Fuyu Gaki! (Winter Persimmon)

The fuyu persimmon season began early this year in Northern California. Vendors at my local farmer's market inform me that the crop is plentiful and of high quality but the season will be short, so now is the time to gather a generous supply of persimmons for the winter. 

Store fuyus in a cool place (not the fridge where they will get mushy). Fuyus keep well and will continue to ripen and soften a bit as their color deepens. The deeper the color the sweeter the fruit!  Be patient! Eat a nutritious delicious fuyu gaki smoothie every day to ensure good health this winter.

Fuyu Gaki Smoothie:

To make a single serving smoothie, place one cut up fuyu and one cup plain, unsweetened almond milk in blender and process until smooth, adding a little more almond milk if mixture is too thick. Garnish with freshly ground nutmeg.

Serve in a bowl.  Meditate on the beautiful orange color of the Fuyu Gaki, the Winter Persimmon!

Persimmon Season: Will It Be Sweet?

"Will it be sweet                                         
this Japanese persimmon
the first in my hand?"


Shibu karo ka
shira nedo kaki no
hatsu chigiri?

--- Chiyo-ni
(1703- 1775)



Chiyo-ni  was one of the foremost haiku poets of the Japanese Edo period (1603- 1868). Her work was particularly revered for its poetic quality of "shizen to hitotsu ni naru"  or "oneness with nature". It is said that she composed this haiku while contemplating the future of her recent marriage.

Persimmons are inspirational for their beauty but also for their taste, and one of the sweetest moments of the year for me is the appearance of the first persimmons in local produce markets. It is my annual ritual to spend a November morning on the chilly streets of San Francisco seeking out the most perfect persimmons to store up for the coming weeks of winter, when throughout the dark days, rows of ripening orange fruit brighten my kitchen.

Whether Chiyo-ni's marriage was sweet, or bitter like an unripe persimmon is unknown. Perhaps hints can be found in her poetry, which she began writing at the age of seven. By seventeen,  her talent for writing clear, pure haiku was well known. In her later years she took vows and lived the contemplative, austere life of a Buddhist. Perhaps even then she permitted herself an occasional taste of the sweet fruit of the persimmon tree.
                                                                           

Note: Previous posts contain extensive details on how to select, store and eat Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons. To access them, click on the "persimmons" label on the right hand column of the blog. My favorite persimmon recipe is below:

Persimmon Smoothie

1 Fuyu persimmon
1 cup nut milk or soy milk, plus extra as needed
fresh nutmeg, grated

Wash the persimmon and remove the calyx. Cut into a few pieces and remove any seeds. Place fruit, nut or soy milk and nutmeg in blender and process until smooth, adding a little extra nut or soy milk if too thick.  Serve immediately, garnished with a little more nutmeg, or store up to a few hours in the fridge.

 

Winter: A Persimmon A Day

Persimmon enthusiasts require no special inducements to consume this superb fruit, which is now in season in Northern California. But for those less familiar with persimmons who hesitate to expand their fruit repertoire, it may be an added incentive to know that persimmons are among the healthiest fruits ever cultivated.

Rich in beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin as well as vitamin C, folate, potassium, manganese, copper and phosphorus, the persimmon ranks high as a super food which is also affordable and easy to incorporate into one's daily diet. Its plentiful nutrients are especially beneficial during the winter months when the supply and variety of fresh fruit is limited and cold weather viruses are making the rounds.

The Japanese Fuyu persimmon pictured above is a non-astringent variety which is edible when firm. Fuyus may be stored in a cool place and allowed to ripen gradually; they will continue to deepen in color and sweetness while softening only slightly. With proper handling, Fuyus will keep for weeks, long after the harvest is over.

Persimmon season is short. Demand for the crop is modest and it is not a highly commercialized fruit, so the number of persimmon orchards in California is still small. When you spot persimmons in your produce market, you might want to take home a good quantity before the harvest ends, which can happen rather abruptly, usually sometime in mid December.

At their most nutritious when eaten raw, persimmons are excellent eaten out of hand or sliced into salads; they travel well for portable snacks. But my very favorite way to enjoy them is as a persimmon smoothie, which can be made in seconds. Simply cut up a persimmon and process in a blender with nut milk or plain soy milk until smooth; add a little nutmeg if you wish. Serve in a bowl or glass; you'll need a spoon to savor this sublimely luxurious winter delight!

Note: See persimmon smoothie recipe in a previous post titled "Perfect Persimmon Smoothie".

Fuyu? It's A Persimmon

The Japanese Fuyu persimmon is gaining recognition among fruit lovers in the west as one of nature's finest winter treats. Now is the time to stock up on a supply of Fuyus; if handled properly you will enjoy them for the next six weeks or longer. When stored in a cool place (not in the fridge) Fuyus keep well and will continue to ripen and deepen in color, flavor, and sweetness. Select fruit which is unbruised and deep orange/red in color; the intense pigmentation indicates the presence of valuable essential nutrients.

