Persimmons have many virtues. Persimmon trees are lovely, with dark green foliage a plentiful fruit worn like orange Christmas tree ornaments. The fruit is sweet and delicious, and there are only a few small seeds up near the stem. The problem with persimmons is that they only can be eaten when they are absolutely dead ripe. Otherwise the astringent flesh threatens to screw your face into a permanent pucker. A ripe astringent persimmon is not merely soft, it is a bag of jelly. And not just a partial bag of jelly, with some firmness near the stem. A ripe persimmon is 100% squishy.