DID YOU KNOW?

American persimmons have been a fall menu staple long before ships started landed on its shores. The first frost is the time to start harvesting these yellow/orange/ purple fruits as the process of ripening is triggered by a hard frost.

American persimmon trees dot Southern Oklahoma’s landscape and are easily spotted due to their early golden yellow fruit colors. The fruit begins to appear inSeptemberandslowly emerges as the weather and temperature starts falling. Some people believe the fruit to be inedible but this may be due to the fact that they have tried it long before it is ripe. The fruit emerges a golden yellow color and is very dense and firm, as time and temperature changes, the fruit turns an orange tint.

Theperfecttimetoharvest this sweet decadence is a day ortwoafterahardfrostasthis turns the fruit a blue-purple color and transforms what was a chalky caustic taste into a sweet, honey, caramel, cinnamon,and pumpkin-like ambrosial delight.

Persimmons have been used in American cooking as long as records and stories can be traced. This may be due to the fact persimmons are native to America and grow throughout the western regions with warm days and cool nights. In Early Americantimes,persimmons were introduced to settlers by Native Americans and the fruit was used in desserts including pies, cakes, jelly and pudding.

Native Americans relied upon the persimmons as a staple food source. Common preservation of persimmon among Native Americans was to spread the pulp on a peeled log and let it dry in the sun. Then, roll it up for a later use as the fruit will keep indefinitely when preserved in this manner. One might say this method is the grandmother to fruit rollups.

The nutritional value of this foraged fruit overstepped many other fruits. Each fruit containsanexcessiveamount of potassium, fiber, natural sugar, beta carotene and antioxidants. The fruit was also used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans and adopted by early settlers, as well. The entire tree was used to treat all sorts of ailments.

The fruit aids in inflammation, anti-infection, is a metabolism booster and even slows the aging process. Persimmons are used worldwide for skin care and are currently under research in the aid of curing cancer.

One of the prominent uses that appealed Native Americans and early settlers was the making of Persimmon Beer, yep booze. There are many recipes and methods to making this drink available throughout history.

Some foraged things are often passed over due to the confusingnatureofdetermining ripeness and edible, but persimmons leave no doubt to determine their ripeness. A small bite of the fruit will either leave the taste buds in pure delight or a screaming rage. When the fruit is not ripe, a smidgen on the tongue will cause a pucker.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to forage and add persimmons to all sorts of recipes. The fruit is plentiful in Marshall County and all-around Indian Territory. It is found along side of roads and creeks throughout.