The Teeny, Tiny Kaki

This time of year I make it my business to eat kaki, or persimmon, on a daily basis. I also like to keep them in a bowl (preferably one of the blue ceramic ones) on our dining table. I simply love their deep orange color. And their squarish shape appeals both to the eye and the hand. But the the teeny, tiny kaki pictured above is in a class of its own. As you can see, this mini-persimmon is barely bigger than a one Yen coin! I found it lying on the ground near a friend's home. I had never seen a persimmon this small so I relocated it to my kitchen counter where we all enjoyed its cuteness until rot set in after about a week.

The kaki season is not that long, roughly the end of September through the end of November. I prefer the flat-bottomed type and like to eat them when their flesh is a bit crunchy and that lovely pale orange color. I try to pare away the peel in one go (I am pretty good at this) and then cut the fruit into eight wedge-shaped pieces. I spear each piece with a toothpick (or use my fingers if I am feeling particularly lazy). Some varieties have big pips but I do not like their flavor as much and navigating around the seeds is a bother.