It’s October, and you know what that means. No, it’s not pumpkin time, but it’s Persimmon time. Now is the time to see one, taste one, and even plant one. These trees may start as small understory trees but; can get to 30 feet or more. Persimmons have oval green leaves in the summer and yellow and orange with beautiful bark in the fall. These fruits are very astringent until they are ripe, but once soft, they have a mild sweet flavor.
However, you may think that only deer, raccoons, and possums will eat Persimmons, but they make a good flavor for bread, jams, and ice cream.

Did you know Persimmon fruit may predict the winter? When cutting a seed lengthwise that looks like a knife, winter will be cold, but if it resembles a fork, we will have a mild winter, and a spoon predicts a wet and snowy season.

If the tiny American fruit Persimmon doesn’t sound interesting, how about the large Japanese fruit Persimmon? These Asian varieties do not grow as large of a tree as our common Persimmon, but the real draw is the fruit. Asian Persimmons are large, like a tomato, and can be astringent or nonastringent. The most popular variety is called Fuji. This variety is called chocolate because of its darker flesh, but whether it’s astringent or nonastringent, common or Japanese, maybe Persimmons are right for you.

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