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Kaki Persimmons
Diospyros kaki
The name Diospyros literally translates to "Fruit of the Gods" and is an apt description for the wonderful persimmon. Persimmons are one of the most widely planted fruits in the world (the majority of the acreage is is Asia) and are a member of the Ebony family (known for their hard wood: persimmon was used for golf club heads). The American persimmon is native to the east and grows wild from Florida to the Northeast U.S. and has a small fruit with an excellent, nutty sweet flavor. However, if it is eaten unripe, it has alum in the flesh and is very astringent (makes your mouth feel like cotton).
We offer a selection of the very best new varieties of Kaki (Asian) persimmons of both astringent (must be eaten soft and completely ripe) and non-astringent (can be eated hard like an apple with no astringency). Kaki are extremely popular in Asia - they consider them like Americans do apples - a persimmon a day keeps the doctor away!
The flavor of persimmons is unique. Non-astringent cultivars can be eaten when still hard and yellow-orange in color, with a crisp texture and soft flavor (great in fruit salads!). When completely ripe and red in color, they have an incredibly rich, sweet flavor. Astringent varieties often have more intense sweet flavor, but must be eaten soft (as we say, in the bathtub!). They are truly a unique and wonderful fruit!
We acquired our persimmon collection directly from Japan. My father, Dr. A.T. Wallace, had a Japanese graduate student at the University of Florida that sent the 30 best varieties from the Okitsu Research Station near Tokyo to my father as a gift when he returned to Japan. My grandfather, Dr. Bob Dunstan, grafted them off to wild persimmons growing on our farm and these are the original introductions of some of the best varieties that Japan has to offer. Our collection is unique to American horticulture and we have sold tens of thousands of persimmon trees over the last 30 years to growers all over the U.S.
The most common commercial varieties grown today are Hachiya (astringent, conical shape) and Fuyu (non-astringent, flat shape). However, there are excellent new varieties that we offer that have better flavor, or ripen earlier than these varieties. There are several very cold hardy cultivars that can be grown in protected locations as far north as PA and NY, especially in the milder microclimates along the coast. Kaki thrive throughout the South.
Kaki Persimmons are a profitable orchard crop. Grown commercially in California (primarily the variety Jiro, but sold as Fuyu), orchards of non-astringent varieties can produce yields of up to 10,000 lbs/acre and bring prices of $1.00/lb or more wholesale. Persimmons are fairly easy to grow, with few major pests. Non-astringent cultivars can be harvested while just showing color and shipped readily in standard fruit packing boxes. Even astringent varieties, when picked still hard, will ripen completely on the shelf over several weeks, making it an easy crop to bring to market.
"For a supply of persimmons which lasts until harvest the following October, I fill a freezer with the fully ripened Saijo, Gionbo and Hachiya using small sandwich-sized freezer bags. The persimmons are frozen whole after removing the stems. I received wood to propagate persimmons from Dr. Dunstan in the late 1960s." Robert C. Stump, DeRidder, LA, Pomona Fall 2009 Vol. XLII No. 4.
We only sell container-grown persimmons. The native American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is very deeply tap-rooted and has little side branching, unless grown in a root-enhancing container. Our trees will have a much better transplant rate than field-grown persimmons.
Kaki persimmons are one of the true delicacies in the world of growing fruit. Asian cultures have revered this fruit for thousands of years. Now we have the opportunity to enjoy the incredible diversity and flavors of these fruit in the U.S.!
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$29.95
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$29.95
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