Things You'll Need
Bowl
Spoon
Vegetable peeler
Persimmons are the delectable tree fruit whose interior turns sweet and jam-like when fully ripe but is highly astringent and inedible when under-ripe. Ripe persimmon pulp can be used in a multiplicity of fresh or cooked preparations, while under-ripe persimmon flesh can be used only in cooked preparations as the heat corrects the astringent taste and unyielding texture. Persimmon varieties ripen from the early summer through fall so this is the peak time to extract, prepare and store ripe persimmon pulp to preserve its succulent flavor and rich color.
Step 1
Remove the green to brown shriveled crown or cap at the top or stem end of the fruit. When the persimmon is ripe, this will pull away easily. Compost or discard the cap and any stem attached.
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Step 2
Hold the ripe fruit over a clean bowl and slide the tip of your fingernail or a sharp paring knife between the skin and the soft fruit flesh. Peel the skin from the fruit exterior in strips holding the fruit over the bowl to catch the pulp and the fruit juices. Discard or compost the skins. Alternatively, use a spoon to scoop the jammy flesh from the skin if you do not wish to use your hands.
Step 3
Peel the skin off of firm and unripe persimmons with a sharp vegetable peeler. Work your way around the fruit, removing vertical strips of skin from the stem end to the bottom of the fruit. Discard or compost the peel since the unripe fruit and skin is inedible.
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