Felix Gillet offered three species of persimmons in his catalogs: Dispyros kaki, D. lotus and D. virginiana. Our cultivars are Dispyros Kaki and are grafted to D. lotus. It has been very challenging to learn to propagate persimmons successfully, but perserverance furthers! Persimmons are naturally slow growing and very long lived. They are extremely hardy and resistant or immune to diseases and pests, except for bears! It is important to regularly and deeply water them when they are young, but on a good, deep soil, they can eventually be dry-farmed. They are self-fertile and do not require pollenizers. They need well drained soil and will grow on a wide array of soil types. Late blooming, they miss most frosts, with ripening in October and November. Stunning foliage and fruit in Fall, on the tree and on the table. Fruit best harvested using pruners or clippers. Persimmons are slow growing and difficult to propagate that is why they are more expensive than other fruit trees.
Berryman Persimmon
An unknown Astringent Variety similar to Hachiya but Soft yellow and light orange. Very tasty and bit more mild than the Hachiya.
This towering tree was Found on the old Late1800’s Berriman Ranch in Grass Valley.
Chocolate Miru Fuyu Persimmon
A non astringent variety with texture and flavor similar to a Fuyu but the shape is slightly elongated and only appears as a mini-hachiya. The orange fruit has crunchy, brown-streaked sweet flesh and is considered a delicacy. They ripen in October/ November. They taste good after they have softened as well.
Adam started each of these persimmon trees from seed and then grafted them, a 3 year process.
The mother tree grows at our neighbor’s place, Olala Farms in North San Juan. The trees were planted about 50 years ago by Arlo Acton and family.
Coffee Cake Persimmon
Known in Japan as Nishimura Wase, the ‘coffee cake’ persimmon is a ‘Non Astringent Pollination Variant’ (NAPV) variety, which means that the fruit is totally different depending on whether it was pollinated or not. It is considered Choice when the flowers are Pollinated and the fruit develops a crunchy brown flesh, like a chocolate Fuyu and contains seeds. It ripens early but you can let them ripen further until they turn gooey which is also quite yummy. But when it is not pollinated, it behaves like an astringent variety, similar to Hachiya, and it will instead be inedibly astringent until later in the season, when it develops into a bag of soft, sweet tasting, mild flavored persimmon jelly without seeds.
The mother tree grows at our neighbor’s place, OLaLa Farms in North San Juan. The trees were planted about 50 years ago by Arlo Acton and family.
Fuyu Persimmon
This is the Classic Crunchy Fuyu Persimmon. You can eat like an apple, and it is considered one of the best persimmons out there!
Although this tree is not an ancient gold rush era tree, we just had to propagate some!
Giant Fuyu
Like a Fuyu Persimmon but larger! The fruit is a crunchy, non astringent variety that ripens in the fall. Self pollinating. Ripens in the fall and needs about 200 hours of chill time.
The mother tree comes from Olala Farm in North San Juan and Planted by the Acton Family.
Hachiya
Hachiya is the most common persimmon grown in America and for good reason! This is an astringent type which means that it needs to be fully soft, with the texture of a water balloon before eating, unless you dry it when it is nearly ripe. When ripe, the flesh is soft and jelly-like, with classic yummy persimmon flavor. Used fresh, in pies, cookies, cake, pudding, salsa, pan fried, or dried. This is the variety that is used for the famous Hoshigaki dried persimmon. To speed ripening, freeze solid and then thaw. Very pest and disease resistant and drought tolerant once established. The tree is self-fertile and does not require a pollenizer. Slow growing tree, may reach 35′ tall and wide and produce up to 200 pounds of delectable fruit. Ripens in October and November. Stores for a couple of weeks. <span “=”” data-verified=redactor data-redactor-tag=span style=’text-size-adjust: none; box-sizing: border-box;text-rendering: optimizespeed’>These trees are in short supple, but we hope to be doing many more persimmons next year!
The grandmother tree grows on private property in Nevada City, CA, once home of Felix Gillet’s Barren Hill Nursery. Nevada City, the Queen of the Northern Mines, was the largest and most active town in the Sierra during the Gold Rush. It was the capital of the territory of Nevada prior to California’s statehood. Many, many famous people who contributed to major changes of our society were once residence of this still well-known town. We are attempting to establish a formal holiday, recognizing Felix for his contributions to the beauty and productivity of Nevada City.
Honan Red Persimmon
Honan Red tree produces heavy crops of small, deep-red, acorn shaped fruits. The rich, sweet flavor fruit is smooth with a fiber-free texture. Excellent for fresh eating or drying. The trees are tall and upright.
The mother tree is located at O LaLa Farm, originally planted by the iconic Arlo Acton over 50 years ago.
Quad Persimmon
This Unusual Variety of Persimmon is separated distinctly into four quadrants. This type of persimmon is considered an Astringent Variety because it matures from a hard astringent fruit to a super sweet balloon of orange persimmon jelly. It is very similar to the Hachiya Variety, although it looks much more like Fuyu. Let them ripen to softness on the tree. Eat when they are soft and the astringency is totally gone. Ripens Late October to November at 1200′
This tree was found in Auburn, which has many persimmon orchard remnants scattered throughout the area. Both the Hachiya (astringent) and Fuyu (non astringent) types are Asian or Japanese Persimmons, Diospyros kaki. They most likely originated in China and were exported to Japan very early their histories. Although America has it’s own specie, Diospyros virginiana, the Asian Persimmons were most likely first imported by Japanese workers who came to help build California. Most standard commercial varieties were imported officially in the 1870s by the Department of Agriculture.
Shiro Persimmon
This rare Asian variety with crunchy texture and sweet, classic persimmon flavor hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. This is a non-astringent variety is comparable to Fuyu and may be eaten firm or allowed to soften. Great for drying, jams and eating out of hand. Very resistant to insects and diseases. Keeps at least a month after harvest.The tree is extremely productive and can yield upwards of 100 pounds in a good season. All persimmons are self-fertile, so a pollinator is not required. They are late blooming and miss most frosts. Ripens in late October and November at 2800′ elevation. The tree form is upright with a singular trunk, resistant to snow. Makes beautiful fall foliage and fruit color in the yard and on the table. Slow growing, very drought tolerant once established.
The lone, grandmother tree thrives at the old stage stop in Camptonville on the road to Mountain House. Camptonville was once a roaring mining camp and continues to thrive today with many historic buildings and heirloom fruit and nut trees. Remember the old song “Camptown Ladies Sing this Song, oh do da day,” it was inspired by the miners of 19th century Camptonville.
Tamopan Persimmon
A large, squat persimmon, beautifully shaped with a large rib around the top, like an acorn top. It is a soft hachiya type that is astringent until it turns into a sack of orange persimmon jelly with thick, sweet, edible skin. Super sweet, delicious and flavorful. Great to eat fresh out of hand or used in baking.
This is a three year old tree that Adam started from seed and then chip budded last year.
It is an old variety imported into the United States in the late 1800’s and documented in this beautiful USDA watercolor in 1918. The mother tree grows at our neighbor’s place, OLaLa Farms in North San Juan. The trees were planted about 50 years ago by Arlo Acton and family.