What Is a Persimmon? The Fruit That Forecasts Winter Weather
Persimmons are a delicious fruit whose seeds have the ability to predict the weather, according to folklore. Take a look!
A bowl of persimmons on the kitchen counter in October is one of the surest signs of fall. The fruit is bright orange, tomato-shaped, and sweet enough at peak ripeness that some Southern home cooks call it “sugar plum.” There are two common varieties in U.S. markets, with very different rules for when to eat them, and one of the oldest folk-forecast traditions in American weather lore hides inside the seed.
Quick Reference
- What it is: a tomato-shaped fall fruit on the genus Diospyros, with two common varieties in U.S. markets: Fuyu (crisp, eat like an apple) and Hachiya (astringent, must be fully ripe before eating).
- Native range: Diospyros virginiana is native to the eastern United States; Diospyros kaki is the Asian persimmon now grown in California and Florida.
- Folklore forecast: split a ripe persimmon seed and the white kernel inside shows a spoon (heavy wet snow), a knife (cutting cold and ice), or a fork (mild winter).
- Best season: October through December.
- Taste: ripe Fuyu is sweet and apricot-like; ripe Hachiya is almost honeyed; unripe Hachiya is mouth-puckering and inedible.
- Trick to tell ripe: Hachiya is ripe when it feels like a water balloon. Fuyu can be eaten firm.
What Is a Persimmon?
A persimmon is the fruit of the genus Diospyros, a small tree in the ebony family. Diospyros virginiana, the American persimmon, is native to the eastern United States from the Mid-Atlantic south through Florida and west to Texas. Diospyros kaki, the Asian persimmon, was introduced to California and Florida from Japan in the 19th century and is now the most common store-bought variety. UC Davis maintains a persimmon information clearinghouse with current cultivar profiles for both.
Two varieties account for nearly every persimmon you will see in a U.S. supermarket:
- Fuyu: short, squat, tomato-shaped, eaten crisp like an apple. The skin is edible. Slices well for salads.
- Hachiya: tall, acorn-shaped, must be fully ripe (jelly-soft) before eating. An unripe Hachiya will pucker your mouth so hard you will set the rest down for the rest of the week. Used for puddings, jams, and baking.
What Do Persimmons Taste Like?
A ripe Fuyu tastes like apricot crossed with mango, a touch of honey, and a crisp apple texture. A ripe Hachiya tastes almost like custard, dense and almost honeyed, with a soft, pudding-like flesh. The difference is so big that some first-time tasters who bite into an unripe Hachiya will refuse to ever try a persimmon again. The trick: Hachiya must feel like a water balloon before you cut it open. If you can still squeeze it firm, give it another week on the counter, no refrigeration.
Persimmons and Winter Folklore
Across the American South and Midwest, persimmon seeds have served as a winter-weather forecast for generations. Split a ripe seed in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. The white kernel inside takes one of three shapes:
- Spoon shape: a heavy, wet winter ahead. The spoon is for shoveling.
- Knife shape: a cutting cold, ice-storm winter ahead.
- Fork shape: a mild winter ahead, light snow and easy travel.
The tradition is strongest with the American persimmon (D. virginiana); Asian Fuyu and Hachiya seeds carry the same shapes but with smaller kernels that are harder to read. Folklore says you should check seeds from at least three different trees and call the consensus. Skeptics point out that the kernel shape varies seed to seed even on a single fruit. Either way, the tradition makes for a fine autumn ritual.
How to Use a Persimmon in the Kitchen
Sliced Fuyu goes into salads with arugula, blue cheese, and walnuts; on cheese boards beside sharp cheddar or aged gouda; or on top of yogurt with honey. Ripe Hachiya is the baker’s variety: the soft pulp is the star of persimmon pudding (a Southern Thanksgiving staple), persimmon bread, jam, and chutney. Both varieties work in smoothies, in chutney for roast pork, or sliced into morning porridge.
Broiled Persimmons with Ginger Mascarpone Recipe
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 4 ripe Fuyu persimmons, halved horizontally
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Chopped pistachios, to finish
Instructions:
- Preheat broiler. Arrange persimmon halves cut side up on a sheet pan.
- Brush each half with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Broil 4 minutes, until the sugar bubbles and the edges char slightly.
- Stir the ginger and honey into the mascarpone in a small bowl.
- Top each warm persimmon half with a dollop of ginger mascarpone. Finish with chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.
A holiday-dessert plate that takes 10 minutes. Pairs well with espresso or a small glass of late-harvest Riesling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons interchangeable?
No. Fuyu is eaten crisp like an apple. Hachiya must be fully ripe (jelly-soft) before eating, or it will pucker your mouth so hard you will swear off persimmons. Fuyu is for salads and cheese boards; Hachiya is for baking, pudding, and jam.
How do you know when a Hachiya is ripe?
It should feel like a water balloon: squishy, almost dripping, the skin nearly translucent. If you can still squeeze it firm, leave it on the counter another few days.
Does the persimmon-seed weather forecast actually work?
It is folklore, not meteorology. The seed kernel shape varies fruit to fruit on a single tree. Tradition says you should check seeds from at least three different trees and call the consensus. It makes a fine autumn ritual either way.
Can I eat a persimmon skin?
Yes. Fuyu skin is thin and tender and is normally eaten. Hachiya skin can be eaten when the fruit is fully ripe, but most home cooks scoop the pulp instead.
