| The Common Persimmon
Before moving to Southern Indiana, I had never seen or tasted a persimmon. But after our first fall here, I was forced to deal with this odd little fruit. We have several mature Persimmon trees, and once the cool weather hits, the little orange fruits - actually true berries - begin falling and soon cover the ground. The Persimmon is one of the first trees to lose its leaves, so in October it’s easy to spot the Persimmon trees with their leafless branches adorned with orange balls.
 The Common Persimmon has been called the “fruit of the Gods”. Its Greek name, diospyros virginiana, means just that, or “fruit of Zeus”. The fruit can be very sweet and tasty, worthy of the phrase “fruit of the gods”, if you keep one thing in mind. They are sweet if and only if they are fully ripe! Eaten too soon they are full of tannin which makes them so astringent that they’ll pucker your mouth like nothing else. It’s safest to eat them after they’ve fallen to the ground, and are soft, almost squishy and seem almost overripe. Some say not to eat them until after the first frost, but some do ripen before then. Persimmons are a favorite meal of opossums, which can often be seen high up in the tree feasting on the fruit. For this reason the tree is sometimes called “Possumwood”.
The Common Persimmon is native to Indiana, mostly from the central part of the state on down. Their range is from southern New York, down through Florida, and as far west as Iowa, Missouri and Texas. Native Americans used to grind the seeds for meal, and the pioneers roasted the seeds as a coffee substitute. The Common Persimmon is related to the Japanese Persimmon, which is native to Asia but has been introduced in the U.S. The Japanese Persimmon has a larger fruit, and is what is usually sold in grocery stores. It stores and transports better, but some folks say the wild or Common Persimmon has a better taste.
The fruit is orange-colored with a thin skin, and is an inch or two in diameter. They can be eaten raw, but they contain up to eight, rather large, flat seeds which have to be dealt with. The texture is a little like an apricot’s. The other way to use the fruit is to remove the seeds and skins by putting the fruit through a food mill, which leaves you with persimmon pulp. Most recipes call for persimmon pulp, which is easy to get if you have persimmons and don’t mind using a food mill. Or keep your eyes open as you drive through the country - many smaller grocery stores and produce stands offer ready-to-use persimmon pulp. The pulp can be put in a freezer bag and stays good frozen for a long time.
There are plenty of good persimmon recipes, but here are two that are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers. Persimmon pudding is one of the best-known deserts containing persimmon. Top it with whipped cream and you can’t go wrong!
Persimmon Pudding
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup blackberry wine
1 stick of butter or margarine
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
pinch of salt
Mix all ingredients together. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees in a 9 x 13” pan. Cut into bars and top with whipped cream.
Persimmon Cookies
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine or butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
cinnamon & sugar mixed for rolling cookies
Mix together: 1 cup persimmon pulp and 1 tsp. baking soda. Cream together: 2 cups sugar and 1 cup margarine or butter Mix together. Add 1 egg, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste), and 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. Drop by teaspoon in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Flatten on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees just until they start to brown around the edges. |
