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david_42 · 10-08-2012, 08:35 PM

Just planted an Akita's Gift Persimmon Sunday. It's an American/Asian cross bred in the Ukraine. Apparently there's an area in there that has very similar weather to the Portland area. The fruit is much larger and bright orange, but similar to the Texas Persimmon - very astringent before it is ripe. Also, the fruit tends to stay on the tree long after the leaves fall. Does the Texas tree do the same thing?

I'll have to check back on this thread.

(The nursery had some persimmon ice cream, which instantly sold my wife on buying one.)

**springmom** · 10-08-2012, 09:01 PM

No. Texas persimmons ripen from about July through October. There are still green fruit on our trees at this point but they will not ripen further unless we have another prolonged warm spell.

The attached photos were taken yesterday morning. One shows the view from inside the tree depicted in the other. It's a truly old persimmon (you can tell because it's huge, they only grow a couple of feet a year) and had fruit that were much larger than other trees around the ranch (because it's near a wet weather pond that has had quite a lot of water in it this year.) You'd have to live to a couple hundred years old to have a sapling grow to this size.

david_42 · 10-08-2012, 09:09 PM

Amazing! The Nikita only hits 12' or so.

**springmom** · 10-09-2012, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yooper

I've never seen a persimmon that I know of, but I see those trees in Texas all the time. I assume I've never seen a persimmon since we only live in TX January, February, and March, and the fruit is ripe in the fall. Very interesting to think about!

Oh yeah? Where do you live when you're here? Love to meet sometime.

***Yooper*** · 10-09-2012, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by springmom

Oh yeah? Where do you live when you're here? Love to meet sometime.

We live in Rockport, on the coast north of Corpus Christi. I only met one other homebrewer in the area, but I did "talk" to someone who lives in Ingleside which isn't far from me, so I'm hoping to get a chance to meet some other brewers and winemakers.

**springmom** · 10-09-2012, 02:36 PM

Cool! We live in Spring, just north of Houston, though our ranch is out in Llano. Maybe we could get. Southeast Texas HBT meet going!

**springmom** · 10-09-2012, 02:42 PM

However, back to the thread topic.... :-)

When I took the SG last night prior to adding the yeast, I was shocked to find it about 1.020!!! The recipe I used called for only 2 lb of sugar which at the time I thought to be awfully low. And it was. I added a half pound of honey, which brought it up to 1.060. It was late so I let it be but I'm thinking another half-pound of honey or sugar to get it up closer to 1.1. I used Pasteur red yeast, any feedback on the SG would be welcome!

Jeremy_84 · 10-09-2012, 07:07 PM

I've been drying some of the fruit to collect the seeds I'm going to try to grow a few of the trees. My co-worker said he'll dig me up one of his trees to plant at my house. They are growing wild all over his property. He gave me a some more that him and his wife picked. They make a great jelly just to let everyone know.

**springmom** · 10-10-2012, 03:26 AM

Heh. Take him up on the offer of the transplant. It can take a long time for one to grow. If you do get one, don't coddle it :-) these are tough Texas desert-dwellers that wouldn't know what to make of organic fish emulsion and such.

**springmom** · 10-11-2012, 04:11 AM

I checked my must today and good heavens did I have Kreusen! Or I assume that's what it was...looked like prune sludge. Yum. I rechecked the SG, having convinced myself I must have read it wrong...nope, 1.060. I added a half pound of sugar in one cup of water and it reminded the yeast what it was supposed to be doing, apparently :-D. So now it's bubbling away, right next to the cucumber-jalapeño mead and the Welches white grape-peach special (white grape, peach, pear and apple). Sounds like one of those little desktop fountains out in my dining room!!!