Sunday, November 12, 2006

It's Persimmon Time!



Every year just before Thanksgiving it's persimmon time at Mom and Dad's. It means climbing up on the tall ladder and picking the lucious fruit before the mockingbirds and blackbirds get to them and before they soften. It means looking forward to Mom's fabulous old persimmon bread recipe, cookies, and candied persimmons.
Yesterday, my niece Corie, home from her Army intelligence school in Arizona, and me, did our best to fill up the red wheelbarrow with perfect persimmons. We got as many as we could reach while mom and dad sat nearby and watched and reminisced about that tree and how scrawny it was when Dad planted it so many years ago, and how many recipes featured its persimmons over the years! Mom remembered the first persimmon tree she had seen back in the 40s on Oso Street when they first moved there in 1948. There's something so predictable about this tree, this property, these people. Simple fruits, simple signs of the turning of the seasons, and love that goes on and on and on.
Dad and the windfall before Corie and I did our pickin'...
"What will your children remember?
There is something in every season,
in every day,
to celebrate with thanksgiving."
(Gloria Gaither)

9 Comments:

At 6:15 PM, Blogger The Mad Fishicist said...

what's the flower in front of the tree? lavendar? hopefully there'll be some dried persimmon chips for sophia this christmas.

 
At 6:17 PM, Blogger auntibeck said...

The flower is a type of sage. It is prolific. A great shrub.

 
At 8:19 PM, Blogger coolskool mom said...

Those are great pictures!!! Looks so autumn..y

 
At 11:09 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I love this time of year. I love seeing Grampy behind that wheelbarrow.

 
At 6:54 AM, Blogger Belle Etoile said...

Here I was wondering where Corie had gone off to and then she appears! I love blogging, especially when we show up in each other's blogs.

Looks like so much fun. I remember when Grampy made me eat my first persimmon - I was kind of weary, I must admit - but it was delicious.

 
At 11:38 AM, Blogger The Chindo said...

I hate em.

because i've only tried em in bread.





I like em in bread.

 
At 6:34 PM, Blogger Saija said...

i had to look this up because i had never heard of persimmon ... admitting my ignorance ... so this is what i learned:

"Persimmons tend to be light yellow-orange to dark red-orange in colour, varying from 2-8 cm in diameter, and may be spherical, acorn or pumpkin shaped depending on the species. The calyx often remains attached to the fruit after picking. They are eaten fresh, dried, cooked and canned. They are high in glucose, have a balanced protein profile, and also have various medicinal and chemical uses."

i'd try 'em! :o)

 
At 9:06 AM, Blogger auntibeck said...

Thanks for the great info! I'll send you a couple of recipes--I'd ship you some of the fruit too if you thought it could get to you safely...but it is so pretty and so sweet as long as its eaten when ripe. OUr variety is in the Ebony family native to southeastern US, and very pithy and stringent if eaten before fully ripe. When you see them in the store it's usually around November and December. The Japanese ones are short and squat, the others are long, oval and firm--unusual for people to have trees... Hope you have a good day today--Fred is doing really well--3 wks ago today--blood still too thick though, they're working on getting the levels right.)Hugs!

 
At 5:15 PM, Blogger Saija said...

thanks for the offer of persimmon ... :o) ... i will just have to see if our stores stock them ... and then i'll picture you picking them fresh at your place!

glad to hear that Fred is doing well ... 3 weeks already, eh ... wow!

blessings on your evening!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home