Sunday 22 March 2009

The Persimmon Tree;


Ripe Persimmons ready to eat; we grow two varieties; the heart shaped Nightingale and the squat Dai Dai Maru.


The fruits are protected by soft nets to keep at bay bats, birds and possums.



A persimmon, known to the ancient Greeks as "the fruit of the gods"[1] is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees of the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family (Ebenaceae). The word persimmon is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Powhatan, an Algonquian language (related to Blackfoot, Cree and Mohican) of the eastern United States, meaning "a dry fruit".[2] Persimmons are generally light yellow-orange to dark red-orange in color, and depending on the species, vary in size from 1.5-9 cm (0.5-4 in) diameter, and may be spherical, acorn-, or pumpkin-shaped.[3] The calyx often remains attached to the fruit after harvesting, but becomes easier to remove as it ripens. They are high in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, and possess various medicinal and chemical uses. While the persimmon fruit is not considered a "common berry" it is in fact a "true berry" by definition.

The persimmon also figures prominently in American culinary tradition. It can be used in cookies, cakes, puddings, salads and as a topping for breakfast cereal.
Persimmon pudding is a dessert using fresh persimmons. An annual persimmon festival, featuring a persimmon pudding contest, is held every September in Mitchell, Indiana. Persimmon pudding is a baked pudding that has the consistency of pumpkin pie but resembles a brownie and is almost always topped with whipped cream. Persimmons may be stored at room temperature (20°C) where they will continue to ripen. It is also a native plant in Brazil, South America, where it is referred to as the Caqui. In northern China, unripe persimmons are frozen outside during winter to speed up the ripening process.


Ethnomedical uses
In
traditional Chinese medicine The raw fruit is used to treat constipation and hemorrhoids, and to stop bleeding.
The cooked fruit is used to treat diarrhea and
dysentery
The apparent contradictory effect of the raw and cooked fruit is due to its osmotic effect in the raw fruit sugar (causing diarrhea), and the high tannin content of the cooked fruit helping with diarrhea.


Phytonutrients
The fruits of some persimmon varieties contain the tannins
catechin and gallocatechin,[8] as well as the anti-tumor compounds betulinic acid and shibuol.

Going down to the orchard I saw this Abutilon, its orange bells winking at me.


I could not resist taking a photo of these friends, the subtle mauve petals already fading into a yellow parchment tint.
Believe it or not:
Weather Prediction Folklore
It is said that you can predict the winter by taking the seeds out of some persimmons and then slicing the seeds. The shape that shows up the most inside each seed will tell you what kind of winter to expect. The three shapes resemble three eating utensils.A Knife shape means there will be a cold icy winter (as in the wind will slice through you like a knife).A Spoon shape means there will be plenty of snow for you to shovel.A Fork shape means there will be a mild winter.
I don't think I need a weather station in the future!!


Photos TS.
Source Wikipedia

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a fun way to predict the weather. Interesting.

Laura in Paris said...

I have learned a lot reading your post. However I recall in China, I had been told that this fruit (called shi zi) was native Chinese, you seem to say it is native American (North and South). The same juicy and deep coral variety is found in Iran and Iraq, where I also lived. It's rich and delicious.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Thank you Blossom; I hope it is accurate!

Laura, I think there are so many varieties from different countries. I know there is one called Virginiana, it is a tiny, wild fruit, sweet and edible, from Virginia USA. My Dai Dai Maru is originally from Japan. The non astringent fruit have been developed in Israel. I am not keen on them, I prefer the old varieties which are like jelly. Rich and delicious is the right description for this fruit.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Titania .. Now that is a lot of information to digest ! LOL
It has been a long time since I have had any of these fruits ..
You have such beautiful plants in your garden .. so exotic looking : ) I still find it strange to think you are going in to Autumn there ! LOL

vuejardin said...

Your persimmons are so beautiful, I have a 1 year old Fuyu, I wish mine will have large fruits too. It's a great idea to use the soft net.

Janie said...

Wild persimmons grow in Louisiana and east Texas, where we used to live. My husband loves them, and we used to have a horse who favored this fruit for a treat.
Nice to learn some info on the tree. Funny about the seed weather predictions.

Helga said...

Ich glaube ich kann die Früchte bis zu uns riechen. Sie sehen lecker aus.
L.G.
Helga

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if I've eaten a Persimmon but your post has inspired me to give them a go. It will be interesting to see what varieties we get here and where they come from.

Barbarapc said...

Showed my husband your post and he couldn't believe the persimmons were so big "They look like giant tomatoes!" - you would expire laughing to see the ones they sell here in our stores. Lots of gorgeous orange, interesting tidbits - another great visit - thanks.

Pia K said...

Wow, imagine having that in your garden...! Then again, we do have lots of castles here instead...;)

Admittedly I'm no fan of the consistency of persimons either (like bananas, peaches and kiwis), but I love the flavour, not to mention the scents in perfume and splashes. That persimon pudding sounds wonderfully yummy! A recipe perhaps...?

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Those persimmons look lovely even under a net! The blooms you posted are exotic looking to me. They are so colorful and pretty!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I just saw persimmon fruits in my local Asian store. They must have come from America. I took photos.

