Persimmons A Plenty!

"Known to the ancient Greeks as fruit of the Gods"
~Wikepedia~


Persimmons are one of the main crops here in Sangu. The fruit trees are everywhere! Sangju claims to be known as the City of Three Whites.
One being rice, another silk, and the persimmons, which start out as white and change to an orange color as they ripen.


This cute little girl was more than willing to pose for a picture for me.


They don't pick the persimmons until they are ripe. There is a funny taste in the fruit (high levels of tannins) that is gradually removed as the fruit ripens.
Koreans also believe that as long as any fruit is on the tree it is living, and as soon as it is picked it becomes dead.
So they try and ripen all the produce while still on the tree, bush or vine. Thus you have much better tasting strawberries, canteloupe etc., etc.

They string up the persimmons to dry after they are picked.

Many of the older ladies in town take jobs during harvest to earn some extra won. ($$)
I was amazed how they do every thing by hand and that no one has yet figured out a quicker way of doing this.

They have their work cut out for them stemming and peeling all these persimmons!


I had never tasted a persimmon before coming here, and I can't say they are the best fruit I've ever eaten, but when in Rome...

(Lets just say I would rather eat persimmons than kimchee,)