General Information
Hachiya persimmons are rounded, slightly elongated and acorn-shaped, coming to a blunted point at their non-stem end. When fully ripe the fruits are a beautiful deep orange. Another indicator of ripeness is that the fruit should feel like a water balloon when resting in your hand. The skins are thin, similar to a tomato. The flesh is even deeper orange in color and more striking than the skin. When ripe the flesh is jellied in texture. The flavor is candy sweet and possesses nuances of baking spices, raisins, and brown sugar.
History
Persimmons are native to China where they have been cultivated for centuries, marking the beginning of more than two thousand different cultivars. Persimmons eventually spread to Korea and Japan, landing in California in the mid 1800s. By 1930, California was host to over 200,000 trees. Hachiya persimmons are one of the most widely cultivated persimmon varieties in California. Hachiya persimmons grow most successfully in areas that have moderate winters and relatively mild summers.
