Persimmons Pudding

What in the world is a persimmons?  I am betting most of you have never had one.  Have you?

 I have been hearing about persimmons and thought I would try one, so I asked the produce employee at the East End Coop for a recommendation. She was extremely helpful and told me to pick one that had good color, and to wait for it to get darker orange and very soft.  She said that it would almost seem like it had become mushy like a very ripe tomato.  Cut it in half, remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh. 

That sounded easy enough, so I bought one and waited.  It sat on the counter for almost a week before it seemed like it was “going bad”.  It got very soft and so I followed the directions.  Oh my goodness; it was the sweetest, juiciest fruit I have had in a long time.  I immediately wished I had bought several of them.

Hachiya (heart shaped) persimmons

Persimmons come in two varieties, hachiya (which is larger and heart-shaped) and fuyu (which is smaller and flatter).  Both are very sweet when ripe, but hachiya is bitter if not ripe.

According to the USDA, persimmons have an amino acid score of 110 which indicates a complete or high-quality protein. They are also high in calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins C and A.

I threw together this recipe with my one persimmons.   It was delicious.

Fuyu persimmons

Persimmons Pudding

2 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp finely shredded coconut

1 Cup almond or coconut milk

1 persimmons smashed

1 Tbsp chopped hazelnuts

1 pinch vanilla bean seeds

Mix together and let sit for 5-15 minutes until the chia seeds swell and the mixture becomes thicker.  Enjoy.

Since then, the grocery store had persimmons on sale for 3 for $1.00.  I bought twelve!  I will try them in green smoothies, make persimmons sorbet and invent a few more recipes. Now I just have to wait for them to ripen.