One month left for California persimmon season

“We started our persimmon season the first week of September,” says John Hein of Specialty Fresh. “We have about another month to go—there’s still fruit available for consumers to enjoy. We started with larger sizes of fruit [both Fuyu and Hachiya] and send different sizes of persimmons to our customers based on their needs. We thin our trees according to the fruit sizes, depending on customer need. This program is spread across all our ranches,” Hein added.

“Our pricing has been stable, with no major peaks or valleys. Single layer containers are going for $14; these weigh about nine to 10 pounds,” shared Hein. “Demand and consumption have been good. We’re working to obtain broader distribution, which allows new consumers to learn more about our persimmon.”

“When our persimmon is harvested, we wait until it’s tree-ripe, then it’s hand-picked and hand-packed,” Hein added.

The Hachiya variety is sweet when fully ripened and extremely soft—if consumers bite into this variety before it has reached full ripeness, they will experience a bitter, almost painful, “mouth puckering” taste. If it is eaten when it is fully ripe, its juice will squirt everywhere. 

The Fuyu variety reaches its sweet phase before its Hachiya sister does. Fuyu is sweet while its flesh is still firm, somewhat like an apple. In addition, the entire fruit can be eaten, except for the leaves and center core.