Persimmons: like little pumpkins

Right now, our fruit bowl is filled with fresh Fuyu persimmons. a great after-dinner dessert during the fall and winter months.

The peak season for persimmons is from October to February. They're shaped like tomatoes, but I think they look like little shiny pumpkins, so they make a nice decoration fruit for the fruit bowl during the fall season when Halloween and Thanksgiving are approaching. However, once ripe, they can only be kept for several days. We recently received a large bag full of persimmons that had not yet reached its peak ripeness, and now they're beginning to ripen, so we have to eat them soon.

The Fuyu persimmon is firm, unlike the Hachiya, and is crunchy like an apple. You can eat it with or without the skin, but I like to peel off the skin first. The longer you wait to eat it, the softer it gets, so I suggest eating it at its crunchiest!

For more information on persimmons, visit the Grown in California web site.

Click here for a persimmon flan recipe from Cooking Light Magazine