Persimmon
Diospyros kaki
Asian persimmon. Astringent types (Hachiya) must go fully soft; non-astringent (Fuyu) can be eaten crisp. American persimmon (D. virginiana) is a different, hardier, astringent-until-ripe species.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
Asian persimmon. Astringent types (Hachiya) must go fully soft; non-astringent (Fuyu) can be eaten crisp. American persimmon (D. virginiana) is a different, hardier, astringent-until-ripe species.
Edible portions
- fully ripe fruit (astringent types must be soft)
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 7–10 kaki; virginiana much hardier
- Light. Full sun
- Soil. Well-drained
- Planting. Know whether you have an astringent cultivar.
- Harvest. Fuyu while firm-colored; Hachiya when jelly-soft or after frost/bletting.
Processing, drying, storage
- Drying. Whole peeled astringent fruits hung as hoshigaki — a skilled Make process. See also Make → Drying.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Fresh, dried hoshigaki, pudding
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.