As the air turns crisp and the sky turns grey, the persimmon orchards around Victoria's north-east start to pop with vibrant orange trees.
They are an unusual autumn fruit, with a shape akin to a tomato and the flesh and taste more like an apricot or a pear.
Buffalo Creek Orchards grower Frank Primerano said they were hard to describe to people.
"It has its own distinctive taste, until you try it you don't know."
Mr Primerano's farm's main income is persimmons, with more than 3,000 trees growing between 100-125 tonnes a year.
He said they made the switch to fruit after tobacco farming in the area ceased.
"Originally we were tobacco growers, but that shut down in 2006 so we had to find another crop to get into, otherwise we couldn't keep farming.
"My brother-in-law grew persimmons in Whorouly and we thought that would be the best thing, so we started with 200 trees and it grew and grew."
Growing demand for persimmons
When Mr Primerano started growing persimmons 16 years ago, he said he couldn't sell them for enough to cover costs of growing.
"The demand when we started was not real good," he said.
"We were actually going backwards financially, we sold the first box for under cost"
A new variety that was sweeter and easier to eat turned the demand around.
"There's now a lot more demand – originally there was an astringent variety that everyone knew about that you had to let go soft to eat, the new variety is non-astringent and you eat it like an apple."
Mr Primerano said he had also seen an increase in persimmon growers in the past few years.
"In the last five years it's grown, there are now a few more farmers around Myrtleford, Swan Hill, Shepparton, Barooga, Renmark all growing persimmons.
"I think famers are seeing there's a bit of money in it so are giving it a go."
From grocer to grower
Roger Arnold is retired from selling fruit and vegetables in Wodonga and is now growing persimmons on his property in South Albury.
He has 300 trees that produce around six tonnes of fruit per season that he sells through his family's store.
"A friend of mine was growing them in Tallangatta, and I thought as a hobby I'd plant some," Mr Arnold said.
"That was 20-plus years ago, and now I'm reaping the rewards from it."
"It keeps me busy, and keeps me on my toes."
Both Mr Arnold and Mr Primerano said the biggest challenge when growing persimmons was keeping the birds away.
Mr Arnold said he got plenty of help from his farm dogs to guard the trees.
"The are also good scarecrows when they bark and scare the birds away.
"We probably lose around 20 per cent of the fruit to birds each season but I'm not too worried because they are usually too high to pick anyway."
Mr Arnold admitted being on the other side of the produce business had given his a new appreciation for farmers and he said he would continue to grow persimmons.
"Well as along as I can do it, I'll keep it going.
"The biggest cost is the labour, and you've got to get a minimum price of $2 per kilo otherwise it's not worth doing.
"I've always bought fruit and resold it, now I understand how the weather can knock things around, and how difficult it is."
