Do you like persimmons? Most will answer this question in the affirmative. This fruit has a huge number of fans around the world. In places of natural growth of this plant, persimmon fruits have been eaten since time immemorial. Because of its southern origin, persimmon is cultivated commercially in countries with warm climates. One of the world's largest suppliers of persimmons is Turkey, where this fruit is lovingly called "the sun on the palm" or "the sweet heart of God."
Persimmon (Diospyros) is a genus of subtropical and tropical evergreen (less often deciduous) plants of the ebony family. There are more than 725 species of this plant in the world, the fruits of many of them are edible. The fruit of this plant is a fleshy sweet orange-colored berry.
The trees are capable of reaching an age of 500 years. The northern part of China is considered the homeland of persimmons. The most favorable climatic conditions for the growth of persimmons are found in the tropical and temperate climatic zones of our planet. This plant is widespread in China, Japan, Indonesia, North India, as well as on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, Australia and the Philippines. Persimmons are grown today in Italy, Greece, Algeria, France, Spain, Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the United States and a number of other countries.
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Latin name of the genus - Diospyros has Greek roots and is translated as "food of the gods."
Having left their historical homeland - China, persimmon first came to East Asia, and then to Japan. In the middle of the 19th century, American Admiral Matthew Perry opened Japan to the West, and with it a new fruit for Americans and Europeans - persimmon. It must be admitted that the first acquaintance of the enlightened world with persimmon did not evoke particularly warm feelings, the astringent taste of the unusual berry did not appeal to the Europeans, and for quite a long time persimmon was a "culinary" outcast and was even considered completely inedible. And only years later, European settlers realized that they should not eat persimmon until the first frost, only after which its fruit fully ripens and its taste magically changes. Having tasted the honey tenderness of the pulp of a ripe persimmon, the Europeans were forever conquered by this exotic fruit.
The very noticeable astringent properties in the taste of persimmons during its ripening period is due to the presence of a large amount of tannin in it. As it ripens, this substance disappears from it, and the taste of the ripe fruit no longer spoils.
Useful properties of persimmon
Fresh persimmon is one of the latest autumn fruits on our table. She not only pleases us with her unusually delicate taste, but also generously endows with a real storehouse of vitamins and nutrients that mother nature has awarded this fruit.
Persimmon fruit contains large amounts of potassium, magnesium and carotene; in terms of the content of these substances, it is not inferior to figs, grapes and apples. Also, this fruit contains up to 15% fructose and glucose, a lot of proteins, carbohydrates, organic acids, tannins, calcium, manganese, iron and sodium. And in terms of the content of antioxidants, persimmon is not inferior to green tea.
Persimmon has a powerful tonic and restorative effect, nourishes the heart muscle and strengthens the cardiovascular system, increases efficiency, improves appetite, and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Daily use of ripe persimmons in the autumn season allows you to replenish the iodine deficiency in the body.
Ripe persimmon is one of the richest fruits in vitamins. It contains vitamin C, provitamin A, vitamins A, P, citric and malic acid, as well as a number of other useful components. Modern medicine recommends consuming ripe persimmons regularly, since the groups of vitamins it contains have a powerful stimulating effect on the human immune system, making it so easy and delicious to avoid a whole list of serious diseases.
Ripe persimmon is a wonderful product for those who follow their figure. Despite the large amount of sugars, the calorie content of its fruits is relatively low. One ripe fruit supplies about 60 kcal, pectin and fiber to the body, allowing you to feel full and significantly dull hunger. Persimmon diets will be especially useful for desperate sweet tooths. Persimmon will not only help you lose extra pounds, but also cleanse your skin.
Restrictions on the use of persimmon fruits must be observed only by those people who suffer from chronic constipation, intestinal atony, adhesions of the abdominal cavity after surgery, as well as patients with diabetes mellitus and diseases of the kidneys and bladder at the stage of exacerbation.
