Recently I learned about foraging American persimmons and then, (like magic!) came across some when visiting my in-laws.

I had tried Asian persimmons before (you can get those at the grocery) and to be honest, I didn’t like them! But it’s because I’ve never had a truly ripe persimmon before. Persimmons are ripe when they look almost rotten.

American persimmons never make it to the grocery store because they’re more delicate and smaller than their Asian counterpart. But let me tell you, a truly ripe persimmon is tree candy! Plus, if you forage them, it’s free.99!

Persimmon trees are most identifiable, in my opinion, by their bark. It’s very textured. The leaves look a bit like peach tree leaves and when in season, you’ll see the persimmons. Unripe persimmons look a bit like yellow cherries with a cute little hat.

The best persimmons are on the ground because they’re so ripe they’ve fallen off the tree, but you can pick the unripe ones and they’ll ripen off the tree. Just make sure to leave some for others (people and animals!).

I’ve actually scheduled a post for later this month on how to make persimmon pudding over on the Wild Abundance Instagram account, so be sure to go follow us over there.

And if you aren’t aware of Wild Abundance’s classes, I highly recommend them. (And I’m not just saying that because I work there!) I personally took their Women’s Carpentry course and learned so much. They also have online and in-person classes about tiny house building, gardening and more! And there’s a ton of information on their blog.

Have you ever tried an American persimmon before?