One Last Bite

  My hiking got a bit longer today as the old dog felt somewhat better, the day was gorgeous and I had cabin fever.  I needed to get away from Christmas decorations for at least a little while!  While we slowly meandered the hillside, Mr. PJ sniffed everything as if it was all new after his four day absence.  I surveyed everything as if it was all new.  Then, down by the marsh edge, I spied a treasure!  One last wild persimmon dangled precariously on a broken branch.  Obviously, a raccoon had coveted that very same persimmon but the tiny limb did not hold its weight.  Now, the quarter-sized fruit was within my reach!  It was mine!  I happily gobbled the luscious orange blob!  It is going to be a long wait before I taste that again.  October 2019 is a long way off.

  While the wild persimmons are not for everyone, I love them.  The peels are a bit astringent even after a frost chills them and each fruit has seven or eight large, penny-sized seeds.  It is the sweet, juicy pulp that makes the fruit worth eating.  When I can pick enough of the fruit, they do make a delightful jam, as well, however, I usually eat every one I pick!  There will be no jam this year.  Oops!

  Wild persimmons, though small, are more nutritious than their cultivated counterparts.  For example, just one of these small fruits can give you up to 27% of your daily requirement of vitamin C.  The fruit can be used in many ways.  Jams, breads, puddings and cookies are just a few of the ways I use them.  Plus, the leaves are dried and used to make a great cup of tea!  Wild persimmons...a favorite here on the Bayou...the coons and I love them!