Monday Market – Persimmons (연시 – 홍시)
'yeon-shi,' one of my favourite autumn fruits
I’ve written several times about the persimmon which in Korea, like the octopus, has three different names depending characteristics. For some reason ‘3’ always seems to be associated with food though I’m sure it’s coincidence. You’re supposed to wash cabbages three times after salting and I was taught to rinse rice three times before cooking. I took this photo a month ago as the first flush of soft persimmon, known as ‘yeson-shi’, appeared in the market. I love this type of persimmon and several years ago built a stock-pile in my freezer which lasted into mid spring. Actually, I ended up so tired of them I hardly bought any the following year. Now I want to eat them but unfortunately am restricted by my diet. However, I couldn’t resist buying some just to photograph. The first flush of yeon-shi are particularity delicate and beautiful but their colour quickly changes as autumn progresses.
very similar to the slightly larger and more heart-shaped 'hong-shi.'
persimmons hanging on local trees
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Related articles
The Intricacies of Persimmon (Bathhouse Ballads Nov 2010)
Interlude – Soft Persimmons (Bathhouse Ballads Oct 2010)
They mystery of the persimmons (militaryzerowaste.wordpress.com)
Elwood 5566 
Before I bought my apartment, I lived in an old house with a persimmon tree. 할머니 one day took out some huge persimmon-picking gadget — a long pole with a small hoop at the end around which there was a net.
There was then eighty-something 할머니, with her tiny frame holding up a pole three or four times her height, deftly looping the hoop around each persimmon and twisting the device so it would pluck the persimmon and place it carefully in the net, and then she’d pull the thing down. I, too, got sick of persimmons after a while, but now, in Hawaii, I’d love to have some tea, some dried fruit, or even a pie.
Yea, the dried persimmon are lovely. As for persimmon pie, I’d love to try it but don’t have an oven. Thanks for the comments.
Yeah, dried persimmons are wonderful. I got some as a present from a colleague.
But — they need to be refrigerated! Learned that the hard way.