The Glorious Persimmon

If you like to eat seasonally and sustainably, it’s good to know that Persimmon season is upon us (October - December). Available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and local independent grocers (particularly those with a Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern selection).

This delicious, nutritional powerhouse of a fruit hails from Spain, and is becoming more widely available in the UK. The humble-looking persimmon offers a high vitamin and mineral level, along with a whole range of other beneficial organic antioxidant phytochemicals including catechins, gallocatechin, betulinic acid, and various carotenoid compounds. Minerals included in these fruits include manganese, copper, magnesium, and potassium.

The range of health benefits conferred by this lovely fruit is impressive, including reducing cancer risk and anti-tumor properties, significant lowering of blood pressure, improved circulation, digestive aid, and immune enhancement.

So our advice is, whenever you see these fruit for sale, especially if you can get your hands on organic ones, go forth and eat them!

How to store and eat Persimmons:

🌿 Store in a fruit bowl for up to a week. Eat them peeled or unpeeled, hard or soft; chopped into segments, whole like an apple or soft flesh scooped into a bowl. Even when really soft, persimmon has delicious, jelly-like flesh that is still great to eat and tastes similar to ripe peaches.

🌿 The fruit is best eaten raw. Because they have no seeds, pips, or stones, there is no waste and they are easy for children to eat. The flesh can also be puréed and served with natural yogurt or ice cream.

🌿 Please do not consume if you are hypotensive (have low blood pressure) due to blood pressure-lowering effects.

🌿 For more detailed info on the nutritional benefits of persimmon fruit, visit; https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/persimmons.html