Persimmon (Sharon)

The persimmon is an unusual fruit with a hard, waxy, though edible skin that develops a deep orange colour when ripe. The flesh is juicy and soft, almost jelly-like, and is largely seedless.  The fruit has a deliciously unique flavour with a high level of sweetness and is highly prized in it’s main growing regions. There are astringent and non-astringent types of persimmon due to high levels of tannin’s in the unripe fruit. Astringent types can only be eaten when the flesh has softened. The fruit has not been taken-up very successfully outside it’s main regions, but is gradually gaining acceptance, particularly as techniques for eliminating astringency are developed.