Not mentioning any names... General Chat

...but the only dog here has just nicked a Persimmon from my bag while I was putting my shopping away.

Nothing like a bit of variety.

What can I say? Tikva likes fruit but as she had never had a Persimmon [the types here are known as Sharon fruit] before, how was I to know she would nick one from the bag on the kitchen floor while I was trying to pack things in the refrigerator?

So perfectly ripe at that

I know it would have not hurt her [just my purse... ] but I think I had better count the kiwi fruit...

Ooh,I bought some Persimmon today (sometimes they're labelled Sharon fruit, I've always assumed they're just a different variety - they seem the same to me).

But I'm pleased to say that mine successfully reached the fruit bowl without being pinched or peed upon.

Hope you enjoy what's left of them! I love them.

I am glad yours were not pinched or pee'd on - one of the advantages of bitches being that they do not normally cock a leg when peeing - although Lexi did - and on a few occasions fell over in the process!

There are a number of different varieties of persimmons, some astringent and some non-astringent, and some varieties have quite large pips. Sharon Fruit are non-astringent and are pip less, the name being originally given to the variety of persimmons grown in Israel in the Sharon region.

I keep them in the refrigerator but then I keep just about everything in the refrigerator as I have no room for a fruit bowl! They ripen quicker if put with apples - as do bananas, and I like them when they are really ripe and squidgy although they can be eaten even when rock hard, when they are nice sliced thinly or julienned and added to mixed salads.

Ah, interesting - the first ones I ever bought were labelled Sharon fruit and they were from Israel, so I assumed that is why they were called Sharon fruit. But since then they vary between being called Persimmon and Sharon - the ones I bought today are from Spain.

I slice them thinly when they are hard - and they go a long way, one fruit is sufficient for both my husband and me, then when they get softer I squash them up in a bowl and eat them with a spoon. Gorgeous either way - I only 'discovered' them about five years ago - I don't know how long they've been available in the UK in places like Tesco.

I've just put a fruit bowl on the coffee table full of satsumas and pine cones. It looks really pretty, but I am fully expecting Chico to hide the pine cones one by one.

I think the name really refers to the variety, not necessarily only those from Israel - persimmons here are not called Sharon Fruit but "afarsimmon".

It could also be like Jaffa oranges - the name "Jaffa oranges" was sold so if you buy oranges that are described as Jaffas - it refers to that particular variety, not that they actually come from the place.

As for how long Persimmons have been available in the UK - I remember being with the daughter of a neighbour in the local greengrocer yonks ago, when she said "look at that - they are charging 50P each for orange tomatoes"!