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Persimmon in cosmetology
And in modern cosmetology, persimmon has found a use for itself. Derivatives from the fruits of this plant are included in various shampoos, creams and masks.
At home, you can significantly improve the condition of your skin by making cosmetic masks from persimmon. To do this, the pulp of a ripe berry must be applied for 8-10 minutes on a previously cleansed face, and then rinsed with warm water.
Persimmon mask for aging and aging skin: Pounded persimmon pulp, mix in a 1: 1 ratio with milk or cream and apply on face for 15–20 minutes, and then rinse face with warm water. To achieve a lasting effect, a course of 20 procedures is required.
And here is the recipe toning mask for all skin types: Mash the pulp of one fruit and mix with starch or oatmeal, apply the resulting mixture on the face for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water.
Cooking use
Ripe persimmons are good on their own. But even in various combinations with other products and after heat treatment, this fruit can amaze the most refined gourmet with its taste.
Persimmons can be put in salad as an independent ingredient. In addition, in salad dressings, persimmon goes well with honey, cream cheese and orange juice. Persimmon will incredibly transform the taste of waterfowl or fish dishes.
What can we say about the numerous desserts with her participation? Puddings and jellies, jams, preserves and marmalade, various pastries and much more. In delicious desserts, it can be prepared with the addition of a variety of liqueurs, vanilla, whipped cream. Drinks are also made from persimmon: fresh, cider, wine, beer, a chocolate variety is used in milkshakes. In the countries of its natural growth, persimmons are dried, molasses are made from them or jams and marmalades are brewed, and a substitute coffee is made from dried seeds.
It is necessary to consume the fruits of persimmon only at the stage of full ripeness, in order to enjoy the whole rich palette of its taste, and to receive real benefits for the body.
If you purchased a not quite ripe persimmon, then you can freeze it in the freezer. After thawing, the fruit will become much sweeter and softer. In addition, the unpleasant astringent taste will go away. Also, to speed up ripening, you can put persimmons in a bag along with apples.
Frozen persimmons can be stored in the freezer for up to six months without losing their usefulness and taste.
One of the most popular varieties of persimmon is the variety called "kinglet". It differs from most of its brethren in its slightly flattened shape and dark orange skin, but its flesh has a characteristic brownish tint, hence the second name of this variety - "chocolate". Keep in mind that the darker the flesh, the sweeter the taste of the "king". The popularity of this variety is also promoted by the fact that it does not knit in the mouth after its use. In addition, "king" is not only one of the most delicious, but also one of the most useful varieties of persimmon.
There are a lot of persimmon varieties today, but most of them can only grow in warm countries. For the climatic conditions of central Russia, three types are of greatest interest: virgin persimmon, Caucasian persimmon and oriental persimmon.
Persimmon virginiana (Diospyros virginiana) comes from North America. This type of persimmon is particularly frost-resistant.The aboveground part of the tree can withstand frosts down to -35 ° C, and the underground part - up to -15 ° C. The ability to withstand low temperatures makes this persimmon an excellent winter-hardy stock for more southern varieties. Persimmon virginiana does not tolerate transplantation due to the tap root system. This species is hygrophilous, less durable and less productive. Cultivars of this species (in the United States they are called persimmons) produce smaller, but good-tasting fruits.
Caucasian persimmon, or ordinary (Diospyros lotus) - a resident of the Caucasus, which served as the basis for her name. The trees of this species are very tall, they can reach 20 m in height. The above-ground part of the tree can withstand frosts down to -24 ° C, and the underground part - up to -10 ° C. Fruits are small, weighing about 20 g, tart taste, almost black in color. This species is used as a rootstock for cultivars. Persimmon on such a rootstock grows well on any soil, tolerates transplanting well and has a high drought resistance.
Kaki,or Japanese(Diospyros kaki) comes from China. These are deciduous trees with a loose crown, characterized by fast growth. This type of persimmon gave us more than 1,000 varieties and hybrids with various taste and economic qualities.
