He would say he is.
He’s a Frenchman and he says he’s never met anyone French he liked.
I’ll run it past him sometime.
Dax
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Yeah the name Fernald is royalty in the botany world.
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How did you like 100-46? Cliff England is selling that as Lehman’s Delight, he’s indicated it’s one of the best he’s had. I hope mine fruits soon!
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It’s excellent. Top of the line of the 100 series.
For commercial purposes it’s probably the best of all persimmons… It’s size and precociousness (bears probably 9/10 in the second year when bark grafted onto a decent size & established seedling) make it thee choice for commercial growers.
Really-really great flavor.
Dax
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Dax,
Thanks for the wonderful report and pictures. Now, you’ve messed up my persimmon wish list! 
However, I’d like to caution those who have never eaten soft, ripe persimmon (American) and pawpaws. It is an acquired taste. Some people can really be turn off by the taste and texture of soft persimmon and pawpaw esp. the squishy, slimy texture. @speedster1 once posted his honest view about one of these fruit.
I tried pawpaw once (Thanks @tonyOmahaz5). I don’t know how much I will like it. I like sugar apples but don’t care for cherimoya. I’ve planted two pawpaw trees and wonder why I need two trees. I think I may keep just one tree and graft other varieties onto it.
Also, that’s why I support a fruit exchange category. It’s better to pay other forum members $7-10 for the cost of shipping/postage and try the fruit before you invest your money and time to grow a tree that you have never eaten and may not like.
Taste is subjective. What someone loves, you may find inedible. Just my two cents.
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Okay, I’ve tasted them all and here’s what I feel about each in no particular order:
A-F just like school.
100-42 __ Solid A.
100-43 __ B good but 100-42 is better. The fruits I ate have a bit of astringent aftertaste. I sampled several to make sure it wasn’t one particular fruit. All had some slight astringency on well ripened fruits.
100-45 __ A-/B+ not as good as 100-42
100-46 __ Solid A.
I can’t tell you if 100-42 or 100-46 is better than the other. They’re both excellent. Slightly different but excellent. That would be a toss up I think for anyone taste testing them side by side.
H63A __ A+ best flavor of all.
100-29 ‘Deer Magnet’ __ very good. Solid A-
Deer Magnet is named that because it will still have persimmons on the tree in December.
Pfiffer __ good not great. Do doubt a solid B. Largest one I brought home.
Morris Burton __ very good. Solid A. Smaller fruit but very rich in flavor.
Geneva Red __ astringent when ripe. Only an ornamental. I wouldn’t eat a second one ever.
(OP) seedling of Nikita’s Gift __ Solid A. Renamed to Dr. Kazas
Then I’ll add from recent visits to Red Fern Farm:
Prok __ no doubt a solid A.
Geneva Long __ Solid B. Good but lacking richness.
Lena __ as good as Morris Burton and impossible for me to tell the difference in flavor. Also same size as Morris Burton. Lena is a wild seedling from Indiana.
Dax
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I knew that i would like pawpaws, persimmons and mulberries even before i tried them ^^
Maybe because i thought all day long how they might taste like 
So far i was not disappointed and iam hyped to try new fruits.
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I grew up eating crunchy non astringent persimmon and dried persimmon. I also like soft ripe Hachiya so I know I will like the soft, mushy ones of the American kind.
I reserve my judgment on pawpaws. I need to eat more to say if It’s worth a space in my garden.
Also, our expectation plays a role in our judgment. If the fruit’s taste and texture do not meet my expectation, I, sometimes, do not like that fruit even though they are good fruit.
I mentioned this because this two fruit, in particular, require acquired taste.
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I have yet to try an American persimmon.
Iam sure that i will like it … i love rich tasting fruits!
Maybe iam more open to try new fruits since i tasted strong flavored tropical fruits like Durian and Jackfruit.
They are also an acquired taste, especially durian with its intense smell, texture and flavor … i love it, others cant stay near me when i eat one. 
But i agree … not everyone will like pawpaws or mushy persimmons.
I know a few people who only accept to eat apples, pears and european plums … things that are unknown wont be tried (typical austrian farmer mentality 
)
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Dax,
Thank you very much. I’ll adjust my wish list accordingly.
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Nice to hear another vote for Lena (aka Mitchellena). I’ve been eyeballing that one and may try to graft that one in soon…
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where to get h63a?
was thinking of crossing a good virginiana with a saijo asian persimmon
Cliff England at England
Orchard nuttrees.net. You can get a tree or some scions and graft them to your Saijo if you would like.
Tony
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thank you very much
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Be warned that crossing Asian and American persimmons is very difficult, which is why Rosseyanka was such a big deal. Apparently it interbreeds pretty freely with either, so you may be best off routing any cross through it.
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So how does everyone here eat american persimmons? I’ve been just popping them in my mouth fresh, but I don’t like having to spit out all the seeds. Are there seedless varieties available? If not, what’s the bust way to separate the fruit from the seeds?
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I sometimes take the seeds out with a fork if I’m making them into something. Much of your question depends on variety. Early golden usually has one or two seeds and is a non astringent type. The astringent native types I’ve found at times have half a dozen seeds which just doesn’t work for doing something with them unless you smash them and try to squeeze them through a large mesh bag. It’s a lot of work for a little reward. I’m going to discuss seeds for a minute because my explanation needs those details. Early golden seeds are very small and tan colored as shown in the picture below at the top above the dime. I used the dime for size reference. The fruits are around 1 1/2” in size. The fruit may have 1-2 seeds as I mentioned. They are non astringent and many say have the best taste of all persimmons. Kaki are the dark brown seeds in the photo at the bottom and the fruit are the size of a salad tomato 3” or larger. The flesh to pit ratio is excellent. Nakitas gift is a hybrid cross of kaki and astringent northern pawpaw and about 2” in size. Some hybrids are seedless. Normal astringent northern persimmon are 1/2 to 3/4” in size though there are exceptional ones that are 1” but they are not yet ripe in this area. The seeds are somewhat shaped like a chicken egg and quite large. Typically the seeds are at least half the size of the fruits. 50% flesh to pit ratio is undesirable and very hard to turn into something useful. Lotus persimmons are even smaller and dark purple which are again not worth your time. The latter 2 types are great rootstocks.
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Early Golden I’m thinking throws male flowers thus making seeded fruit. If my vicinity and anywhere else where persimmons are not native @BG1977 we can plant grafted females and grow fruit entirely w/o seeds. If I were to add ‘Szukis’ or ‘Early Golden’ I would get fruit with seeds on my other females albeit not large quantities.
@Levers101 Drew, I know you’re skeptical about this, but when I went to see Jerry Lehman I reminded him of our phone conversation when he said that any female I plant will grow bountiful crops w/o pollination and I said I wanted to confirm just that, Jerry said: ‘I know a man with every Claypool and every one of my own selections, growing a vast amount of trees that has every single tree producing large crops and w/o a single seed.’
I’ll email Jerry and ask him if both Nikita’s Gift and Rosseyanka are 1) entirely female and 2) if they will produce large crops w/o pollination.
Dax
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Those Nikita’s gift are very large I can’t wait to grow those.
Dax,
My Nikita"s Gift and Prok are seeded every year. I am thinking because of the Early Golden and the Meader. I Don’t have a male Virginiana.
Tony
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