Seasonal Texas Persimmons

Written By Timothy Te

Information, Flavor Profiles, and Recipes

Image from: https://www.asergeev.com/pictures/archives/2009/783/jpeg/07.jpg

Texas Persimmons are fruit trees that are native to the United States that have been prized by the Native Americans for their fruit and wood. But just be careful, biting into an unripe fruit will make your mouth pucker up due to the number of tannins the unripe fruit contains (no, we're not joking!)

Texas Persimmon Tree Habitat and cultivation

The plants, shrub, and trees prefer full sun exposure and is extremely drought tolerant.

Diospyros texana. (2021, December 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana

It's very simple to cultivate, and it doesn't require much care making it one of the more attractive trees to plant for the avid home gardener.

Growing Citrus and Other Fruit Trees in Texas

Is Texas Persimmon (Diospyros Texana) worth growing?

Yes, these hardy trees play an important part in the local ecosystem. It's a favorite food of native wildlife like birds and deer, as well as many species of local animals, and the edible fruits are quite tasty in themselves as well. Just make sure that you have two trees if you want to enjoy the fruit because this plant needs a male tree and a female tree to bear fruit!

Uses of the Texas Persimmon and Mature trees

The Texas persimmon plants has a wide variety of uses, not only the tasty fruit when they're ripe, but the actual whole tree can be used!

Diospyros texana. (2021, December 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana

  • As ornamentals - as a well shaped tree, its striking trunk and well-groomed branches are a pleasing addition to any home.

  • For native wildlife- the fruits of the tree attract birds and native mammals. The flowers are fragrant and they attract butterflies as well.

  • Other uses - the juice is often used as a dye while the wood of the persimmon tree can be used in woodworking.

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Texas Persimmon Fruit Flavor Profile

Many people make the mistake of biting into an unripe (or almost ripe, but not yet) Texas persimmon fruit can be an unpleasant experience because of all of the tanins! The fruit should be eaten when they're extremely soft and squishy. This means that they should stay on the plant for as long as possible! Their flavor profile is rich, almost like a cross between a blackberry and a fig, while some people describe it as like being a prune.

P.S. If you have a plant, then it's a good idea to cover it with a net to protect it from birds and deer as they LOVE these black persimmons.

Common names for this black persimmon

As its name suggests (science name Diospyros Texana) is a species indigenous to southern and central Texas. They're also known as Mexican persimmon and other names, but since we're in Texas, let's call them what they are and stick with Texas Persimmon!

Our Favorite Texas Persimmon Recipes

Aside from munching on them directly off of the mature tree, here are some things that we love to do when we harvest the fruit.

Again, make sure that they're fully ripe before harvesting and attempting any of the recipes below! You don't want to end up with a tart product that's almost inedible.

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Texas Persimmon Dessert Bars

These dessert bars are one of our favorite food to make since they pack quite the flavor punch and the fig-like texture is perfect for making bars that hold up to their shape.

Ingredients:

Texas Persimmon Dessert Bars Crust

Make a crust as you usually would a pie and pat into a 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Texas Persimmon Dessert Bars Cream Cheese Filling

  • Cream cheese - 2x 8-ounce packages

  • Sugar - 1/4 cup

  • Egg - 1 large

  • Vanilla extract - 1 tablespoon

Mix together all of the ingredients for the cream cheese filling and then evenly spread over the pre-baked crust.

Texas Persimmon Dessert Bars Filling

  • Pulp - 2 Cups

    • To make the pulp, place 3 pounds of fruit in a heavy bottomed pan, add a bit of water and bring to a simmer.

    • Once everything is gooey and smushed up, push them through a fine strainer to remove the skin and the seeds (there's going to be a LOT of them) this is why we need 3 pounds for just 2 cups of pulp.

  • Vanilla extract - 1 tablespoon

  • Raw honey (how long does honey last?) or Texas wildflower honey - 1/4 cup

Once the pulp has cooled down, mix it with the vanilla extract and honey. Once the filling is fully mixed, carefully layer over the cream cheese filling.

Texas Persimmon Dessert Bar Cinnamon Crumb Topping

  • All purpose flour - 1 cup

  • Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

  • Powdered cinnamon - 1 tablespoon (if you have pumpkin spice then this works as well)

  • Butter - 1/3 cup

Mix flour, brown sugar, and your spice until well combined. Add melted butter and hand mix until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the filling and then bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the crumble on top has browned.

We get questions on how much this will yield and the answer will depend on how large (or small) you cut them. But you can expect to make around 24 small-medium sized bars or about 12 big ones.

Texas Persimmon Jelly

If you have an overabundance of persimmon, then the best use would be to create some jelly! They're perfect for gifts, eating, long-term storage, or even something to sell at fall farmers markets!

Texas Persimmon Jelly Ingredients

  • Fruit - 9 cups

  • Water - 2 cups

  • Lemon juice (lime works as well) - 1/4 cup

  • Jelly or Pectin (how long does pectin last?) - 1 package

  • 3 cups sugar

In a heavy bottomed pan, boil the water together with the fruit then mash. Run through a strainer into another container. Bring the juice to a boil, add the sugar and pectin, mix properly and allow to boil for another minute before allowing to cool. Can and enjoy!

Persimmon & Chorizo Risotto Recipe

 
Timothy Te
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