Should You Freeze Persimmons To Ripen Them Faster?

Hachiya persimmons typically take a long time to ripen. As such many are always interested in learning hacks that can help their persimmons get ready faster.

One famous advice on the internet will tell you to put astringent Hachiya persimmons in the freezer for 24 hours.

The purpose of this is to remove tannins and speed up the ripening process instead of waiting several days for the persimmons to ripen at room temperature.

The idea is tempting, especially if the plan is to use the persimmon pulp in recipes like persimmon bread, cookies, and more.

However, it does not work. Freezing your persimmons may sound like a good hack, but it does not in fact, speed up the ripening process.

So What does Freezing Do?

After freezing for 24 hours, you'll end up with a softened persimmon flesh, but the tannins will very much be present. So, you can expect an unpleasant chalky texture in your mouth when you eat a frozen persimmon.

Why Persimmons Need To Be Ripe Before Consumption 

The unripe astringent Hachiya persimmon is inedible because it contains tannins that leave you with a fuzzy, chalky texture in your mouth.

To escape this feeling, you'll want your persimmons to be fully ripened before you eat it. Note that a fully ripe Hachiya persimmon can be eaten with a spoon.

Conclusion 

Enjoying Hachiya persimmons requires a little patience but the wait is usually worth it. To speed up the ripening process, you can put your persimmons in a closed paper bag with bananas or apples, which release ethylene gas that will help the persimmons ripen faster.