We do have these fruits here. When my oldest daughter was little, (more than 20 years ago) a neighbour gave us a bag and she told me to ripen them at the window sill. They were too soft, and I don't like them.

Anonymous said...

I love persimons but never knew how they looked like in harvest! Thanks for sharing these shots wit us :)

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

GardenJoy; thank you for your visit. I guess it is a bit odd to go into autumn at this time of year, we can't help ourselves we are "antipodes".

vuejardin, thank you for your comment. I wanted to come and say hello but your garden is locked.

Janie thank you, I don't think we can take those weather predictions to seriously.

Anonymous said...

Delicious!! Of course our persimmon season is around October/November so I have to wait a bit. This year we hope to get a few persimmons from our tree that we planted last autumn. Great and informative post!

Unknown said...

They look delicious! As usual, Trudi, your posts are so informative. The Abuliton is so exotic looking. How love your garden and orchard must be--now.
Your "Purple Haze' post took my breath away....

MedaM said...

Those ripe Persimmons looks great and make my moth watering. I've never tasted that fruit but I would like if I could. I've never seen it on our markets. Your posts are always interesting and informative. Your flower photos are also beautiful especially those orange bells; they are stunning, indeed!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Rowena I hope you get a great harvest in autumn. First have a nice spring and summer and watch those Persimmons grow!

Pia, yes you have lots of wonderful castles; who can compete with a few Persimmon trees? LOL I have a look out for a nice Persimmon pie recipe for you.

Kanak thank you for your very kind comment.

Medam, The Persimmons are very delicious I just love their jelly like texture. I also use them frequently in "Bircher Muesli".

Anonymous said...

I love persimmons, in fact I am munching on one right now! :-) I like them firm and crunchy. I've never seen a persimmon tree before. Thanks for sharing.

marie-louise said...

I love your persimmon. They are sooo.. delicious. I have kept some of the seeds to plant. Great post, Mum. Love ML

Mary Elizabeth said...

Thank you for this great info, I didn't know this fruit, I tasted them and love it, today I had 3 of them for dessert.

Regards,
Mary Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

The persimmons look delectable and the abutilon is to die for.

Lilli & Nevada said...

What a lot of great information on the this fruit i had no idea, I also have to say i have never eaten one either i guess i should try it

Laura in Paris said...

I enjoy so much you blog that I have given you a Friend's Award!I love how you write in your more than delicious blog! Check my blog for details!

Ingrid said...

Deine Früchte sehen köstlich aus!
Herzliche Grüße
Ingrid

Steffi said...

Das verspricht ja eine tolle Ernte!Einen schönen Garten hast du!Es grünt und blüht alles herrlich bei dir!
Hier bei uns ist die Natur dieses Jahr ziemlich spät dran...irgendwie will der Winter uns nicht verlassen!

LG Steffi

Gill - That British Woman said...

I don't think I have ever eaten a Persimmon, we can get them in the grocery stores over here.

Gill in Canada

Marites said...

quite interesting way to predict the weather. Alot of folklores have true wisdom in it. I love your persimmon pictures:D they look delicious.

LadyLuz said...

Oh, those abutilon, it's a long time since I grew them in Cornwall. So gorgeous.

I'm off now to catch up with the rest of your posts. It's been a while as, from Jan., it's been go,go,go here in the garden.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Thank you for your welcome visits and interesting comments.

Barbara said...

Welche Art Winter wurde dir mit den Kernen vorausgesagt, liebe Trudi? Nur für den Fall, damit ich mich auch auf den nächsten einstellen kann ;-) !! Die Persimonenfrüchte sehen richtig "gluschtig" aus. Ich nehme an, sie schmecken ähnlich wie Kakis? Sie sehen ja auch in etwa ähnlich aus. Ein Besuch in deinem Garten ist wie eine Entdeckungsreise in ein unbekanntes Land, spannend und interessant. Schön, dass du uns immer wieder einen Blick hinein gewährst.
Viele liebe Grüsse, Barbara

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Barbara, Persimmon werden auch Kakis genannt. Hier kennt man sie jedoch nur unter dem Namen P. Ich glaube in Japan ist die Frucht unter dem Namen Diospyros Kaki bekannt. Ich habe den Test noch nicht gemacht, manchmal finde ich zwar einen Kernen. Ich muss es mal ausprobieren ob die Folklore recht hat!

Kerri said...

I haven't eaten a persimmon in a very long time...way back when I was a child growing up in Australia. Oh how I loved them! It's a fruit that I've never seen available in our part of the country over here.
Your abutilon looks a lot like the one that's blooming in my dining room at the moment. It's a beauty!
Happy Easter dear Trudi :)

Peter said...

Is that paradise?

From Germany, actually 3°C :-((

Annie Soehardjo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Annie Soehardjo said...

I love your garden, a lot. Especially your persimmons. Do you eat them fresh or always cook them? I love having them fresh and crispy, we call it "kretess kretess" feeling in the mouth :)

Annie, Jakarta

Anonymous said...

I'm looking to get an astringent persimmon tree and unsure as to whether to get the nightinggale or the dai dai maru. Since you have both, can you tell me which ones taste better? I think the ones I love are dai dai maru, but that tree is not readily available to be purchased. The nightinggale is more readily available, but I don't think I've eaten that one before.