Persimmons
These small round or oval fruits, which ripen between September and the end of November, are sweet only when soft. Some varieties ripen before frost; some ripen after the first frost.
Remove caps and rinse. Put uncooked fruits in a food mill to separate the seeds from the pulp. Use the resulting smooth pulp in cookies, breads, ice cream and other desserts or sauces.
The pulp may be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for a year or longer, Tucker says.
The Tuckers have several favorite books from which they get their wild food recipes. The persimmon bread with hickory nuts comes from “Stalking the Wild Asparagus,” by Euell Gibbons. The persimmon ice cream is from Marily Kluger’s book “The Wild Flavor.” The black walnut pie is from Bradford Angier’s book “Feasting Free on Wild Edibles.”
You can adapt your favorite blueberry muffin or pancake recipe to a huckleberry recipe. Replace the blueberries with the huckleberries and add three or four extra tablespoons of sugar. Huckleberries are on the tart side.
Persimmon Bread
Makes 2 small loaves
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) margarine, softened
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup persimmon pulp
- 1/2 cup chopped hickory nuts or pecans
- Cream sugar and margarine together; add eggs and beat until light.
- In separate bowl, sift together flour and soda; add to creamed mixture. Stir until well-blended.
- Stir in persimmon pulp and nuts. Batter will be slightly stiff.
- Line two small loaf pans with waxed paper. Divide batter between pans. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees F.
[Jackson Sun, Jackson, Tenn., 23 Sep 1987]
