It's Kaki Season!!!

I seriously do not know how I went twenty-four years of my life without this fruit. I discovered it last fall - they're called kakis here, persimmons in English - and I think I practically lived off it for three or four months. Then I spent about nine months eagerly awaiting the start of 2012 persimmon season.

Why so special, you ask? They're sweet, crunchy, have a fantastic, thick, pretty orange skin (I know, I'm weird, I always eat my fruit with the skin on, no matter how tough it is...unless it's like, an orange). Perfect for autumn. And, if you cut them horizontally there's a star in the middle, a bit like when you cut an apply horizontally.

Word of advice, though: there are two main varieties of persimmons, the gross variety (in my opinion), which is shorter and rounder and you have to let ripen until it's really soft and then you scoop it out; and the good version, which is slightly more elongated and eaten while it's firm. Mmm, I love crunchy fruit!


Edit: After some disconcerting research, I discovered that you shouldn't eat persimmons too often, and you shouldn't eat them on an empty stomach, especially with the skin on (i.e. basically the only way I eat them). Apparently they contain "a compound called shibuol" that doesn't react well with stomach acid and could eventually lead to digestive issues. I have no idea how much of a risk this is or if it applies to all different types of persimmons but...maybe just to be safe I'm going to stop eating them for breakfast every single day.