I love persimmon. It borders on obsession. Apparently they eat these things like pears in Japan, they’re everywhere. For whatever reason they haven’t taken off in North America, but it’s not because of the taste, have you tried one before?
My favorite are the hard round Fuyu, although I’ll sometimes go for the bigger, softer Hachiya and eat the pulp with a spoon. Stir it into yogurt or spread it on toast like jam. It has a faint cinnamon flavor that I just can’t get enough of. I have no idea why the kids didn’t like persimmon – possibly because I admitted that it smells like skin. Which it does. Lesson learned – don’t tell your kids that something smells like skin and expect them to eat it. But despite it’s odd smell, the flavor of persimmon will keep you coming back for more.
ME: OK guys, I have a special fruit for us. What is this?
LAUREN: A tomato.
EMMA: It looks like Christmas.
ME: Yeah it does, it looks kind of festive, doesn’t it.
EMMA: I want to try it.
LAUREN: Me first. It’s cold. It’s smooth. It doesn’t make a sound when you shake it.
ME: Those are all good descriptions. Can Emma touch it?
EMMA: It’s scratchy.
ME: Yeah, those leaves are a little scratchy aren’t they?
ME: Do you want to smell it?
EMMA: No smell.
ME: Yeah, it doesn’t really have a smell does it?
ME: Sam, what do you think?
SAM: (Whining, clearly not in the mood for this today)
ME: What’s it going to look like on the inside? And it’s called a persimmon by the way.
SAM: I don’t want to see it.
ME: What do you think Lauren?
LAUREN: It doesn’t really look like a tomato because it doesn’t have seeds in it.
EMMA: I can’t open this!
ME: It’s open Emma, don’t bang it on the counter.
ME: What does it smell like on the inside?
LAUREN: I think it smells like flowers. And a Christmas tree.
ME: I think it smells kind of gross actually. I think it smells like skin.
LAUREN: I really think it smells like a Christmas tree.
ME: I think you’re smelling our real tree.
ME: Who wants to taste it?
EMMA: I don’t want that.
ME: I think it tastes like cinnamon squash. I think it’s delicious.
EMMA: Hello Kitty!
ME: OK, you should not have a Sharpie in your hand.
LAUREN: I don’t like it.
ME: Should we get it again?
Delay
ME: What was that face?
LAUREN: That’s a not liking face.
ME: OK, well at least you tried it.
Funny, I’ve never tried one. Not sure why. I think I’ll pick some up – they sound delicious!
They’re great, the hachiya (oblong) have to be really soft to eat, so you usually have to wait a few days after you bring it home. The fuyu can be eaten when they’re really crisp or starting to soften, they’re fabulous. Let me know what you think…
I’ve never heard of persimmon.before, but now I am intrigued. I want to hunt one down and try it.
Yeah, go track them down, I’m sure you’ll love!
Persimmons are fabulous! They are way underrated. We live in SC now, but I miss the persimmon tree we had when we lived in CA. We’d pick them and eat them right off the tree. I also made persimmon bars by chopping them up and mixing them with raisins, nuts, cinnamon, etc. YUM!!!
So underrated, right? They’re delicious. One day….your persimmon bars sound delicious by the way.
Haha! This post was adorable! 🙂 I love persimmons – only tried my first one last year but I grab them whenever I can now!
Thanks, I need to load up on some more, devastated I ate though my last few already!
Hahaha, love the dialogue! So cute. I really need to try persimmons at some point — they get such rave reviews everywhere and they’re so gorgeous to boot!
Thanks 🙂 And yes, you definitely need to check out persimmons, they’re so good, can be tough to track down sometimes though…..Hope you’ve been enjoying the holidays so far!