Persimmons
The Japanese persimmon (also known as kaki) is high in dietary fiber (soluble pectins in the flesh). It is an excellent source of vitamin A from yellow carotenes (including beta-carotene), with small amounts of the B vitamin folate, plus vitamin C.
One Japanese persimmon (2.5-inch diameter) has six grams dietary fiber, 2,733 IU vitamin A (1.2 times the RDA for a woman, 92 percent of the RDA for a man), and 12.6 mg vitamin C (17 percent of the RDA for a woman, 14 percent of the RDA for a man).
The smaller, more seedy American persimmon has about nine times as much vitamin C, but similar amounts of other nutrients.
 |
Fresh and ripe.
Look for: Firm, plump fruit with brightly colored, smooth unbroken skin. The bright green stem cap should be firmly anchored to the fruit.
Let persimmons ripen at room temperature until they are soft, then store them in the refrigerator. Oriental persimmons, which are more astringent than the American varieties, will lose some of their sharpness if you store them in a plastic bag with an apple. The apple releases ethylene gas, which ripens and mellows the persimmon.
Wash the persimmon and pull off its stem cap. Then peel and slice the persimmon or put it through a food mill to mash the flesh and remove the seeds.
