This is my Persimmons Tree, its about 5 years old.
After 3 years of salt water ruining my landscape from Sany, I am finally getting fruit, we picked about 35 of these so far. This year I added another Persimmons and an Italian plum tree.

With the addition of five fig trees, in a few years, I will be in heaven here :)

Beautiful!!!

I've never had one. How do they taste?

Wow those look amazing!  Bet they were very sweet and delicious?
Can I ask how cold are your winters?

Looks great!  Glad to see your garden getting back in shape!

ross,

If you taste the right variety fully ripe, it's a fruit very hard to ignore. I had some of mine this week, they where simply excellent - very sweet. This variety has to be eaten fully ripe (quite soft to the touch or they are astringent - unless you use artificial methods to remove the astringency).
Some can be eaten while still firm and crisp like an apple (non-astringent varieties).

    
PeterC,

Are yours the Hachyia variety?

yes, Hachyia Persimmons, we wait until they are soft enough to eat with a spoon, absolutely delicious. I guess to explain the taste would be like a plum?? maybe.
I am from Long Island, our winters the last few years were brutal, enough to kill everyone's fig trees around here even after being wrapped!


You would have no idea what salt water does to the landscape, it just wipes out everything, I hope not to ever deal with that again.

Sounds like something I'd be interested in growing. Which varieties do you guys recommend? Asian? American? Astringent? Non astringent?

I've never seen them in grocery stores. I guess they're like figs and have short a short shelf life?

I couldn't say about American varieties. 

In the astringent the Hachyia is unanimously considered one of the best (we have one very similar in taste - the one in my photos, which sells by the name of "Coroa de Rei")
In the non-astringent, Gyant Fuyu, Jiro, O'Gosho and Hana Fuyu seem to have the preference of many but, in the end, it's a matter of personal taste.

Regarding shelf life - the Spanish tend to sell mainly one astringent variety in the supermarkets that keeps for several weeks (the cultivar is Rojo Brilhante and they sell it by the brand name of Persimon - not the best idea they had).
To be able to do that, they pick it hard (still quite unripe) and remove the astringency artificially (the process can take 2 days, and uses an atmosphere of ethanol in a temperature and humidity controlled room), so they stay firm for some weeks and can be eaten like the non-astringent (but in my opinion they do not develop their full flavor this way)

I see, I'll have to be on the lookout at the grocery store and try some. I really want to grow a lot of unusual fruits, but some I'm kind of in the dark with when it comes to taste. I've lived a sheltered fruit life, haha. Goji berries and seedless che are also two fruits I've had my eye on, but never had.

PeterC: very nice tree!! I have a Fuyu that fruited only once and never again!! Its been 13 years! I have cilonsidered chopping it down but its a beautiful tree (sans fruit). Not sure why it doesnt fruit. Sny suggestions?
Meg

I always save the tree tags, this is exactly the one I have.

Meg, that is odd that it is not producing anymore. I have no idea why this would be.
You are missing out on many years of delicious fruit though. These are self fertile so that is not an issue, is it that fruit grows, then drops prematurely?

My persimmon,Jiro.      

Ross,
Do you ever shop at an Asian grocery store? You might have better luck tracking down persimmons at an Asian grocery. I don't think I've ever seen persimmons in the main grocery stores around here. Some things (like persimmons) are much easier to find in ethnic markets.

Yes, odd. No fruit produced at all. And, yes Im missing out!! I love persimmons. Such great fruit. I've looked around on line for info but found no clue as to why. Maybe I'll search again. Every year I think it might fruit again but it doesn't. Thats why now its about 15 feet tall.
Meg

Thanks for sharing the photos, everybody! Persimmons (especially the astringent types) are very high on my list of favorite fruits. Peter C, if you don't have a bird problem, you might try leaving your Hachiyas on the tree until they begin to soften. They tend to ripen quite well even when picked rock-hard and left to soften on the counter, but to me they develop a sweeter, better flavor if left on the tree until they start to soften--or at least till they turn bright red-orange.

I have both bird and squirrel issues here, when the leaves drop (now) the critters spot them and invade.

I have to put nets around my fig trees too.

Hey Meg, I will search around and see what I can find out but why not just add a small Persimmons tree to your location? this way you can keep the old tree and add another ;)
 

Johnny,

Good idea, I'll have to check some out. 

I have not heard anyone doing this with Persimmons Meg, I am sure people here will know but it would be news to me.

I think Meg wants the cuttings to graft on another Persimmon tree, PeterC.

At least is how we use them over here when we trade cuttings of our Persimmon trees. They wouldn't do well in their own roots.


Vladis,

Wonderful looking Jiro. Congratulations. It looks like they have been pollinated. How much do the biggest one's weight?

  Tamopan large.It созревает.

Hey Meg, I found this on the web that may help.
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/persimmon/persimmon-tree-not-fruiting.htm

also this:
https://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/6-14-10.html

and here:
http://anneofgreengardens.com/2012/05/persimmon-tree-not-blooming/

wow i didn't know these would grow in Long Island.  will these fruit if potted and not in ground?  I would be interested in cuttings to try and root as as my wife and i love persimmon but they are very expensive so its often a treat when we get them.  Ill have to do some research on persimmon trees.  Were can i get one around here? is the temperament similar to that of a fig tree were it needs to be brought in for winter etc...