A persimmon tree

The only example of a persimmon tree that I know of in Rensselaer grows near the corner of Angelica and Weston, in front of the brick house that I believed once housed the nuns who taught at St. Augustine School. I was a bit surprised to see that the fruit was still on the tree in December.
Persimmon is a strange fruit. It is edible, but unless fully ripe it is very astringent. Of course I had to taste one of these to see if they were better than they were last year when I tried them.
It was very sweet. Despite the extreme cold, the fruit was not frozen, but had a gooey texture, so it must have a terrific sugar content. There is not a lot to eat because the seeds are huge. After I had eaten it, I noticed a rather unpleasant aftertaste.

The Internet sources say that persimmon is one of those trees that have male trees and female trees, so there must be more persimmon trees around. A few years ago there was another female tree on Jackson Street, close to College Avenue. I think it was cut down when the property changed hands and the new owner did not value the persimmons.
Do you know where any others grow? And do you have any idea of how to prepare them so they are worth eating?