Removing Astringency – Persimmons

Q: My persimmon trees fruited prolifically this year. I had heard that one should wait until after a hard frost for the astringency to disappear. The fruit never dropped but the leaves did. Finally, I had one tree with fruit where the astringency was gone. Are there other ways to remove astringency? 

A: One way is to put persimmons in a bag with a ripe banana or apple. After a week or two, the persimmons will be ripe. Another way is to carefully put alcohol in the leafy persimmon cap. Replenish the alcohol as necessary for a couple of weeks. I would use only ethanol, vodka, or Everclear for safety.