I really don't have any experience from which to try to give you any advice, but if you do leave even just a few experimental persimmons on the tree I hope you'll report back and let us know what you find, both with regards to possible damage to what you leave on the tree and how fruit you pick ahead of the freeze ripens and flavors up.

One way to ripen the astringent types is to let them freeze. 18F would probably do the job. But I find the eating quality of Eureka after freezing less appealing than ripened in the fridge without any freezing. So I've always picked mine before a hard freeze.

My buddy with experience on the American types says they aren't eatable until they freeze. But I don't know if he's tried ripening without freezing.

I'm sure there are more experienced members.

Stupid me, I had the phone weather set to Indianapolis! I was there a few weeks ago and didn't notice my app was set to that location. Its only going to 27F tonight in Baltimore so I should be OK.

I did find a past thread here where creekweb thought some varieties were better hard freezing on the vine and others best picked before a hard freeze.

Scott

That is funny. I was wondering how you were getting temps below our forecast up here. I did pick all the apples I need this weekend. 25 degrees had fried the leaves without damaging the apples a week ago so they probably weren't going to ripen any further anyway. Goldrush, Braeburn and especially Pink Lady could have used another week or two of mild weather.

From my experience it is safe to leave the fruit on the tree when the night temperature drops to - 4 ðC (25 ðF).
Talking about asian persimmon and hybrids.

My understanding is that a little bit freezing helps sweeten the persimmons. Ours are still on the tree and they look wonderful.

I had 23F forecasted for last night though I don't know what the actual low was. I hedged and picked about half the crop. My concern is in avoiding a frost induced development of a mushy consistency to the persimmons, which are then more difficult to prepare for drying. I like to leave them up just for ornamental purposes. So today the leaves are now all gone and the persimmons look and feel about the same. I've noticed in the past that when the persimmons have freeze injury the color at first becomes darker, and I have not seen any of that yet. I left the American persimmons, which this year have remained attached to the trees ripe, alone to see whether, as in the folklore, a bit of frost might improve them some.
Not a good year for me for very late apples like Granny S which are still on the trees but without any good leaves to allow for the all important November maturation. Lots of applesauce in the cards I guess.

Some of the experts on some of the sites said that it's a myth that they need to freeze. They just need more sun/sugar/time on the plant. I have had some "ripen" inside in a cold storage room after picking. I have been eating about one a day for a long time. We tend to go for early ripening am. persimmon varieties here in teh PNW because we don't get the heat units that you do back east. I do put the fruit sox on them so the birds and squirrels dont take out a chunk.
John S
PDX OR

I did get down to 18 or lower last night. Pink ladies lost some texture but are not nearly mush and Goldrush is still hard and crisp. Go figure. Why is there so little research on this issue?

Most of my persimmons are left on the tree's during this coldspell that caught me of guard.It did dropped to 24*.and 31 second night.I took some pictures this afternoon and picked some fruits to ripened in the fridge.
We usely don't get a freeze till late nov or early dec.Sh...happens!!!,there is allways a next year.

May add a picture to my preveous respond,all my tree's look like that.

Bob,

That Saijo persimmon tree looks very Ornamental with all the fruits. Are you going to dry some?

Tony

Tony, i have never try to dry anything in my life,do not how to do it the right way.Maybe you can give me some advice.
I have a few tree's that have fruits hanging right now.
Rosianka's are probably the best fruits for drying they are kind of pulpy.I usely walk right pass this tree.

Hi Bob,

I usually take the persimmon fruits that were fully colored (yellow to dark yellow) while still firm. I then de- skinned them and sliced each one to 3 even pieces and placed them in a food dehydrator to dry for a day or so. I then stored them in a tight Jar or zip lock bag and enjoyed them all year.

Tony

What do you use to peel them,a potato peeler?

Bob,

Yes, my wife also helps me out a bit.

Tony

Tony,

You made me laugh. I think Bob meant what instrument do you peel the persimmons with? :)

MG,

Funny!, Yes, a potato peeler. I just dried 2 trays of Nikita's Gift Hybrid Persimmon. They were candy sweet.

Tony

I am new to the growing persimmon, so I am curious if any of you try to use soy sauce to remove astringent. I have read many information about what method Asian do to remove astringent. One simple way is to drip few drops of soy sauce on the center of the stem and let the persimmon sit for 3~4 days. I have no personal experience how it works, so I am hoping some of you would try it and let us know if it is a valid method. Thanks!!

As a follow up to this question, I assessed the quality of a portion of my persimmon crop exposed to freezing temps of as low as 16F and several cycles down into the low 20's a week after exposure, while the fruit was still hanging on the trees. I found that the PCA Kakis across the board were actually improved by the freeze "treatments" with change to vivid orange translucent color without any dark discoloration, gelatinous consistency, complete loss of astringency, no development of off-flavors and fair to good flavor. What factors played a part here I am not sure, but the fruit did not turn into 'mush in a bag' as has frequently been the case in previous years after freeze injury, and the consistency was left firm enough to allow for slicing for drying.
The American persimmons and Rosseyanka were also improved by the freeze, but some residual astringency still remained.
My late apples of course were toast.

As a addendum to my previous post I will offer an explanation for the observation that the effects of freezing this year on the kakis improved them without the usual degradation of texture. The difference I believe is that the temperatures stayed low for an extended period of time this year rather than the usual alternating warm and cold weather. Once a deep freeze sets in, the persimmon cells are largely destroyed and the fruit will spoil in subsequent warm weather. The mush in a bag - an accurate description of the persimmon consistency in years with alternating cold and warm weather is the early stage of a decomposing persimmon.