Something New: Persimmons!

If you're like me, you may have noticed persimmons at the grocery store but had no idea how to choose one, what to do with them, or what they are for. Up until now, I never tried any type of persimmon. So I figured it was time to do a little research and give them a shot.

There are two main kinds of persimmons usually found at the grocery store: Fuyu and Hachiya. It's important to know which you are getting, because:

Fuyu persimmons are eaten while still firm and taste fine.

Hachiya persimmons are eaten when they are so ripe they are almost mushy. If you try to eat a firm one you will run screaming and spitting to the trash can and never want to try a persimmon again in your life. Bad, bad, bad. Do Not Try a firm Hachiya persimmon!

So you have to know which one you are getting.

Above: the squat, round persimmon I am holding on the left is a Fuyu. The two longer, pointier ones are Hachiyas.

When you cut into a Fuyu, it looks like this:

Pretty, huh? You can slice it up like that and it would look really nice on a fruit plate or as a garnish. But you can just wash the Fuyu and eat it like an apple, skin and all. It's kinda crisp, not quite as crisp as an apple. And you *can* let it ripen further to get sweeter. Personally? I am not a fan. Not as sweet or tart as an apple. Kind of bland, IMO. In fact, the only way I would eat one again is to dice it and put it in a green salad. I think it would be good like that. Good meaning okay... not good meaning fantastic like pomegranates in salad.

Above is the Hachiya persimmon. It also has the same pretty pattern when sliced in half, but I just cut a sliver off this one. You can probably tell it is way softer and juicier than the Fuyu. In fact you are supposed to let the Hachiya soften to the extreme, until as one website put it "you can almost suck the flesh out of it" instead of biting. So I did that, and it was pretty tasty. Better than the Fuyu, much sweeter. But sweet was the defining taste for me. It is so hard to define the flavor. Just sweet. Not much else. So once again, this is not something I would purchase and eat again unless I had some recipe I wanted to try it in.

Persimmons have about 110 (or more) calories each, and they are much smaller than an apple so I'd go with an apple for a snack, myself. They also have 70% of your RDA of Vitamin A, though, which is great, and 20% of your RDA of Vitamin C and 167% of the RDA of B2. These figures are variable depending on what source you get your nutrition facts from and which kind of persimmon you're eating.

So, yeah, they are worth trying. Maybe you will love them. Persimmons are in season from now through January so if you want to give them a try, now's the time! Personally, I will stick to pomegranates.

p.s.... I have been sick for over a week now. I think I may be *starting* to feel better but it has taken a toll. I have not been able to exercise in several days (truly unable, much too sick) but have stayed within my calories until last night when I had some toast before bedtime. I ended up with 2030 calories. Funny thing is, all week I was staying closer to 1400-1500 calories because I felt so bad but the scale popped back up to 227 a few days ago. Kinda ticked me off to see a 2-pound gain when I was eating within my range AND was still biking, but I think I must be retaining water or something because I am sick. I'm hanging in there.