[Note: This post, prepared originally for the NC Folklife Institute's NCFood blog, is hosted on the institute’s website, with excerpts and a link to the website posted here.]
Cool temperatures mean fall fruits and vegetables. When the
summer temperatures drop, one tree becomes more noticeable as its round fruit
ripens and takes on an orange-brown hue. Is it time to pick persimmons and make
pudding?
Many of us remember days from childhood when we asked if the
persimmons could be picked. Impatiently we had to wait until the fruit was ready.
Picked too early, persimmons can leave a sharp or bitter taste. As
many children learn, being patient and giving persimmons a long period to ripen
(sometimes as long as until the first frost occurs) can improve the flavor. The
extended time increases the sugars and decreases the acids that cause the
bitterness.Continue reading at the NCFood blog...
Note: The family recipe of persimmon pudding at the end of the article will be reprinted with permission in Eating Appalachia by Darrin Nordahl that is scheduled for publication in early 2015 by Chicago Review Press.
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