Persimmon Puddin’


Persimmons are smaller than plums, but bigger than grapes, round, a beautiful orangey rust color when ripe, and very soft. Persimmons grow wild on Persimmon Trees. They are indigenous to this area. We have several on our properties. In fact, last spring when we had a field cleared of trees and brush to turn it into a hay field, we purposely left some persimmon trees standing. There are male and female trees, but just like humans, only the females produce fruit. Tasting an unripe persimmon is a *Terrible* experience. Imagine eating an entire orange peel, but worse. The ripe ones, however, have a very pleasant, slightly sweet taste I associate with fall.

(Lila enjoying persimmon pulp)

Anyway, today on our family walk, we stayed close to home. We have been hiking or biking at O'Bannon Woods not too far from us, but Cam had a horse injury a couple weeks ago that left his leg a little uncomfortable toting an extra girl around by Ergo or bike trailer. So, we borrowed our neighbors jogging stroller and each pushed a girl around our "neighborhood". We happened to pass a Persimmon tree along the road that was dropping fruit; so on our way back, we stopped and picked some up. This afternoon, Lila and I smushed the persimmons through a conical sieve to make pulp and get rid of the seeds, skins, and tops. It's a messy, but fun process that we both enjoyed.

(Lila hard at work)

We used the pulp to make Persimmon Pudding. Yum! I'm guessing persimmon pudding is a very regional thing. I didn't grow up eating it, but I always heard its name. Texture-wise, it's somewhere between a cake and a pudding. We serve it topped with a glaze, warm and, if you're lucky, with ice cream.

(Maggie helps me clean the beater, or "beaver" as Lila used to call it)

Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it yourself:
2c persimmon pulp
2 eggs
1 c milk or buttermilk
1 c sugar
1 T butter (soft)
¼ t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 c flour
Mix first four ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix butter, soda, baking powder, and flour together. Add to first mixture. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.


Glaze:
1 c sugar
1 ½ T butter
1 ½ T flour
1 c water
Combine water and flour. Add sugar and butter. Bring to a boil. Pour over warm cake.