American persimmon

What it is

The fruit is round, about 2–5 cm (¾–2 in) across, and turns yellow, orange or dark red. Inside are usually one to eight flat brown seeds, though some fruits are seedless. This is a different species from the Asian persimmon usually found in grocery stores.

An unripe American persimmon makes your mouth pucker. Sweetness comes with soft, ripe flesh; a hard frost is not required. Some selected varieties add honey and caramel notes to the smooth pulp.

Where it comes from

American persimmon is native to the eastern and central United States, from southern Connecticut to Florida and west into the Midwest and Texas. Native Americans ate the fruit.

The tree grows especially well in the rich bottomlands of the Mississippi River. In the South Atlantic and Gulf states it also grows beside fences and roads and spreads into abandoned fields, often as shrubby patches.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Mitchell, Indiana, persimmon pudding earns prizes at the town’s Persimmon Festival. Prize-winner Judy Shaw’s recipe combines the pulp with eggs, sugar, buttermilk, flour, butter and cinnamon, then bakes it in a shallow dish.

A food mill separates the soft flesh from the skins and seeds. The resulting pulp also goes into cookies, cakes, custard and sherbet. Frozen pulp lets a cook start with the fruit already prepared for mixing into a batter.

How it's grown

This is a leaf-shedding tree in the ebony family, commonly 9–18 m (30–60 ft) tall, with thick bark divided into blocks. It grows best in moist, well-drained ground and full sun, though it tolerates shade and poorer sites.

Male and female flowers usually grow on separate trees. Some named varieties set fruit without pollination. Grafted trees can begin bearing three years after planting.

When and where you'll find it

Fruit usually hangs on the trees from September to December. Fresh American persimmons occasionally turn up at farmers’ markets in Kentucky; frozen pulp is another way to buy this soft fruit. Fischer Farms in Indiana sells pulp from southern Indiana persimmons frozen in pint tubs, for puddings, breads or cookies.