Are you supposed to eat persimmons hard or soft?

Persimmons should be eaten when they are soft. When a persimmon is ripe, it will yield to gentle pressure and the skin will be a deep orange color. Hard persimmons are not as sweet and can be astringent. To ripen a persimmon, you can place it in a paper bag at room temperature for a few days. You can also speed up the ripening process by placing the persimmon in a bowl of warm water.