When Are Persimmons in Season? A Complete Ripening Schedule by Variety

As a fruit welcomed by everyone, persimmons taste sweet and are very affordable, and their high nutritional value keeps them hugely popular. So do you know when persimmons are generally in season? Here is a ripening schedule by variety.

1. The Benefits of Persimmons

As a cooling food, the persimmon itself has the effect of cooling the blood and resolving phlegm, and can relieve dry cough, sore throat and other such ailments. Because it is rich in dietary fiber, it also helps promote digestion and relieve constipation. The persimmon is an excellent food for lowering blood pressure, suitable for people with high blood pressure, people with bleeding hemorrhoids, and people with constipation. Because fresh persimmons contain a very high level of iodine, they are suitable for people with thyroid disease caused by iodine deficiency; they are also suitable for people who drink excessively or drink alcohol over the long term.

2. Ripening and Season Time of Persimmons

The season when persimmons ripen is generally in October, though this still depends on the variety. Generally, small round persimmons are about ready by the Frost's Descent solar term, while large Mopan persimmons are a little later. Persimmons that store well are generally picked while the fruit is still green, and eaten once they naturally turn yellow.

1. Niuxin Persimmon

The Niuxin persimmon blooms in early June, with a flowering period of about 7 to 12 days; the fruit resembles an ox heart, with a nipple-like protrusion at the top. The Niuxin persimmon has crisp, refreshing flesh; the fruit turns from green to yellow in mid-September and ripens in early October, with an orange fruit color.

2. Luotian Sweet Persimmon

The Luotian sweet persimmon is medium in size with rough skin, and when ripe its fruit color is orange-red. The fruit contains little soluble tannin, so no artificial de-astringency treatment is needed; the flesh is fine and dense, and it ripens in early to mid-October and can be eaten raw right after picking.

3. Chicken Heart Yellow Persimmon

The Chicken Heart Yellow persimmon has a glossy fruit surface and a relatively small size, similar to a chicken heart, which is how it got its name. It is a late-ripening variety that stores well, with a bright red color; it is already ripe and ready to be picked and sold by mid to late September.

3. Dietary Taboos for Persimmons

Persimmons are cooling in nature, so people with a cold stomach had best not eat them; persimmons contain a relatively high level of tannic acid, which easily binds with iron and is not conducive to the human body's absorption of iron, so people with anemia should eat as little as possible. Persimmons contain large amounts of sugars and pectin; eating persimmons over the long term will cause dental caries and will also affect the metabolism and absorption of calcium. People with diabetes must absolutely not eat them, and children and the elderly should eat as little as possible.