Persimmons: Fruit / Vegetable of the Month

In Latin, the scientific term for persimmon (diospyros) means "Food of the Gods". The word persimmon is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Powhatan, an Algonquian language of the eastern United States, meaning "a dry fruit". There is one type of persimmons native to North America, the American Persimmon- grown in the southeastern area of the U.S. However, in the United States, most persimmons grown and sold are of Japanese origin, particularly the Fuyu and Hachiya varieties. Most persimmons in the U.S. are grown in California. Persimmons are ripe October-February.

It is important to know the difference between a Fuyu and Hachiya persimmon before purchasing. The Fuyu variety has a spherical shape- like a pumpkin and is a lighter orange. If you are going to eat a persimmon raw like an apple or apricot you will want a Fuyu persimmon. It will be eaten like a crisp apple and can be diced and added to fruit salads, green salads, sprinkled on hot and cold cereal, waffles and pancakes. The Hachiya variety is orange as well but darkens to red as it ripens. It has a more pointy tip and the overall shape of an acorn squash. This variety is very astringent, chalky and bitter until it fully ripens. Once it ripens, it is extremely mushy, like an over ripe banana so it may not have a satisfying texture. The ripe fruit however, is great in baked products such as persimmon cookies and puddings, spread on toast or mixed into hot cereal. 

Both varieties grow on trees and ripen with cold weather. The fruit laden trees are lovely since the bright fruit accents the tree even after all of the the leaves have dropped. You can tell when the fruit is ripe by gently tugging at the stem. If it comes loose easily, it is ripe.

Nutrient content of persimmons varies by variety but for the most part persimmons are an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C, and rich in fiber. Like all fruits and vegetables they are rich in a variety of health healing phytochemicals such as lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health and betulinic acid which has been shown reduce tumorous cancer growth. With health benefits like that it is easy to see the benefits of adding them into your diet while they are in season.

If you are child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program (CCFP).

Recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables varies with age.

Children ages 2-3 need   1- 1.5 cups of fruits and 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Children ages 4-8 need   1-2     cups of fruits and 1.5-2.5 cups of vegetables each day. 

Children ages 9-13 need 1.5-2  cups of fruits and 1.5-3.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Teens ages   14-18 need   1.5 -2.5 cups of fruits and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables each day.

Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum growth and development. Check out  CDC's fruit and vegetable calculator for an more accurate recommendation based upon age, sex, and activity levels.

Remember your plate.......