I mentioned recently that 2nd Family's "R" took a brush hog and a tractor and cleared some new areas on our property. So last weekend, before the cold settled in this weekend, I decided to explore the new spots.
I was just casually walking along when I found this tree:
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| Update: It's a Persimmon tree |
It was COVERED in fruit.
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| Update: Persimmons on a tree |
I smashed one open and this is what it looked like. There seemed to be two or maybe three seeds inside, they were elongated. I didn't notice an identifiable smell but it did smell sweet. These are growing without any human intervention, including watering. They are growing near a wet area of the property, a kind of natural pond site, so the roots are probably able to get plenty of water. They obviously survived during the great drought of 2011.
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| UPDATE: Persimmon! |
The best part of all? There was another tree, just like this one, with the same kinds of fruit on it, and it was at least 30 or 40 feet tall! We love the thought of some naturally occurring fruit tree on our property that we can harvest from but before we start Googling recipes, we need to see what it is.
SO...anyone hazard to guess what fruit this might be?
And if you do know, any good ideas for its use?
UPDATE: THANK YOU all for the ID, we need to learn our wild foraging identification, LOL.
Looks like persimmons from here. They stay on the tree until after the leaves have fallen off. They are really not good to eat until they are really really ripe.
ReplyDeleteYou had the first answer, ha. Thanks for that! I didn't realize that might already be ripe and ready. They looked too ripe to me but that apparently means they are good. Dang. Hopefully I can get them this coming weekend.
DeleteI will second the Persimmon. Here is a website chock full of recipes http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/fruits/persimmons/ (Google is my friend:)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Isn't google wonderful? Ha. Thanks for the link. SO many recipes....I love it!
DeletePersimmons! Even edible now if they look like the one broken open. I'm surprised the wild game has not eaten them.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! Thank you, I hope I can get to them, they just seemed overripe but now I know better, ha.
DeleteOver-ripe is they only way to eat them. Sometimes, even then you might get one not quite ripe. Usually, the are more wrinkly when they are ripe. If you ever get an astringent persimmon in your mouth...you are in trouble. Persimmon in the wild never have to be tended. There was one growing in the city that never got water, and the persimmon tree was quite productive. Then, they cut it down.
DeleteWell isn't that they way they always do, pave paradise and put up a parking lot, ha. Thanks for the info. I hope I can get a few this weekend, but there is heavy rain in our forecast. I hope that doesn't knock them all off.
Deletei agree with everyone else. that's what it looks like to me.
ReplyDeletecool! I can't wait to get some, if I'm not too late.
DeleteAwesome find! It's encouraging to hear you're still stumbling upon edibles this long after buying the place. Gives me hope I may yet find something on my own place.
ReplyDeleteYep, this is in a spot, the widest spot on the property (think the wide end of a slice of pie) and there is is a pond site in th middle that sort of kept us from traversing from one side to the other. Then when they used the brush hog to carve a trail (he knew where the wet was and wasn't, I was able to get to this. Very cool. I think that's about it for fruit trees but there could be other grassy/weedy edibles. I'll have to explore more next spring.
DeleteAs everyone else said, Persimmons. Isn't it great when Nature gives you a surprise gift?!
ReplyDeleteI have a Persimmon tree in my yard. I love them and so do the mockingbirds!
When I went to the grocery store this afternoon, I noticed that the persimmons were priced at 1.28 EACH! So you have some valuable trees!
DeleteLOL! It's like orange gold, ha. It's a first for me, and just so cool that it's there on the property and has been for years.
DeleteDefinitely persimmon. There are two types, astringent which will make your mouth pucker if you eat them too early. The fruit needs to be mushy like the one in your photo. By the way, I agree with Gail, the one in the photo looks perfect. The other variety is non-astringent which you can eat like an apple. When ripe they are nice and sweet and I make all sorts of things with them from cake to jam. I let mine go almost black before I start scooping them out. The trees are beautiful, doing the whole deciduous colour thing and the fruit ripen off the tree as well. A great score!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a pretty tree, I can't wait to clean up around it and just make it look better. I need to learn how to prune them too, I think it's a bit wiry, ha. I think these are the astringent kind so you have to wait until ripe. I am hoping to get some this weekend. Fingers crossed! Thanks!
DeleteI don't think you need to prune the tree. They always look raggedy.
DeleteCool, thank you for that info. I've been looking at some pics online and they do seem kind of raggedy, ha.
DeleteAnd you've got two trees....that's terrific. You need the guy with the 'bush hog' to visit more often lol.
ReplyDeleteHa, I totally agree. He cleared all sorts of new paths for us and now I can keep them mowed with the zen machine and they will just sort of turn to grass paths, nice for walking and enjoying. SOMEDAY, we hope to have the pond dug out it would be large, about an acre. That will be nice. yep, two of them, though this one is the better of the two. The other was big and didn't have as much fruit. But that's ok, something else for me to work on down the road.
DeleteDefinitely American persimmons, and they are perfect for eating now! Seeds can be a bit of a pain though. Get them before the o'possums do!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! And "American Persimmon", I will look that up. Thanks of the info. The seeds looked 'interesting' but hey, I thought they were over ripe, I had no idea that they were almost perfect. Just hoping they are still there this weekend.
DeleteHow lucky for you to have 2 persimmon trees on your property! Enjoy...and eat them now,
ReplyDeleteThank you and I will definitely try to get them this weekend.
DeleteI soon as I saw the closeup I knew it was a persimmon. Best eaten now after a frost. No good before then. How lucky for you to have 2. I'd love to have one but no such luck.
ReplyDeleteWell thank you for that. Ah, so a frost makes them good too? We just had one, and another one possible tonight. Then 70's this weekend. I hope I can get them this weekend.
DeleteAs some others have said, they are probably still good--give them a try! Native persimmons do need to be ripe to the point of mushiness to be good (so I hear; the one time I tried them they hadn't really reached that stage so were still sweet-but-astringent). I'm borderline jealous... I don't have any at my place, but I've ordered some for planting next spring. Bon appetit!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thank you so much for that. We were just thrilled beyond words to just find them randomly growing. We love when nature makes ti work, ha. Thank you again!
DeleteBack home, in Kentucky, we say "Puckered up like she had a green persimmon". Better a bit overripe than too early, lol!
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is a funny saying. Thanks! I'll have to remember that (and now part of me wants to at least try one next year before it's ripe, just for the experience). Thanks!!!!
DeleteWell, this is good news! What a nice find!
ReplyDeleteAt one of the lakes here in SC, there is a small island that we camp on...we call it persimmon island because of a grove of persimmon trees near a peninsula. There are always deer tracks under the trees! One morning we woke up to see deer swimming back to the mainland, we never even heard them munching persimmons on the island ))
Now that is a neat story!! Thanks for sharing. And I bet that was something to see the swimming huh? They must be really good (to deer for sure) to swim over to get them. Thanks!!
DeleteI think it's great that you'll be experimenting with your new-found crop, but I hope you'll also leave some for the wildlife? If they've had it to themselves all these years, they'd surely miss the food source if most of it suddenly disappeared right before Winter :)
ReplyDeleteWell now isn't that a great suggestion....I didn't think about that. We do need to share some, after all, they've been munching on it for years too. Maybe I'll leave the low hanging ones and take some of the ones higher up. ;-) Thank you for the reminder.
Delete:)
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