In the Ozarks, fall is synonymous with persimmons.
As summer ends and the cooler weather sets in, this delightful fruit ripens to its full & delicious flavor in the fields and on the edges of forests throughout the land.
The genus diospyros translates as wheat of Zeus or food of the gods.
If you’ve ever eaten a perfectly ripe persimmon, you will understand why. The soft and sweet flesh has an amazingly complex flavor profile reminiscent of spiced pudding. Be warned that the unripe fruit is extremely astringent and turns some folks off.
obviously the greenish hard one is not ripe!
If you wait until the fruits fully soften you will be glad you did. Mmmmm.
Rich in vitamins and minerals, persimmons are a wonderful addition to the fall diet and will be added to our stored food in the pantry.
- We will be freezing pulp, canning chutney and brewing wine with our bounty.*
This tree can produce abundant fruit for decades and suffers from few pests. It is certainly not picky about growing conditions and is easy to grow!
Selected cultivars of American fruit are available for grafting as are Kakis (discussed below). Onto the hundreds of wild persimmons on our land, we hope to graft many selected varieties for a longer harvest season and diversity among fruit.
Ini standing beneath a very old roadside persimmon near our home.
More commonly cultivated are the Kaki or Asian persimmons (diospyros kaki) which are quite popular overseas. In the USA, there are few areas that focus on producing this great fruit, although some acreage in California produces Kakis.
Ground scores!
We encourage you all to get yourself some persimmons by scoping your surroundings or planting your own!
Look how laden they become!
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