For the persimmons on your counter: which to eat now, which to leave.
Pucker CheckIs your persimmon ready to eat?
Bite an astringent persimmon too early and your mouth goes dry and furry. Describe the fruit on your counter and check each one before you bite: ready, not yet, unsure or past it.
1 Your persimmons
Up to six. Pick the shape, feel, colour and skin for each; the label, days and note are optional.
2 The tray free
The page's own verdicts
3 Check before you bite
One run checks the claim "ready to eat without the pucker" for every fruit, weighs the evidence for and against from that fruit's own line, gives one test to try before biting, says what to do next and picks the one to eat first. The page re-checks every verdict. Health, baby and pet questions are declined.
The checked tray - none yet
-Eat this one first
Ripening tip
The page's check
4 Saved trays
How the check works
Persimmons come in two kinds. The astringent kind - usually pointed, like an acorn - is full of tannin until it goes jelly-soft and deep orange; bite it firm and your mouth puckers. The non-astringent kind - usually squat, like a tomato - can be eaten crisp once it is past green. The page tags each fruit in a fixed order: past it (mould, or a note about fuzz, sliminess, rot, fizz or a sour, boozy or off smell), then ready, then unsure (kind not known and not jelly-soft yet), then not yet. The one to eat first is the softest ready fruit; ties go to a split skin, then more days on the counter, then the earlier fruit.
Safety: eating a lot of unripe astringent persimmon, especially on an empty stomach, has been linked to stomach blockages (bezoars). Never eat a mouldy fruit. A kitchen toy - not medical, nutrition or professional advice. Nothing you type is kept unless you press save.