When is persimmon season?
October through December across most of the United States. Look for them at farmers’ markets and supermarkets in late fall.
Deborah Tukua
Deborah Tukua is a natural living, healthy lifestyle writer and author of 7 non-fiction books, including Pearls of Garden Wisdom: Time-Saving Tips and Techniques from a Country Home, Pearls of Country Wisdom: Hints from a Small Town on Keeping Garden and Home, and Naturally Sweet Blender Treats. Tukua has been a writer for the Farmers' Almanac since 2004.
- Deborah Tukua
- Deborah Tukua
- Deborah Tukua
- Deborah Tukua
Which variety? I’m in CA and have both hachiya (the larger, almond shaped variety) and fuyu (the smaller, apple-like variety). Plus they tend to have multiple seeds. I’m also curious what variety is being used in the recipe – the hachiya is often used more for baking since it’s soft and can be easily pureed, and the fuyu are often eaten like apples or used in salads.
I have a persimmons tree in the edge of my woods. It bloomed this year, cute blooms. But it does not have any fruit on it. Would anyone not what went wrong. I don’t remember it ever having any fruit on it at all.
I Love my Almanac! Have to buy one every year. Enjoy reading it. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Joyce! We found some info that may be helpful: “When the tree blooms for the first time and when it flowers each season varies depending upon the variety, whether it was grown from seed or grafted and local weather conditions. Oriental persimmons bloom after five years but do not bear fruit until after seven years. Grafted trees bloom within two to three years. American persimmon may take several years to blossom and still not fruit for up to 10 years. Both American and Oriental persimmons have alternate year blooming and fruiting. This means that you will get a large crop of small fruit one year and in the successive year, a small crop of larger fruit. Both varieties bloom in the late spring but the actual timing is dependent upon the weather which may also account for non-blooming persimmon trees. Occasionally, a lack of phosphorus may be responsible for non blooming. This can be remedied by adding some bone meal to the soil around your tree.”
Thank you so much. I will just have to be patient till my puts on fruit. I had planted 3 seeds in a flower pot . I planted those on the edge of my yard yesterday. Hope & pray they live & bring my children & grandchildren fruit. Thank you again & keep up the good work.
Please stay safe!
Also: Persimmon treess are dioecious. That means the have male trees, & female trees, unlike many trees that have both ale & female reproductive structures on the same tree (Like pines, many other fruit trees). What this can mean is that if you don’t have sexes of both trees available in an area small enough to encourage wind-blown pollination, you may be out of luck waiting for fruit.
Thanks, Ed Lewis!
Deer
There is a big difference in these permissions in this article and the wild permissions growing in the Southeastern US. Wild ones need frost to sweeten them. If eaten before frost is on them you will know real quick. They are so bitter feels like your mouth turns inside out.
I agree, many years ago my parents had a friend who had several large persimmon trees on his property and offered us the fruit, whereas each year when they ripened he would call my dad and we would go picking. We first picked the ripe persimmons that had fallen to the ground and weren’t damaged, and then we would climb into the trees picking what looked like ripe persimmons taking a treat or two as we went, however from time to time we would bite into one that wasn’t ripe and they do have a very bitter taste, however I recalled the slightest touch to the tongue would also cover the inside of your mouth and throat with a thick white waxy type buildup that was instantaneous. You can’t forget something like that and today about 50 years later I have a pretty good size persimmon tree that grew wild along my fence row and it’s putting out a lot of fruit, which the birds are getting them and leaving half eaten ones all over the ground faster than they can fully ripen.
never heard of this in my entire life
Many years ago I recall them being very sweet and tasty fruit, but watch out for the unripened ones they will leave memories you won’t soon forget! Just remember to slightly touch the fruit against your tongue and if it’s bitter don’t eat, but if it’s sweet eat away!
We also live in SE Oklahoma. We had gobs of persimmon trees as a kid. They were on the bank of a pond and beavers have pretty much destroyed them. I like to keep them growing, because deer will always come on tour property . Deer are crazy for persimmons. Don’t let horses start liking them. Horses can get bad colic and possibly fatal.from overindulgence . Keep your horses away from fruit to be on the safe side.
Very interesting. I did not know they originated from China!
Leslie Nelson
In Southeastern Oklahoma I had an abundance of acorns fall. They were full and healthy. However, the winter has not been as harsh as in the past, but then, February is not here yet. Persimmons were not as plentiful this year and those that did produce came very early and they were small in size.
When you stated that you were celebrating 200 years and was reading antique editions I thought what a wonderful idea and went back to my own collection to read again the wonderful knowledge you provide. Thank you so much for providing us with such wonders and adventures thru the years.
A picture of the bush or tree in bloom would be a nice add on to this page. Such a beautiful flower seen in many oriental depictions. Simple and bright…or is what I’m thinking is a Quince?
Hi Joni Roberts: Both the quince and persimmon have beautiful little blooms of dainty flowers – so pretty!
I live in Sheridan, Arkansas. We have only 1 variety that I know of and it is so sweet. It is an apricot color and you will just find them randomly growing. I consider it lucky to find one and the white tail deer here love them.
I grew up with a persimmon tree in my back yard, but it produced small (ping pong ball size)dark orange fruit. My mother made a pudding out of them. Can the large Chinese type be used in the same way?