A NOTE FROM CHEF BECKY
This week we’ve been picking persimmons and they are looking abundant and tasting delicious. The trees are loaded! The branches are bowed, laden with the big, bright orange fruits. We have three varieties, Hachiya, chocolate Hachiyas and Fuyu. The Fuyus are thick skinned bright orange and almost look like little pumpkins. They are firm and sweet and can be eaten without being fully ripe.
They are best and come to their peak of sweetness when they are fully ripe and slightly speckled with tiny little brown spots. The sweetness of the persimmon is hard to describe, it is intensely sweet without any competing acid, but it is not sickly sweet; it has a deep, rich honey sweetness. It is loaded with nutrients; it is high in poly-phenol antioxidants as well as b-complex vitamins and it is high in fiber. While being very high in sugar, it is actually very low in fat.
They are best eaten raw, out of hand but they are wonderful in salads, a nice foil to a champagne vinaigrette. They can be dried, if you have too many, in an oven and eaten as a snack, or rehydrated to be used in savory dishes.
The Fuyu’s cousin, the Hachiya is a different story. It ripens in early November and it hangs on the tree long after the leaves have shed, looking like bright orange ornaments on the bare trees. It cannot be eaten until fully, squishily ripe, otherwise its astringency will pucker your cheeks and send you running for a piece of cheese. They are longer, more egg shaped than the Fuyu, but crowned with the same lotus blossom looking sephal. The skin of the Hachiya thins as it ripens; by the time they are fully ripe, they look almost transparent and resemble dark orange, almost reddish, water balloons. The Hachiya is used primarily as a puree, not sliced and eaten as the fuyu. It is best for persimmon pudding, a rich, pudding/cake or persimmon cookies. They can also be made into a delicious ice cream. You can hasten ripening by sticking them in the freezer and after a day they will be soft enough to puree. But, be careful; freezing is no substitute for proper ripening; they may soften in the freezer but if under ripe the astringency will still come through making it inedible. When perfectly ripe, they are amazingly sweet and delicious.
The chocolate persimmon or Maru, is like the Hachiya but even sweeter with hints of nutmeg. They are prized because very few people grow them. They have a dark orange hue, like the Hachiya at first, but as they ripen, the flesh turns brown and shows through the translucent skin, giving it a chocolate appearance. Eat only when the flesh is brown. Yes, it will look rotten, but other-
wise it will be astringent, like the Hachiya. The flavor is pure sweetness with overtones of fall spice.
Look for these beauties in your box in November. We’ll send along some recipes for persimmon pudding and cookies. For now, enjoy your Fuyus!
