Everyone wants to grow common fruits such as a apples, peaches and plums in their backyards. The sad reality is that most people are unlikely to reap a nice crop from these more common fruits. Realistically, they are just not no-spray fruit.
Most homeowners who plant fruit trees do so without realizing that these trees require a massive investment of time and money in spraying pesticides and fungicides repeatedly throughout the season. Without this most crops fail. To get the perfect fruit you see in the grocery stores, commercial growers might spray a crop 25 times or more every season.
If you want to grow organic fruit that produces well in your backyard, you should avoid most common fruit trees. Instead, why not try an Asian persimmon tree. Now if you’ve had experience with the American persimmons, don’t tune out yet, keep reading. The Asian persimmon is nothing like the American persimmon.
There are ‘no-spray’ fruits out there
For the savvy, adventurous gardener, there are other edible plants and tree varieties that can be grown that have virtually no pest and disease problems. The persimmon is one of these often overlooked fruits. There are even varieties that are suitable for growing in large containers making them accessible to a broad range of gardeners.
Persimmons are something that many people may not have ever even seen, tasted, or heard of. However, they are extremely attractive little trees you should consider planting. They have large, deep, glossy green leaves that are almost leathery looking. In the fall their leaves turn a variety of yellows, reds, and oranges before falling off.
After the leaves have fallen you are left with the very ornamental looking bright orange fruit hanging. This fruit will hang on the tree well into the winter. It is quite resistant to being frosted making it the last fruit harvested in fall. In our area, we usually pick the persimmons some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Persimmon trees are small trees similar in size to a dogwood or redbud. They require very little care and virtually no pruning. They are unbothered by pests and diseases, and will set fruit even if they are partially shaded. Additionally, they are self-fruitful. That means that unlike most fruit trees, you only need one tree to get fruit. This makes them accessible to and productive in even the smallest of yards.
With persimmons, planting the correct variety is extremely important!
Beware, there are both astringent and non-astringent persimmon varieties, and there is a night and day difference between the two.
Those who know of American persimmons, the ones native to the southeast USA, are familiar with astringent persimmons. Eating one of these persimmons before it is completely ripe and mushy is something that only brave children do on a dare. They are extremely unpleasant and biting into one will pucker your face and curl your toes before you can spit it out. They are only suitable for use in baking once ripened to mush. The fruits are also tiny and filled with rock hard seeds.
Quite frankly, American persimmons are probably at fault for persimmons being unpopular in this country. Because experience with the American persimmons was so unpleasant, many people who have experienced them are unwilling to even try a non-astringent variety. This is sad since all persimmons are not the same.
Non-astringent persimmon varieties are completely different. They are sweet and delicious straight off the tree. In contrast to astringent varieties, they are perfectly sweet as soon as they have turned a rich orange color. At this point they will still be nice and crispy with a texture similar to an apple. They do not have seeds, and before they ripen past the crunchy stage, they are perfect for fresh eating. If allowed to continue to ripen they will get soft until the inside of them turns gelatinous similar to the astringent varieties.
Picking the correct variety
Though we are typically very pro planting native plants. When it comes to persimmons, we would highly recommend planting an Asian variety instead of the American persimmon. However, Asian persimmons come in both astringent and non-astringent varieties. Thus it is still important to pay attention when purchasing an Asian persimmon to make sure that you are getting the correct type.
We would highly recommend selecting a non-astringent variety to plant. Non-astringent varieties are much more versatile. You also are not required to have perfect timing to know exactly when they are ripe and safe to use vs inedible.
Varieties like Fuyu, Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro, and Jiro are some common non-astringent varieties we would recommend. Fuyu is probably the most common one. Starting at a young age, it reliably produces excellent, very sweet fruit that we enjoy eating fresh. They also store well and are well suited for drying and cooking as well. Jiro is also very sweet, but can be more prone to cracking and erratic yields when young. Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro is noted as being a small 8-10’ tree that is well suited to container culture.
Hachiya is probably the second most commonly seen Asian variety. Please note that this particular variety is ASTRINGENT. It is not suitable for fresh eating, but it can still be a good choice if you are planning to use them for cooking or ornamental purposes only.
How to use all those persimmons
At this point, you are probably wondering what you would do with the fruit from a persimmon tree. After all, what good is an edible plant if you have no practical use for it. Because persimmons are uncommon in this country, this is a problem many people with a persimmon tree face. We rarely see them featured in recipes so have no idea what to do with them.
Fortunately, they are actually quite versatile. A quick google search for persimmon recipes will net you a variety of things to try ranging from salads, to main dishes, to desserts.
As we mentioned before, while crispy, they have a texture similar to an apple and are excellent to eat fresh. If you have never eaten a persimmon before, this is where we would recommend starting. Try eating one as a snack, or try substituting persimmons for apples in a salad. They are also perfect in a winter fruit salad featuring other winter fruits like apples and kiwi.
Once you have tasted them, you will have an idea of what sorts of other flavors they might pair well with. For example, you might try cooking pork chops with persimmon rather than apple slices. Or perhaps with kale and goat cheese.
Persimmons can be dried and used as you would other fruit dried in a dehydrator. You could also make a traditional Japanese hoshigaki. Hoshigaki is a slow dried persimmon with a sugar bloom on the outside and a jelly like consistency inside that is perfect for use in desserts.
Uses for very ripe persimmons
Once they have passed the crunchy phase where they are ideal for using fresh, they are still quite versatile. Their soft flesh can be mashed and then used to make cookies, breads, puddings and other baked confections.
Persimmons freeze well, and you can make ‘instant persimmon sorbet’ by freezing overripe fruit whole. Additionally you can freeze persimmon puree for later use. Upon defrosting, it will be similar in texture and consistency to jelly. This ‘jelly’ would be perfect for swirling in ice cream or using in thumbprint cookies.
We hope we have made you hungry enough to inspire you to try out a new fruit. Persimmon trees would make a wonderful addition to any no-spray homestead or garden!
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