Diospyros virginiana

Description

This fruit, which can be eaten raw, cooked, or dried, is about the size of a plum and has a wonderfully full flavor when it is fully ripe (almost overripe). However, before that, the fruit is very hard and astringent. If the summer is cool, the fruit may not ripen properly, but when it does ripen, it usually develops a very good taste. It is also possible to harvest the fruits in the autumn, preferably after frost and when they are soft and nearly overripe, a process called 'bletting.' Many of these fruits on trees in a sunny spot in Kew after a warm summer in 1996 were not yet fully ripe, but they ripened well after being picked. The fruits can be dried and used in bread and pastries. They have a diameter of about 4.5 cm. The flesh can be used to make molasses, and the oil obtained from the seeds tastes like peanut oil. Tea can be made from the dried leaves, which is rich in vitamin C and has a pleasant flavor, somewhat similar to sassafras. The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute.

Guilds