Once again I am working with Diospyros texana Texas persimmon, Mexican persimmon, Black persimmon, Chapote, Chapote prieto member of the Ebenaceae (Ebony Family).
About two weeks ago I did an early pick. The persimmons were green and hard, not a hint of softness. They’ve soaked for two weeks so they are very easy to smash. I dumped them into my plastic tub & pulverized them as best I could. The meat and seeds were released and one can see the yellow dye. They’ve gone back in the jar for another week’s soak and then it will be time for some dyeing.
Other branches have already been weighed down by the persimmons’ weight OR broken by raccoons starting their tastings early. John and I trimmed those and I’ve started another jar soaking. To my eye and feel it still looks early for good color but one just has to test to understand the color window!
debmcclintock 
Waiting to see results with great interest. The name is curious, as they don’t have the same stem/leaf attachment as true persimmons, and they’re small – more like cherry tomatoes. Do they have a single seed, or multiples? Oh well, if they give good color, who cares? Oooh, the suspense…
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P.S. Are you sure smashing persimmons is good for that shoulder?
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Busted! I used my Mexican pumice stone with my left hand! I did have to use my right hand to move items around. But honest, it wasn’t heavy.
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Interesting as I don’t have a clue what to do with persimmons.
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Hi Lulu, here is a link to last year’s exploration.
https://debmcclintock.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/persimmon-revisited-or-still-searching-for-black/
Or look under the category of persimmon at the bottom of my blog fir other experiments. Know that I am dealing with a different and smaller species of persimmon than the yellow/orange larger persimmon.
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Thank you for this post! I just found your blog today when I joined the natural dye yahoo group.
I’m in Dripping Springs (just moved to 24 acres!) and one of the plants I put in the front yard is TX persimmion because I wanted to dye with it. I guess I should get out there today and pick them.
I have a book on Japanese Kakishibu dyeing written by an american woman. She uses iron to shift her dyes to much darker colors. But exposure to the sun for drying is also a big part of getting the color to develop.
I’m so excited to have found a natural dyer in my area!
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Welcome to the Hill Country! Use the search function on my blog and look for last year’s posts on persimmon. Repeated dips and sun took it to a dark gold. I did a lot of experimenting with iron and some indigo over-dying last year. I just ordered the same book, finally used a book coupon holiday present to get it! Remember she is working with the Japanese persimmon which has different chemicals in it but we can still benefit from the process she documented. If my book would EVER get here!
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