The Perfect Persimmon!

Woah, it's been a while since I've made an update. You'd think being unemployed I would have all the time in the world to make updates galore! Right? Well, you're half right. If you are smart then you try to keep busy applying to jobs and then going out somewhere to take your mind off the fact that no one wants to hire you. Ha anyway, I digress. So, one of my favorite things to do when I am not being all important and learning something new about the industry I was working in is to go to specific stores. Not necessarily to go shopping with a purpose, but to look around and see if there is anything different to try. One of my favorite places to visit is an Asian market called Hong Kong Market in Malden, MA. This store is huge. No, seriously its HUGE. Not only that, but they carry a ton of produce, some of which I can't pronounce and others of which I would have no idea what to do with it if I bought it (yet, I'd love to know!).

Well, this time around I decided to get out and see what I might find, plus I had to actually go shopping for christmas gifts there. When I walked in I came across a special fruit that I hadn't eaten since around this time last year and boy was I excited. This fruit is the almighty      PERSIMMON!

I'm sure you have heard of a persimmon, but what exactly is it? It is delicious, that's what it is! Its a lovely round, orange, sweet fruit which kind of looks like a tomato. Actually, I take that back. Not all persimmons are round, some are actually sort of cone shaped, like a really large strawberry if you will. Persimmons are a large berry that grows on trees and can come in either non-astringent or astringent (the strawberry shaped one is astringent). The most popular non-astringent persimmon is called Fuyu which is what I bought at the market. From doing a little research, you can eat the Fuyu when it is slightly hard still or even when very soft, but if you happen across an astringent variety (Hachiya) you will have to allow it to ripen before eating.

So now that you bought some persimmons, what do you do? Well, I honestly have never cooked with them as I love them raw. They have a very sweet flavor, and I can't really compare its flavor to something you might already know. Its just very unique and delicious. You could use persimmons in cakes, pies, puddings, cookies, savory dishes...really its endless! Plus, persimmons are good for you; high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A and C and much more!

Next time you see a persimmon in the grocery store, pick one up (most likely will be Fuyu non-astringent), take it home, let it ripen and eat it. You may actually find a new favorite winter fruit!