Admit it. Come September when you were a youngster, didn’t you con younger siblings or neighborhood children into eating wild persimmons from a tree? Then didn’t you laugh uproariously when the tannins in this unripe fruit made the insides of their mouths turn into a cottony, fuzzy mess?
Well, I certainly did. But my wife Elaine and I now regard our region’s native wild persimmon as, hands down, our favorite fall fruit and also as the source for our favorite kinds of homemade bread and cookies any time of the year. Much has been written about when is the best time to gather persimmons but obviously September is not the time to do so.
Here in Southwest Virginia, we like to wait until either mid-November arrives or three “hard” frosts, as mountain folks call them, take place. The cold weather seems to hasten the maturation process of a Diospyros virginiana, and the sweetness of a perfectly ripe ‘simmon is a joy to the taste buds. And apparently wildlife in these mountains feel the same way. Opossums and black bears especially seem to have an obsession for this fruit, but I’ve observed mammals from deer to chipmunks chowing down.
As noted, we relish persimmon bread and cookies, especially with wild hickory nuts or black walnuts as part of the ingredients. This month Elaine is planning to make persimmon pudding for the first time, and we might even be up for turning some into ice cream. Nevertheless, I can hardly wait for the first persimmon bread of the season, slice into the loaf, and see that glorious orange/brown center and smell the fruity/nutty aroma of “possum apples.”
Bruce and Elaine Ingram will profile a different wild edible every month. For more information on their book Living the Locavore Lifestyle, contact them bruceingramoutdoors@gmail.com
