Using Persimmons in the Winter

Persimmons ripen in the late fall, just after the colors of the landscape have faded. Jewel-toned fuyu persimmons are a mid-to-late season variety, arriving just in time to dress up the holiday season. They lack the tannins of other persimmons and their candied sweetness makes them a bright spot for both your table and your tastebuds.

How to Use Persimmons in the Winter

Persimmons grow on trees and are technically berries, originating in China and first harvested over two thousand years ago. Like avocados, mangos, and most certainly bananas- persimmons have their precise moment of perfect, ripe, deliciousness. Catch it quickly, because it’s fleeting.

Persimmons are also rich in legend and myth. Korean folklore says that dried persimmon can scare away tigers. In Malaysia and Singapore, large persimmons are viewed as a status symbol. Closer to home, folks in the Ozarks say you can tell how severe winter will be by slicing open a persimmon seed and seeing whether it’s shaped like a knife, fork, or spoon (a fork means mild weather; spoon means snow; and a knife means cold that cuts like a – you guessed it – knife).

One of the traditions surrounding persimmons is hoshigaki, a centuries-old Japanese method of preserving the fruit. It requires peeling persimmons before hanging them on strings and gently massaging the fruit every day for four to six weeks, until it forms a powdery white skin and develops a deep, nuanced sweetness.

A person mixes a salad of persimmons and arugula in a big brown bowl.

Making a Winter Salad

If your holiday season is as frenzied as mine is, you don’t have much free time for massaging persimmons. Here’s a better idea. In minutes you can assemble a healthy, eye-candy salad. Start with handfuls of peppery arugula, top with perfectly ripe, thinly sliced persimmons, and finish off with a generous sprinkle of pistachio nuts, and a lemony vinaigrette dressing.