I need advice on when to pick my persimmons. They are still a long way from ripening. We have about 28-30 days from first average frost. Two weeks from date of last years first frost. Here is a sample I picked today. These are Eureka astringent. Do I leave them on the tree to ripen?
Katy
I’m picking Eureka and ripening them indoors for drying. I usually pick in October before a hard freeze.
I think you could pick a few and ripen them with an apple to see what they taste like. The rest just leave on the tree. They will ripen at some point. I’m not sure what temperature it would take outdoors to cause them all to ripen at once. I’ve always picked before that point and ripened inside when I want. THey will ripen inside at room temp or in the fridge.
I may leave a few on the tree this yr just to see what they do when we get our first hard freeze.
I don’t think a little frost will hurt your fruit on the tree. I like to pick my astringent kakis when they are just starting to get a bit soft but still sliceable with a knife. They’re still astringent then, but I dry them in a dehydrator and that takes the rest of the astringency out. They get completely orange quite a while before they start to soften. I’ve also left them on the tree into December and they get very soft and sweet and lose all their astringency. Not sure when Eureka usually ripens, but there seems to be quite a bit of variation between different cultivars. They all taste quite similar, but the main differences are shape and ripening time.
I put the ones in the picture in a cardboard box in my pantry. I’ll have to buy an apple. (I did have one apple this year and I ate it!!!)
I have been seeing ripe fruit on this forum forever and mine were just barely coloring and hard as a rock. But none that I saw were Eureka so maybe that’s why. Some of mine one the lower branches are just now beginning to change from green to yellow. Will they be sweeter if I leave them on the tree to ripen?
I’m so excited about these. Ready to taste one but having grown up with the native ones I know not to!!
Thanks for your input, guys!!
Katy
My guess would be no. They’re probably as sweet now, if fully ripened, as they’ll get. Sweetness at this point is more about how they are ripened. But you’ll only know if you try some now and some later.
Make sure they’re really soft before eating one. I leave them a few days more at room temp after they first soften up. They can be soft and still have some astringency left. If the flesh is a clear amber they are fully ripe. But you can’t tell until you cut one open or take a bite.
Good advice. I would sit on my horse under the native tree carefully picking the ones to eat… sometimes it wasn’t quite right… 
I’ve never tried ripening any astringent kakis indoors that still had that much green on them - I’ve just picked some when they were still firm but were completely orange (and still much too astringent to eat!). As far as I could tell, the firm ones I ripened on the kitchen counter ended up being just as sweet as the ones I’d left on the tree. The only risk I’ve noticed of leaving them on the tree too long is that the birds start pecking at them once they’re starting to soften. But I haven’t had birds mess with the rock hard ones, even when they’re yellow or orange.
Well. I guess I’ll find out!!
Edible Landscaping in VA doesn’t sell Eureka, but here are the ripening times they list for the varieties they do sell:
American Persimmons;
September: Yates, Weber and Meader
October: Yates Weber, Meader Rosseyanka, Ruby
November: Ruby, Rosseyanka, Meader
Oriental Persimmons;
September: Izu, Miss Kim, Sheng, Wase Fuyu
October: Gwang Yang, Hana Fuyu, TamKam, Wase Fuyu, Ichi Ki Kei Jiro, Izu, Makawa Jiro, Sheng, Miss Kim, Smith’s Best, Sung Hui
November: Great Wall, Hychia, Hira Tanenashi, Kungsun Bansi, Miss Kim, Saijo, San Pedro, Smiths Best, Sun Hui, TamKam, Gwang Yang, Hana Fuyu, Makawa Jiro, Ichi Ki Kei Jiro
December: Hana Gosho, Tecumseh
Eureka is a late ripening variety…
From California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/persimmon.html
Eureka
Medium to large oblate fruit, puckered at the calyx. Skin bright orange-red. Good quality. Ripens late. Tree small, vigorous,drought and frost resistant, precocious and heavy-bearing. One of the most satisfactory cultivars for Florida and Texas
Still hanging on…
I’ve picked about 2 dozen and have them in a box in the pantry. They are also still hard. They are looking good. I’m very impatient!
Katy
Looks great Katy. Enjoyed those Eukeka astringent soft rippened Kaki.
So pretty! I’m going to the local coop today to see if they have any more hachiyas, after seeing this pic!
Do you peel yours prior to slicing them for drying? I’m getting close…
Katy
they look really nice Katy. Glad you don’t seem to have 'simmon-loving birds we have here.
They are still pretty hard…I think the astringent factor still too strong for the birds. I don’t have nearly as many birds since I got cats. The crows and ravens used to have a big presence here but not anymore…
K
How do you store them until ripe?
Mine are still on the tree.
