Persimmon Taste Testing`
The South Coast Research and Extension Center opened it gates to invited guests, the California Rare Fruit Growers Association and the UCCE Master Gardeners on Friday, November 22, 2013. Attendees were treated to the annual persimmon taste testing to be held at the South Coast REC in Irvine.
Of the approximately (59) guests, 57 participated in a blind tasting and evaluation of the persimmon fruits grown at the Center. Evaluators were asked to rate the 11 varieties using a basic one to five scale based on attractiveness, astringency, sugar, flavor and overall performance.
The persimmon collection at the Center contains various cultivars that are not widely available and are sought after by avid fans of this fruit. Persimmon cultivars are classified in relation to fruit astringency at harvest into: Pollination Constant NonAstringent (PCNA), Pollination Variant Non Astringent (PVNA), Pollination Variant Astringent (PVA) and Pollination Constant Astringent (PCA). The varieties that were evaluated during the tasting included California Fuyu (PCNA), Gosho (PCNA), Hana Fuyu (PCNA), Imoto (PCNA), Matsumoto Wase (PCNA), Meakawa Jiro (PCNA), OC Fuyu (PCNA), True Fuyu (PCNA), Trible (PVNA), Maru (PVNA), and No. 83784 (PVNA). During this tasting, OC Fuyu was the overwhelming favorite of those participating in the evaluation, while No. 83784 was least liked. In years past, Meakawa Jiro ranked highest.
While attendees were evaluating the fruit on hand, Isabel Barkman, UCCE Master Gardener – Orange County, conducted several tours through the persimmon orchard for those who preregistered. Isabel discussed the history of the collection at UC ANR South Coast REC followed by a question and answering session in addition to sampling the softer Hachiya types which are difficult to handle for a public evaluation. Knowledgeable volunteers who assist in maintaining the Center’s collection, were also on hand to answer questions.
Kudos to Rare Fruit Growers and Master Gardener volunteers who helped with the slicing, setup and take down. A special thank you to Isabel Barkman and her tree crew for their hard work harvesting, labeling, and preparing the persimmons for the event.
Many positive comments were heard from participants who expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to sample the variety and learn more about persimmons. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this a successful event.