Unusually warm weather has continued to hold some growers back on harvesting parts of their persimmon crop this season. But as cooler nights approach, growers hope they'll get the right conditions so that their fruit colors well.

“There are some guys that are harvesting early, but we're still waiting for fruit to color,” explained Jeff Simonian of Simonian Fruit. “We'll probably start this week and continue through Thanksgiving.” Persimmons require cool nights in order to get the right color, so persistently warm weather has retarded that process.

Demand has been moderate, with a steady market for fruit out of California's Central Valley. At the end of last week, a carton of Fuyu 15s ranged in price from between $12.85 and $15.85, and smaller-sized fruit ranged in price from between $11.85 and $14.85. Simonian expects the market to remain steady this season on the back of consistent volumes of fruit.

“We think it's going to be a good year,” said Simonian. “It looks like we'll have some nice, good-sized fruit. The growing season will have its challenges with weather, but we're still hoping for good quality. Volume is going to be around normal, so I don't really see a drop off.”

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/