Anyone who grows persimmons for the first time will certainly not yet know everything about the harvest. There are a few things to consider here. And you also need to know a few things about storage.
Many names for one interesting type of fruit: kaki, persimmon, sharon fruit and persimmon all come from the same genus. Sharon fruit grows on a graft of the persimmon tree. The other terms are the fruits produced by the original tree. The great thing: You can even grow persimmons in your own garden! You can then harvest delicious fruits from September until the first frost. They are often still hard and taste bitter, but they continue to ripen in the house until they become soft and edible. Unripe persimmons can be stored in a cool place for several weeks to about three months.
Kakis from our own garden
The persimmon tree looks decorative and bears fruit in late autumn. However, not immediately after planting. It can be several years before the first harvest. At the age of three to four years, you can put the persimmon tree in the garden, because then it is no longer so sensitive to frost. At this point it is not yet bearing much fruit. In the next two to three years, however, the harvest will be more plentiful.
The right time for the harvest
In late summer the tree sheds all its leaves. Only then does the harvest gradually begin. Depending on the variety, this is the case from September. For the trade, kakis are always picked when they are unripe, because then they are much easier to transport. If you have a persimmon tree in the garden, it is a good idea to remove the fruit before they are soft. The reason: when the persimmons are ripe, the stalk tears out of the flesh, after which the fruit spoils very quickly. If you're not sure, use scissors to cut off the stem to keep the fruit intact.
Persimmons are yellow-orange, orange, or orange-red. As long as they are unripe, they look fresh, crunchy and appetizing. Biting into it like you would a ripe apple is not recommended. The flesh is still very hard and tastes quite bitter. It also leaves a mark on the tongueuncomfortable and furry feeling. The high proportion of tannins is responsible for this. It is therefore important that you let the fruit ripen.
Leave persimmons to ripen
In order for the fruit to be really edible and tasty, you have to let the persimmons ripen. A cool and slightly damp place is ideal for this. If you're in a hurry, simply add a ripe apple or two to the persimmons. The apples emit ethylene gas, which makes the persimmons ripen faster. When the flesh is soft, the tannins and bitterness are gone. The bowl becomes stained and no longer looks particularly attractive. It doesn't matter though, because the inside is very sweet and juicy.
By the way, you can also eat the peel, because it contains the most nutrients. The pulp can also be scooped out. The consistency is often unusual for kaki newcomers, because you can almost compare it to jello. But the taste of ripe persimmons convinces almost everyone.
Storage Persimmons
Persimmons should always be stored in a very cool place. Place the fruit one by one with the stalks facing up. Afterwards, it's important that you check the condition of the fruit from time to time, because once ripe, persimmons spoil very quickly.
Persimmons are also easy to dry. Simply put the fruit in a warm place. They then shrink and become darker. However, the flesh remains juicy.