Basically, varieties of this type are intended for garden plantings. The bred varieties have large, juicy, very sweet fruits of various shapes - from round to elongated-rounded, and the color - from yellow-orange to dark red. Eastern persimmon trees are single and dioecious. The flowers are female, single, large, yellowish-white. Male flowers are much smaller. Bisexual flowers are usually located in groups of 2-4 flowers on the growths of the current year. Eastern persimmon blooms in the second half of May - early June, pollinated by bumblebees and bees.
Persimmon varieties
Let's dwell on those varieties that are able to withstand frosts of at least -17 ° C. Among them, the following are worth noting:
- Aizu-mishirazu - late-ripening variety, orange-colored fruits, flat-round, fruit weight 60-140 g.
- Mount Hoverla - mid-season variety, orange-colored fruits, flat-rounded, fruit weight 60-300 g, peculiar consistency, pleasant taste.
- Mount Roman Kosh - mid-season variety, orange-colored fruits, flat-round, fruit weight 70-200 g, pleasant taste.
- Mount Rogers - mid-season variety, orange-colored fruits, flat-rounded, fruit weight 40-150 g.
- Dawn 187 - mid-season variety, orange-colored fruits, flat-rounded, sometimes ribbed, fruit weight 50-200 g.
- Kostata - very late-ripening variety, orange-colored fruits, conical-ribbed, fruit weight 40-120 g.
- Nikitskaya Burgundy - mid-season variety, reddish-burgundy fruits, flat-rounded, fruit weight 50-150 g, have a pleasant pulp aroma and sweet taste. This is one of the most popular persimmon varieties in our country, which has not only high taste qualities of fruits, but also high decorativeness of the tree itself.
- New - mid-season monoecious variety, medium-sized fruits, is a good pollinator for all persimmon varieties.
- Rossiyanka 18 - mid-season variety, orange-colored fruits, flat-rounded, fruit weight 45-60 g, distinguished by a pleasant pulp aroma and a very sweet taste.
- Sidles - mid-season variety, fruits are red-orange in color, rounded-quadrangular, fruit weight 90-150 g, have a very sweet taste.
- Tanenashi - mid-season variety, fruits are yellow-orange in color, round-conical, fruit weight 80-260 g.
- Tsuru-gaki - very late-ripening variety, orange-colored fruits, cylindrical, with a conical tip, fruit weight 50-130 g.
- Ukrainian - early ripe variety, orange-colored fruits, cylindrical, fruit weight 40-100 g, very sweet taste. Monoecious variety.
- Khachia - late-ripening variety, orange-colored fruits, cone-shaped, with a black dot at the top, fruit weight 60-200 g, very sweet taste.
Growing conditions
Despite the obvious achievements of breeders, growing this plant in the open field in our climate is an occupation for experienced experimental gardeners.Persimmons are southerner by nature, therefore, for normal growth and fruiting, it needs a lot of sun and heat. Despite the fact that persimmon prefers a warm climate, it does not require a lot of moisture and is rather unpretentious, although it is picky about the composition of the soil. For growing outdoors, you must choose the sunniest area with protection from wind and drafts.
The best soil for persimmons is black soil, it does not tolerate swampy, saline and calcareous soils. Watering is required only during prolonged dry weather; it responds perfectly to shallow spraying of the crown with clean water (except for the flowering period). This plant blooms rather late and bears the first ripe fruits only at the very end of autumn. In reality, even frost-resistant varieties require shelter for the winter in order to avoid frostbite of the crown. To do this, you can take any covering, but breathable material, as well as spruce branches or reeds.
The number of sunny days with high enough temperatures is very important for this culture. Therefore, in most of our country, persimmon will develop well only in a partially heated greenhouse, a glazed home garden or a greenhouse.
Of course, not everyone will risk growing persimmons on their site, but almost everyone can pamper themselves with the sweet taste of persimmons in the cold period - just enjoy ripe fruits or make a real culinary masterpiece from them for the whole family and friends. "Sweet Heart of God" is open to everyone!
