting. Just search Persimmons.

judsoncarroll4

We have tons of wild persimmons here in NC! I only harvest after the first frost, so they won't be bitter. They are so, very good! I have persimmon jam and even old persimmon wine recipes, but I usually eat them out of hand. You have to get all the little specs out or they become super bitter again when cooked. So, now I am scouting trees to harvest - they are really full this year, which is a sign of a hard winter to come. Finding the trees serves a dual purpose, as the fruit attracts a lot of game for hunting. I keep a mental map of all persimmon, apple and hickory nut trees in the areas where I can hunt!

Linda Bittle

Wild persimmons grew all over southern Missouri, where I grew up. Mom likes them better than I do. The winters get pretty cold there, and you had to wait until a hard frost to harvest them. Mom generally didn't cook with them, but would harvest a bag to eat.

VickiP

The best bread/cake I ever made was with native persimmons and black walnuts. They are delicious.

EarlKelly

@merlin44 finally got a chance to check out the thread on persimmons. Thanks for the info.

merlin44

@EarlKelly I love any food that falls from the sky like persimmons do. LOL

@VickiP Can you share the recipe?

VickiP

@merlin44 It was a zucchini bread recipe I just used persimmon pulp instead of zucchini and added black walnuts. I don't have the exact recipe now but I would think any banana or zucchini bread recipe would work. It is a wonderful combination. I no longer eat bread or cake so no joy for me, I might make some for my husband though.