Edible when firm or soft, the Fuyu contains very low levels of tannins and is never bitter or astringent. (Hachiyas are the high tannin persimmon; more about them in a future post). Although persimmon breads and puddings are popular in American kitchens, I prefer to eat persimmons uncooked in order to appreciate their subtle flavors and to derive maximum nutritional benefits.

There are no limits to Fuyu eating possibilities. Slice and serve sprinkled with a little lime juice; toss with pear slices and a few pomegranate seeds or other fruit, add to a leafy green salad, or blend with nut milk for a luxurious smoothie. Fuyus make convenient travel and snack food; take a few to work, school or on the plane to eat with a handful of almonds or walnuts. Some of nature's best fast food grows on trees and it's yours to enjoy this winter.

( See "Perfect Persimmon Smoothie" for an easy and delicious smoothie recipe; find more persimmon lore under "Persimmons, Food of the Gods").

Persimmons : Food of the Gods

Persimmons belong to the botanical genus diospyros and have often been called the "food of the gods". Derived from the Greek, "dios" means divine, or god, and "pyros" means grain of wheat, or food. There are many species of persimmon, each with its characteristic shape, color, and taste. It's clear from their name that they have been recognized as "divine food" for a very long time.

The Japanese persimmon, diospyros kaki, is native to Asia and has been cultivated there for over a thousand years. Fuyu and Hachiya are the two Japanese varieties most familiar to westerners. Powdered dried kakis were the only form of sweetener other than honey available in Japan until the seventeenth century. The leafy calyx of the fruit, "calyx kaki" is used as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb.

The Japanese village of Hachiya was famous for its persimmons which were specially cultivated and painstakingly dried for presentation to the Imperial Court each year. "Hachiya" means "the house of the bees", an apt name for this honey- sweet variety. The labor intensive tradition of growing and drying persimmons continues to this day in the same region; the product is a highly valued luxury item.

Persimmons were also native to the the eastern half of the United States. Diospyros virginiana was prized by the Algonquin people, who called them "pessimen", which means "dried fruit"; a variant of the name became our modern term for it. Persimmon trees produce large quantities of fruit; preserving it by drying allowed pre-industrial societies to enjoy and benefit from it as an important source of food long after harvest.

A seedless variety of the Japanese Fuyu persimmon called "Sharon", named after the ancient and famously beautiful fertile coastal plain of Israel, has been developed by Israeli horticulturists; it is now a major export and is raised commercially all over the world. Today's widespread popularity of the "food of the gods" would come as no surprise to the great 17th century Japanese poet Basho, who wrote these words long ago:

"In the old villages, no house is without its kaki tree".

Perfect Persimmon Smoothie

Persimmons are nature's autumnal gift to serious fruit aficionados. Stock up now on persimmons and you'll have many weeks of delicious, nutritious eating to look forward to, long after the late summer fruits disappear from the scene. Ripe persimmons contain an impressive range of high quality nutrients which will contribute to maintaining good health during the winter months. I've been refining my persimmon smoothie recipe for years; this deceptively simple formula is positively divine! (Yield: one serving).

1 fuyu or hachiya persimmon
1 cup nut milk plus more as needed
1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg*

Wash and trim the persimmon, then cut in half and remove any seeds which may be present. (Many persimmons contain no seeds at all).
Place persimmon, nut milk, and nutmeg in blender and process until smooth, adding more nut milk if you prefer a thinner smoothie. (You may substitute plain soy milk for the nut milk.)
Pour into a bowl, garnish with a little more nutmeg if desired, and eat with a spoon.

*Note: Whole nutmegs are available in natural food stores. Scrape the nutmeg carefully with a sharp knife to obtain desired amount, or use a hand grater.

Persimmon Selection and Storage:

Fuyu and Hachiya are the two persimmon varieties most commonly found in American produce markets. Fuyus, which are short, squat and shaped somewhat like a tomato, are a non-astringent variety; they are ripe and ready to eat when they are a deep orange color but still firm. Hachiya persimmons have an elongated acorn- like shape and contain high levels of naturally occuring tannins, which make unripe Hachiyas harshly astringent and completely inedible. However with thorough ripening, the tannins disappear and the Hachiya attains a delicious sweet flavor.

Fuyu persimmons can be stored for weeks in a cool room (but not in the fridge). As they ripen, their color will deepen and they will begin to soften, at which point their flavor is at its very best. Hachiyas ripen somewhat unpredictably; keep a close eye on your stash and use when the fruit is very soft from the tip to the leafy stem end (which is called the calyx). Ripe Hachiyas may be kept for a few days in the fridge. Both varieties make velvety rich smoothies which are low in calories and high in nutrients.