The Mighty Persimmon. These little treats need to ripen on the vine. The general rule is waiting until after your first frost.
By Dayna Carter
As the crisp autumn breeze dances through the trees and leaves blanket the ground with their vibrant jewel colors, there’s one little fruit that is almost ready to harvest: the wild persimmon. These tiny coral-colored orbs of deliciousness far exceed their fancy cousins in the local produce aisle.
Foraging these little gems is going to feel more like a hunt than a harvest. Just as you spot a perfect, plumb persimmon, it’s almost as if the tree is playing a game of hide-and-seek, taunting you with its elusive branches. One moment you’re eyeing a cluster, the next you are battling a tangle of twigs, all the while muttering about how these fruits must have been trained by a SWAT team.
Finally, the day comes, and you are able to reach the fruit and shake a few off a branch. But before you proceed examine those few fallen gems. They must be soft and ripe. If you think you can boil, or broil persimmons to force them into ripening because you have attention-deficit disorder and are tired of waiting, you are mistaken. These little treats need to ripen on the vine. The general rule is waiting until after your first frost.
If you ignore this advice and bite into an unripe persimmon your lips will pucker like an angel fish, and it could prove permanent (like your mom’s warning when you crossed your eyes).
Now onto the baking. These wild beauties taste like a cross between a peach and a plum. They are delicious as a bread and a jam. So, raise your mixing bowls and toast to the wild persimmon- the little troublemakers of the fall harvest that teach us the virtues of patience, reward us with the sweetness of victory, and sprinkle a little magic into our culinary escapades. Because sometimes, the best things in life come in the most mischievous packages. Dayna Carter, a Garland County Master Gardener, volunteers with GC Master Gardeners of the UofA Div. of Agriculture, Cooperative Ext. Service. Master Gardeners pool skills and resources to improve home horticulture, stimulate interest in plants and gardening, and encourage beautification. For more info, call 501-623-6841 or email abates@uaex.edu.
