Persnickety Persimmons
Has anyone tried slicing their wild persimmons like you do the firm Fuyu variety? Yes, well, don’t bother with the native wild variety that we get. They are so sweetly ripe and soft they are practically already a spread. This is because, unlike the Fuyu variety, wild persimmons must be completely, nearly overripe to lose the astringency. If your persimmon is firm and doesn’t squish easily in your hand, you may want to leave it out to ripen a bit longer.
Preparation
It’s a bit messy, but worth the effort to squeeze out the seeds with your clean hands. Each seed has a thin membrane that will allow it to come out clean if you pierce the membrane with a fingernail and peel it off. Collect the pulp, skin and all into a bowl, or push it through a sieve if you want a cleaner, smoother pulp. It’s now ready for a recipe–use now or freeze for later, or you can simply mix it with a dash of honey (or not) and spread it on your toast or peanut butter sandwich.
One of the earliest recipes for persimmons is a persimmon pudding, a popular dessert for the holidays, and from the looks of the list on this website, PersimmonPudding.com, everyone’s Aunt Mildred or Gramma Buelah developed a recipe.