The Simplest, Best Way to Enjoy Persimmon Season

I don’t know about you, but I suddenly seem to be awash in persimmons. The farmers markets out here in California have had them for a few weeks already, but I’ve been gifted with even more recently from friends and family who have trees. Turns out that persimmon trees yield a lot and people are desperate to unload their bountiful harvests! I liken this surfeit to the annual summer bumper zucchini crop. Last night I discovered the absolute best way to enjoy them.

There are two types of persimmons: squat crunchy Fuyus and super-soft Hachiyas. I generally buy the Fuyus since they seem to last awhile and you don’t have to wait for them to completely ripen like the Hachiyas, but my mom brought over some Hachiyas the other night and claimed they were sweet as candy.

Read More: Ingredient Spotlight: Persimmons

I was eyeing my big bowl of persimmons after dinner when I felt like I wanted to eat something sweet. But then I saw something else on my kitchen counter: my tiny bowl of flaky Maldon salt! My mind immediately asked, “What would the persimmons taste like if I sprinkled a little salt on top to cut through all that sweetness?”

I grabbed a ripe Hachiya, squeezed the pulp right into a bowl, sprinkled it with Maldon, and dug in. It was, dare I say, magical! So simple, just sweet persimmon and some crunchy salt to balance it out. I inhaled the bowl and was so happy and satisfied. I haven’t tried this out with the crunchy Fuyus yet, but the next time I cut one up, you know that it’ll get a generous sprinkling of salt.

If your tree is bursting with persimmons, I urge you to give this a try. Maybe your bumper crop will be used up faster than you think.