Persimmon wine variations

[kfrinkle]

Interesting that your trees are holding on to their fruit. The trees I have access to are just a few miles away from yours (I am less than a mile from Callaway County), but all my persimmons dropped weeks ago. I have access to probably thirty different trees across 150 acres with several different orientations and micro-environments and they are all devoid of both fruit and leaves.

Yeah, even out in the woods where I go, the different patches that I visit are in very different stages of ripeness. In fact, there is one tree off by itself that is not even ripe yet, and several that are almost done dropping their fruit for the season.

 

[Gowers Choice]

Did 6 different 5 gallon batches this year. Tried Cotes de Blanc, Pasture Red, Pasture Champagne, and a batch using the natural yeast of the fruit.

 

[kfrinkle]

Did 6 different 5 gallon batches this year. Tried Cotes de Blanc, Pasture Red, Pasture Champagne, and a batch using the natural yeast of the fruit.

I was thinking about the natural yeast myself. It has been rather warm here the last few days, and the persimmons on the ground will start smelling rather musty after one day on the ground, made me think there might be a festive amount of natural yeasts on them. I might try my hand at a 5 gallon batch of natural as well. For the natural yeast batch, did you freeze the fruit first? And did you ferment with seeds and skins?

 

[Stressbaby]

Thought I would post some pics as well. Just one tree, but I really only need one.

 

[Stressbaby]

Did 6 different 5 gallon batches this year. Tried Cotes de Blanc, Pasture Red, Pasture Champagne, and a batch using the natural yeast of the fruit.

Gowers, please post your results here!

 

[jamesngalveston]

thats the biggest persimmon tree i have ever seen.
here in texas and louisiana, they get about 30 feet thats it.maybe 8 inches across....
and the racoons love them......

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

The ones I planted are almost 6 feet tall this year, at least the biggest one. I went to the asian market today and bought 6 pounds of asian persimmons to make a melomel from (just for practice when mine start to have fruit). WVMJ

 

[jamesngalveston]

pays to be prepared jack....how old do the trees have to be before baring fruit...

 

[jamesngalveston]

last year i picked about 400 lbs of blackberries, and left another 400 on the vines, i have all ready purchased picking bins for this year and have a contract to keep in a commercial freezer and pull as i need...this year I hope to get at least 800 lbs. thats a lot of port.

 

[kfrinkle]

Thought I would post some pics as well. Just one tree, but I really only need one.

Wow, that is impressive! I am thinking of transplanting a few trees to my yard. Do you have a male tree somewhere nearby?

 

[Stressbaby]

pays to be prepared jack....how old do the trees have to be before baring fruit...

4-9 years from seed according to this.

Persimmons are dioecious and therefore not self-fertile. I know of not one other persimmon near mine, but obviously there is at least one male tree around somewhere. I have a few seedlings I'm allowing to grow up nearby to ensure pollination in the event that a neighbor decides to cut down my tree's baby daddy.

Interesting to learn that there are two "races" of American persimmon, a hexaploid 90 chromosome northern race, and a tetraploid 60 chromosome southern race centered in the southern Appalachian mountains.

Surveys have found only the 90-chromosome race north of the Ohio River and west of the Mississippi River. The 90-
chromosome race extends into the Tennessee Valley and southward where it competes with the 60-chromosome race.

According to most sources, they don't cross pollinate and are sexually distinct. However, a couple of the sources say that the northern type pollinated by the southern type can produce seedless fruit.

 

[Stressbaby]

I meant to also point out that the one link says freezing, drying, and ethylene will remove the astringency. I haven't tried drying but can certainly testify that freezing works in this regard.

 

[Gowers Choice]

The natural yeast batch is not really doing much. It's formed a cap of foam inside the carboy and is putting off very few bubbles. The other 5 batches that have yeast are bubbling right along. I'm thinking of pitching some yeast into the natural batch? What do you all think?

 

[kfrinkle]

The natural yeast batch is not really doing much. It's formed a cap of foam inside the carboy and is putting off very few bubbles. The other 5 batches that have yeast are bubbling right along. I'm thinking of pitching some yeast into the natural batch? What do you all think?

Well that was my concern, that the natural yeasts just would not be up to the job of converting sugars to alcohol fast enough to ensure that things do not get funky.... If you have the persimmons to spare, I think it is a great experiment to not add yeast. You might need warm temps for the natural yeasts to do their job well, what temp is the must at?

 

[Gowers Choice]

I think the temperature is the reason. It was getting very cool at night while it was in the primary. Low 40's and the only place we can keep it was in the garage.

 

[kfrinkle]

Yeah, I would suggest putting that primary someplace a little warmer?

 

[jamesngalveston]

have never seen a seedless persimmon...in louisiana and texas they get about the size of a half dollar, for a big one.

 

[kfrinkle]

Was out picking today, saw lots of persimmons, and these blue berries on a vine. Any ideas what they might be?

 

[Gowers Choice]

Natural yeast batch finally started bubbling steady. Hopefully by February we'll have something worth drinking.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

They look like wild grapes, best to do a google on them to see if they match up just to be safe. You guys have probably already had a good frost, how do the persimmons taste? WVMJ

Was out picking today, saw lots of persimmons, and these blue berries on a vine. Any ideas what they might be?