Every winter on the shelves you can find a marvelous orange and fleshy fruit called persimmon. This berry (and this is the berry that grows on trees) is a favorite treat of millions of people. Those who say that it is tasteless and tart simply do not know how to choose it. To do this, you need to know where persimmons grow in Russia, in the world, what varieties are and how they differ.
Such a different persimmon …
There are a great many varieties of such a fruit. According to some reports, there are more than 700 species! But the valuable varieties that can be eaten are much less, only 200. Where and how persimmon grows depends heavily on climate. The fact is that the fruits that can be found on the market are selective. Wild persimmon trees bear fruit and yield a very large crop, but all the berries are absolutely inedible - they have a very high tannin content.
Such a fruit will not bring any pleasure. A large amount of astringent not only gives an unpleasant sensation in the mouth, but can also become a reason for seeking medical help, urgent hospitalization and surgery. The same thing can happen if you eat unripe persimmons.
Fruits suitable for the diet can be tart, but in moderation, only to give the taste a piquant note. Some berries are completely devoid of this feature, so they are incredibly sweet, with an unsurpassed aroma and texture. There are varieties that lack tannin as a result of the work of breeders, but nature itself helps some. After ripening, the berry is not immediately plucked from the branches, but left there so that it freezes slightly. This largely depends on where the persimmon grows. In Russia, it is mainly grown on the Black Sea coast, that is, in the south, but even small frosts are possible there, which do not interfere with frost-resistant varieties, on the contrary, they make the fruit sweeter and softer.
Where does this fruit come from?
The geography of the prevalence of "food of the gods" (as the Greeks called persimmons) is very wide. It is cultivated in Japan, the USA, China, Australia, Israel and even the Philippines. Of course, the Eurasian continent cannot be excluded from this list. Where does persimmon grow in Russia?
Persimmon is unpretentious in care, but requires a special climate. In some regions of Russia, favorable conditions for the ego tree are created by nature. It is mainly distributed in the Krasnodar Territory, in the Crimea, in the southern part of the Stavropol Territory. Persimmon is growing in Central Asia (Tashkent, Ferghana Valley).
China is considered the birthplace of the tree, from there it was brought to many other countries that now grow sweet fruits for sale around the world.
What varieties of persimmons grow in Russia?
The quality of the fruit depends on where and how persimmon grows. Botanists bred varieties of trees that adapted to fairly severe frosts. Among them, the most common for our country are Virginia, Russian, Mount Goverla and Mount Roman-Kosh. All these varieties can withstand fairly low temperatures (-20-30 degrees), but only for a short time. Each of them has its own advantages, but frost resistance is the trump card.
The fruits of these varieties are sweet and delicious. They ripen closer to the end of autumn, but not all can be stored for a long time. Most often, it will be possible to enjoy the sweetness of the berry no later than mid-January, but the persimmon of Goverla Mountain variety can persist almost until the end of winter.
When choosing a variety, it is very important to take into account the soil, landscape, temperature peaks and humidity in the region, all this affects where and how frost-resistant persimmons grow.
Is it possible to grow this yummy at home?
In the wild, a persimmon tree can reach 30 meters in height. The quality of the fruit then suffers greatly, because all the vitality of the plant goes to maintaining the stem and leaves. Varieties of trees bred by humans are shorter, some of them form like a bush, which greatly facilitates plant care and harvesting. And although it does not make any special demands how persimmons grow, where persimmons grow - these are the factors that affect the future quality of fruits.
Persimmon categorically does not accept drought, the soil must be well moistened so that there is enough strength for the growth and ripening of the fruits and the subsequent rest of the root system after harvest.
Another prerequisite is a sufficient amount of light for the tree, it does not tolerate shady areas. Some varieties of persimmons need to be pollinated. The number of male and female flowers on a tree is not always the same, and full fruit setting does not occur. As a result, they do not develop and crumble. The rest of the care is no different from the care of any cultivated tree and involves such measures:
- thinning branches;
- crown formation;
- control of young shoots, their rationing.
A useful property of persimmons is how the berry grows, its resistance to pests and diseases. She practically does not need to use chemicals during the cultivation, and this makes the fruits not only tasty, but also safe.
Well of health
Persimmons have very few contraindications. In a limited amount, it should be consumed by people with diabetes, it contains a lot of fructose, but it does not raise the glycemic level in the blood. Also, caution should be taken with this fetus in the postoperative period, because its astringent properties do not affect the gastrointestinal tract in the best way.
But on the beneficial properties of the berry, mankind composes legends, which in fact turn out to be true truth! Vitamins A, C and P make it an indispensable product in the winter, because they help maintain the body during the common cold. Potassium, magnesium, iron, beta-carotene - these are trace elements that are rich in persimmons. It helps to overcome anemia, problems with the cardiovascular system, is a natural antiseptic and normalizes the nervous system of the body. Nutritionists recommend consuming 1-2 berries every day during the persimmon ripening season, but you should not get involved too much so as not to overload the body.
