Diospyros kaki Muscat - Persimmon

The Kaki Muscat (Diospyros Kaki) or Chinese Persimmon is a fruit and ornamental tree that produces round, seedless orange fruits about the size of a tomato. The flesh becomes tender and melting, losing its astringency when ripe. This vigorous and productive variety is well suited to warm climates. Plant it in the autumn or winter, away from frost, for a harvest starting in October.

The Kaki Muscat (Diospyros Kaki) produces fruits that are 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, with thin, orange skin. The tender and melting flesh is seedless. The harvest of the Kaki starts in late autumn. Be patient: the harvest usually begins in the 3rd or 4th year. Pick the Kakis with pruners. They can be harvested when they are ripe, soft to the touch, but they must be consumed quickly. You can also pick them when they are still firm and let them ripen indoors, wrapped in newspaper, with the stem down, near apples. For longer storage, opt for freezing. The Kaki is consumed when it is almost over-ripe, meaning very soft, almost too ripe. This ripening phase is necessary to remove the astringency of the fruits. The onset of frost seems to promote this ripeness, although opinions are not unanimous on the subject. In terms of cooking, the Kaki is eaten raw, cut in half and eaten with a spoon, or it can be added to a fruit salad, crumble, compote, or sometimes served with a savoury dish. It is rich in vitamin C and provitamin A.

The Muscat variety is vigorous and productive. The flowering is late, appearing in May-June, in the form of small insignificant yellow flowers, which will be pollinated by insects. It is a self-fertile variety.

The Kaki (Diospyros Kaki) is a tree native to China, with a rounded habit, reaching 6 to 10 m (20 to 33ft) in height and 5 to 7 m (16 to 23ft) in width. Its growth is rather slow. Belonging to the Ebenaceae family, its wood is very hard. The leaves of the Persimmon tree are elongated, about fifteen centimetres long, and shiny green. They take on a beautiful reddish hue in autumn before falling, while the fruits are already present on the tree. The Kaki is a hardy tree, able to withstand temperatures down to -18°C (-0.4°F), but still requires high heat in summer. In the garden, it can be planted in an orchard, isolated on a lawn, or at the back of a flower bed. It is both a fruit and ornamental tree, thanks to its superb autumn colour and its orange fruits hanging on the tree in early winter. It thrives in warm climates and is suited to the same areas as the fig tree, olive tree, or almond tree.