OniOniOniArt

American Persimmon (sugar plum)  - Diospyros virginiana Down the dusty road, cicada cacophony and lo! Persimmons! During my evening walk on the long dusty drive that eventually leads to my house, I was surprised to find a persimmon tree full of fruit.  How exciting! I've lived here the last two autumns and never noticed them! (In my defense, they are tiny, perhaps 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter, and I have vague recollections of seeing "tiny oranges"). I must confess, I'd never tried persimmons before, so I had to do a bit of research to know when these would be ripe. They should be soft and close to rotting (but not actually rotten) for them to be sweet; wrinkly, translucent reddish-brown skin is a good sign. If they come off the tree with a gentle twist/pull, they should be good, but if they give you any resistance at all, leave them be. An unripe persimmon is very astringent and leaves your mouth in a pucker that lasts quite a long time. Apparently th...