We are heading off on our summer holiday in a few days and I hate packing so in an attempt to avoid the suitcases I found a quick drawing project to occupy my time inspired by Fathers Day this last Sunday…..

Persimmon {Diospyros kaki}

A4 Artists sketch paper

Pencil crayon and B pencil

Persimmons are edible fruit and surprisingly not that well known.  The ripe fruit range from light yellow-orange to dark red-orange. Like the tomato, persimmons are not popularly considered to be berries, but in terms of botanical morphology the fruit is in fact a berry.

Persimmon {Diospyros kaki} close-up #1

The word Diospyros comes from the ancient Greek words “Dios” and “pyros”. In context this means “divine fruit”, though its literal meaning is more like “Wheat of Zeus”.  The word Persimmon is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Powhatan, an Algonquian language of the Eastern United States, which means “a dry fruit”.

Persimmon {Diospyros kaki} close-up #2

The fruits are sweet, and slightly tangy with a soft to occasionally fibrous texture. The fruit has a high tannin content which makes the immature fruit astringent and bitter. I always found they left a furry bitter texture on my palette when I tried to eat them too soon off the tree.  The tannin levels are reduced as the fruit matures. Persimmons must be completely ripened before you eat them. When ripe, this fruit comprises of a thick, pulpy jelly encased in a waxy thin skinned shell.

Persimmon {Diospyros kaki} close-up #3

I think Fathers Day and the fact that they are in season and available in the supermarkets brought them to mind.  My father grew a persimmon tree in our ‘orchard garden’. I always used to go with him in the evenings up to the top garden when he came back from work to inspect his fruit trees.  We would pick the ripe fruit together and eat it right there by the tree while I chatted with him about my day at school.  Persimmons just don’t taste the same anymore no matter how hard I try to ‘capture’ the taste of that memory. Those fruit picked from the tree all those years ago in the company of my father were sublime!

Persimmon {Diospyros kaki} close-up #4

And for those of you who are interested….. How to eat a persimmon:

Select a ripe persimmon. This is the only time the persimmon should be eaten; before this stage, the fruit will be very bitter.  The one I have photographed below for demonstration purposes could probably do with a few more days of ripening till it turns a more orange colour, much like the drawing I have done.

The skin will appear transparent and should be smooth. Look for a good overall orange coloring. If not, let it ripen on the counter until it reaches a bright coloring overall. When ripe the fruit are crisp and sweet and the skin can be eaten or peeled. They are great in fruit salads or baked in coffee cake. These tomato-like ones are the better variety for eating fresh.

Using a sharp knife cut off the top bracts. Then, you can simply slice the persimmon in the same manner that you would prepare to quarter a tomato.

You can peel if you wish, but the skin is edible. Peeling is usually used for cooking – peel by immersing in hot water briefly (blanching) as with a tomato or peach, and then remove and peel. Cut the persimmon into any shape you desire for serving.

Persimmons can be eaten fresh, cooked as a jam, marmalade, compote, or used in salads. It also makes a delicious sorbet.